Jake Wheatley

Rep. Jake Wheatley: Violence is a learned behavior and we must start the collective process of unlearning it. Less than a year ago, I remember speaking with the family of young Zykier Young, who was shot and killed in his home, and expressing my condolences and reaffirming my commitment to making sure we do all that we can to reduce and eliminate senseless violence, especially gun violence that injures and kills our babies. Fast forward to today and just recently, more senseless violence has continued to destroy our Northside community, our city, and our country.

In this month’s column, Rep. Jake Wheatley discusses the American Rescue Plan, which will make investments to the city, county, and state. A little more than a year ago, we saw our first confirmed case of COVID-19 and it changed our city, state, and country forever. We have experienced much disruption in our lives and in some cases, we’ve lost family members, friends, and neighbors. This past year, we have faced forced closings of our businesses, shutdowns of our schools, and periods where we were asked to stay in our homes with limited contact and interactions with others. This unforeseen set of circumstances has caused mental, physical, and financial stress on all of us. Thankfully, with the leadership and support of our president and congressional members, some significant support is heading our way. I want to give a public and loud “Thank You” to President Biden, Senator Casey, Congressman Doyle, and Congressman Lamb for this extremely significant and timely support package.

In this month’s column, Rep. Jake Wheatley explains the implications of Gov. Tom Wolf recently signing S.B. 109 into law. It’s almost hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since the pandemic made its arrival in our state and country, and I know so many of you are still struggling and hurting. Please know my team and I are doing all we can to push for additional resources and support to help residents and local businesses stay afloat.

In this month’s column, Rep. Wheatley, who was recently sworn in for a new term to represent the 19th Legislative District, discusses his new role as the Democratic chairman of the House Professional Licensure Committee. 2021 has certainly ushered in quite a few changes, among them a new president and...

In this month’s column, Rep. Jake Wheatley shares his point of view on the Pennsylvania state budget. There are thousands of families struggling to find their financial footing because of this raging pandemic that has closed or limited their abilities to feed themselves and their families. Thousands of Pennsylvania students don’t have the ability to access school instruction because of limited access to technology and reliable internet service. Hundreds of small businesses and entertainment venues are still waiting for some financial relief. The state does have $1.3 billion in federal dollars available to offer some financial relief. Instead, majority legislators are holding on to that money to use it toward their sham of a budget.