In The News
Jenkintown Social Security Office Closing; Congresswoman Appeals Decision
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) – The Social Security Administration says it will close its Jenkintown field office at the end of this month (September 28th), leaving residents of Eastern Montgomery County without a local office, but at least one local lawmaker is hoping to get the decision reversed. Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz fired off a letter to the Social Security Commissioner in June, asking him to reconsider the decision. The response was not a positive one, but her office is still working to remedy the situation. The administration says closing the office will result in a savings of $2.5...
Healthcare law making a difference to women
It’s a new day for women’s health care. This month marked the rollout of provisions from the Affordable Care Act that will impact millions of women across the country. “Health insurance companies have traditionally, and for decades, refused to cover the services that women need. Now women will get important preventative health services without paying anything more out of pocket. The insurance that we buy will actually cover meaningful women’s health care,” Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz said during a press call held to highlight President Barack Obama’s commitment to strengthening women’s...
Innovation tax break gaining some support in U.S. Congress
Aug 3 (Reuters) - A proposed corporate tax break known as the 'patent box' is winning some bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress and, with the promise that it could spur jobs and innovation, it is in the policy mix as lawmakers target full-scale tax reform in 2013. The idea is to give companies a tax break , and a sizable one, on profits derived from patented products that originated with research and development done in the United States. Several European Union countries have embraced the patent box and the United Kingdom is set to adopt it next year.
Schwartz bill aims to aid college students
With college loan debt soaring past $1 trillion, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz has introduced legislation to help students applying for college obtain better information on loans and avoid “unscrupulous” private lenders. The measure, which Schwartz, D-13, introduced with Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., and Jared Polis, D-Colo., requires schools to counsel students on financial aid options available to them, and requires private lenders to adopt steps to protect borrowers. “Federal loans are simply a better deal,” Schwartz said Wednesday in a speech on the House floor. “Private loans typically have...
Is There a ‘Doc Fix’ in the House?
The August recess is so close that members of Congress can almost smell the jet fuel that will take them home to summer vacations and the campaign trail. They are leaving plenty of work on the table—such as looming tax hikes and an automatic $1.2 trillion cut to government programs, including a 2 percent across-the-board hit to Medicare, which slowly starts in 2013. With the fiscal cliff approaching, it’s easy to forget the end-of-the-year Medicare “sequester” that Congress has to deal with on a regular basis. That perennial headache is known as the “doc fix,” Congress-speak for the series...
Pennsylvania lags in number of female legislators
HARRISBURG - Asked to describe her experience as a woman in the Capitol, longtime Philadelphia Democratic State Rep. Babette Josephs offered this: "Well, there's men, and there's more men. Anything else you'd like to know?" That about sums it up. Pennsylvania ranks between Mississippi and West Virginia in its low proportion of women in the state legislature. The state ranks 42d in the nation, with women holding 17 percent of Pennsylvania's legislative seats, according to the most recent numbers from the Rutgers University Center for American Women and...
Health care ruling yields a mixed reaction
U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — aka health care reform or Obamacare — and naturally was happy last week when the U.S. Supreme Court narrowly upheld the law. “This is really a win for the American people,” she said in a conference call with reporters on the afternoon of June 28, a few hours after the law was upheld. Schwartz (D-13th dist.) said it was “unfortunate” that some Republicans are still working to repeal the law. She accuses them of politicizing the matter.
Congresswoman wants to beef up ban on veterans discrimination
U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz last week introduced legislation to strengthen an existing law that prohibits workplace discrimination against veterans returning from service. Schwartz (D-13th dist.), in her fourth two-year term, unveiled the Servicemembers’ Access to Justice Act on June 21. Sen. Bob Casey introduced the act in the Senate on May 23. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 requires that employers promptly reinstate returning veterans to their civilian jobs. “The unemployment rate among veterans is ten percent in Montgomery County, and in...
Reaction comes quickly to Supreme Court's Ruling on heath care overhaul
The Supreme Court decision to uphold almost all the provisions of the Affordable Care Act — most importantly the requirement for all Americans to buy health insurance or pay a penalty — was lauded by hospitals, Democrats and Planned Parenthood. The region’s largest insurer, Independence Blue Cross, had a somewhat mixed reaction. And not surprisingly, Republicans in the nation’s Capitol called for repeal of the law. The 5-4 decision issues June 28, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the four liberals on the bench, means that individuals will have to buy health insurance or pay a tax...
Local politicans react to health care ruling
U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, R-13th District, called Thursday’s ruling by the Supreme Court to preserve the Affordable Care Act an important win for the American people. “This is a good day for all of us,” she said during a conference call from Washington, D.C. Schwartz called the decision upholding the legality of the law, as well as the its requirement that all citizens be required to purchase health care, enormously important in a very practical and meaningful way. She said the 5-4 decision will eventually allow all citizens to access meaningful and affordable health care. U.S. Sen....