Rep. Kinkead

Summer break is right around the corner, and while school might pause for a few months, the opportunities for learning, discovery, and connection certainly don’t have to stop. As your state representative, I’m committed to making sure families in our community are connected to available resources to ensure they have a safe and fun summer. Thankfully, our region is home to a wide range of free and budget-friendly programs that kids — and adults — can enjoy. I encourage you to take full advantage and share these opportunities with anyone who might benefit.

As a state representative serving Allegheny County, I hear from constituents every day who rely on Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) to get to work, the doctor’s office, school, and to see loved ones. Indeed, members of my own staff rely exclusively on PRT to get them to my office to serve you. Public transit isn’t just another line item in the budget — it’s a lifeline for our communities. And right now, as PRT riders already know, that lifeline is in jeopardy.

As a state lawmaker working to reduce food insecurity in the Commonwealth, I am devastated to see members of Congress supporting a $230 billion cut to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding in the federal budget resolution that passed the U.S. House in February. Serving as Pennsylvania House chair of the Legislative Hunger Caucus for several years, I have met many families and individuals facing hunger and seen firsthand just how crucial SNAP funding is for over two million Pennsylvanians. Despite the incredible work of food banks, mutual aid organizations, and anti-hunger advocates, far too many Pennsylvanians still struggle to put food on the table. SNAP provides critical assistance to low-income families, helping them afford groceries and maintain a basic standard of nutrition. That is why I am fighting against these monstrous cuts and will continue supporting policies that help ensure everyone can access nutritious meals.

As a state lawmaker who believes that our government should do the most good for the most people, I know that the state budget is more than just numbers on a page— it’s a statement of our values. On Feb. 4, Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled a $51.5 billion budget proposal for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Overall, Shapiro’s proposed budget is a forward-thinking plan that prioritizes working families, education, housing, and public safety. While there is always room for improvement, this proposal demonstrates that Democrats in Pennsylvania are committed to using tax dollars to improve life for all Pennsylvanians.

As lawmakers embark on a new legislative session in 2025, I am already diving into tackling the issues that matter most to residents of Allegheny County, and Pennsylvanians from every corner of the Commonwealth. As a state representative since 2020, I have become intimately familiar with the challenges my constituents face in the boroughs of Avalon, Bellevue, West View, Ross Township, and parts of Pittsburgh. I’m committed to representing our communities’ values of equality, opportunity, and compassion by crafting practical solutions that focus on investing in working people, protecting the communities we’ve built, and opening doors for those who’ve been left behind. In this column, I outline four pieces of legislation I am planning to reintroduce this session that I believe will improve life for all who call Pennsylvania home.

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion to save their life. That someone might be a child battling cancer, a mother experiencing complications during childbirth, or a car accident victim requiring emergency surgery. Despite these urgent needs, only about 3% of eligible Americans donate blood annually.

As 2024 comes to a close, it’s an important time for state lawmakers in Pennsylvania to reflect on the 2023-24 Legislative Session and begin preparing for the next two-year session. Throughout the 2023-24 Legislative Session, my colleagues and I passed 428 bills in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and delivered billions of taxpayer dollars to improve communities across the Commonwealth. While there will always be areas in which we could have gone further, I’m proud of everything we accomplished in the legislature over the last two years and am eager to dive into another term as a state representative.

For families living on low incomes in Pennsylvania, financial assistance is available through LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) to help pay heating bills during the cold winter months. Approved applicants for LIHEAP receive a one-time cash grant (does not need to be repaid) that is sent directly to their utility company or fuel provider. Additional LIHEAP benefits may be available for households experiencing a heating emergency, like a broken heater or gas line that must be replaced.

Election Day is almost here! Because officials at all levels of government have a tremendous impact on every aspect of our daily lives, using your voice at the ballot box is one of the best things you can do as an individual to create positive changes in your community. Whether you prefer to vote by mail or in person on Election Day, I encourage eligible voters to participate in every election. As a passionate voter, I want to share the many resources available to help make sure your voice is heard on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Over 1.5 million people, including more than 436,000 children, experience food insecurity in Pennsylvania every year. With September being Hunger Action Month, now is the time to have a conversation about how we can work together to combat hunger here in Allegheny County and across the Commonwealth. One of the best things you can do as an individual to combat hunger in our region is to support the work being done by your local food bank.

I hope you, your friends, and your family are having a fantastic summer and staying cool! As students are soon heading back to school, I want to share some exciting news about a new law I crafted that will help make college more affordable for students here in Pennsylvania.

The War on Drugs has been a complete and utter failure. As addiction and overdose death rates continue to climb every year, it has become abundantly clear that criminalizing a substance does not deter its use and, in many ways, creates more problems than it solves. In 2024, it makes no sense at all to continue arresting people for possessing cannabis, perhaps the least harmful recreational drug. But in 2022, over 12,000 people were arrested in Pennsylvania for cannabis crimes.