Komen’s website says that they are “…the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists…[that works]…together to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science…”.  They raise billions of dollars for research, care and advocacy and then decide to deny countless women access to life saving breast cancer screenings.  Why?  I can sum it up in one word: politics.

Ms. Brinker, I want you to know that we in Philadelphia are disappointed in your decision and I hope that you reconsider your “grant policy” because Planned Parenthood is your ally, not the enemy, in the fight to defeat breast cancer.

Senator Larry Farnese was elected to the Senate in 2008 to represent Pennsylvania’s First Senatorial District which contains some of Philadelphia’s most unique and vibrant neighborhoods from Port Richmond on the Delaware River to Fairmount Park on the Schuylkill River and South Philadelphia, Center City, the Navy Yard, Philadelphia International Airport.  Senator Farnese serves as the Democratic Chair of the Communications and Technology Committee.  He is also a member of the Appropriations Committee, Banking and Insurance Committee, the Law and Justice Committee and the Judiciary Committee.  His District Office is located at 1802 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA (ph: 215-952-3121) and his Harrisburg Office is located at 543 Main Capitol in Harrisburg, PA (ph: 717-787-5662).  More information about the Senator and his initiatives is available at www.senatorfarnese.com.

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The hearing was held in Philadelphia at the request of state Sen. Larry Farnese (D-Phila.), who has co-sponsored legislation (Senate Bill 1260) that would limit the influence of special interests and wealthy donors in campaigns.

Senator Lisa M. Boscola (D-Northampton/Lehigh/Monroe), who chairs the committee, said that campaign finance reform laws “must be strengthened to preserve the integrity of elections and give all candidates a ‘fighter’s chance’ in campaigns.

“I had very little financial support in my first run for office; but was able to overcome the odds by working hard, traveling to events throughout my Senate district and going door to door connecting with voters. We cannot allow huge campaign donors to drown out the chances of underdog candidates.”

Senator Farnese cautioned about the political influence that large donations carry and again renewed his call for limits on donations.

“January was the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which opened the floodgates and allowed unlimited corporate spending and election influence across the nation,” said State Sen. Larry Farnese (D-Phila.).  “In the Commonwealth, we as elected officials must ensure that we do not allow the draw of significant dollars to diminish the public’s trust in government.”

Senate Bill 1260, sponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), would impose campaign contribution limits on all political party committees, individuals, political action committees (PAC) and candidate’s political committees.  Farnese testified in favor of the bill at a previous hearing in Pittsburgh.

Participating in today’s hearing, Costa added, “The longer we go without reforming this broken system of campaign finance, the longer special interests and wealthy stakeholders will have strong influence over some of the most critical decisions made in Harrisburg.”

“The dominance of big contributions from special interests, and their consequences for democratic society, is the most serious shortcoming of the present, largely unregulated system,” David Ross of Common Cause/PA said. “While many solid efforts at campaign finance reform have been launched in the General Assembly over the past 30-plus years, Senate Bill 1260 is among the very best and most comprehensive to have been placed before our lawmakers.”

The measure would set $100,000 contribution caps per election on all state political party committees for candidates to the General Assembly, Court of Common Pleas, and county or local offices; $250,000 for statewide candidates; and $1 million for candidates running for governor. The bill would also set $500 aggregate limits on contributions per individual to any candidate for the General Assembly, Court of Common Pleas, county or local office; $2,500 per individual to any statewide candidate; and $5,000 per PAC or candidate’s committee to any candidate for all offices.  The aggregate limits per calendar year would be $10,000 per individual, candidate’s committee or a PAC to a single political party committee; $25,000 per individual to all candidates and committees; and $100,000 per PAC to candidates and committees.

“By placing limits on campaign contributions and expenditures, tightening and expanding disclosure and requiring political accountability by corporations, Senate Bill 1260 would significantly mitigate the potentially corrosive effects of the Citizens United decision,” Lora Lavin, representing the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, said. “Senate Bill 1260 merits bipartisan support and we urge action by the legislature and the governor.”

Other participants in this morning’s hearing included Philadelphia City Controller Alan Butkovitz, and Ellen Mattleman Kaplan and Michael Schwartz representing the Committee of Seventy.

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PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 17, 2012 – State Senator Larry Farnese (D-Phila.) today issued a letter to State Sen. Jake Corman (R- Centre) asking why four of Pennsylvania’s universities, scheduled to possibly receive approximately $500 million in taxpayer funds, are not part of the regular budgetary process.

“I did not see a time for…[these]…Universities to come in to testify about their budget needs for the upcoming fiscal year.  This is concerning and leads me to wonder: why have they been omitted from the Appropriations Committee budget hearings schedule?” questioned Farnese.  “With the cost of education rising each year…[we] should be given an opportunity to publicly question these institutions…to ensure that our students are not bearing exorbitant cost increases in a time when so many are already economically burdened.”

This year more than 30 other state agencies are scheduled to testify before Pennsylvania House and Senate committees, and this is the first time in recent memory that these four were not scheduled to testify.  The total funding appropriated to Lincoln University ($11 million), Pennsylvania State University ($228 million), University of Pittsburgh ($136 million) and Temple University ($140 million) combined is higher than all other agencies but the Treasury Department, the Department of Public Welfare, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Education.

Read Senator Farnese’s Letter.

Sen. Larry Farnese was elected to the Senate in 2008 to represent Pennsylvania’s First Senatorial District which contains some of Philadelphia’s most unique and vibrant neighborhoods from Port Richmond on the Delaware River to Fairmount Park on the Schuylkill River and South Philadelphia, Center City, the Navy Yard, Philadelphia International Airport.  Senator Farnese serves as the Democratic Chair of the Communications and Technology Committee.  He is also a member of the Appropriations Committee, Banking and Insurance Committee, the Law and Justice Committee and the Judiciary Committee.  His District Office is located at 1802 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA (ph: 215-952-3121) and his Harrisburg Office is located at 543 Main Capitol in Harrisburg, PA (ph: 717-787-5662).  More information about the Senator and his initiatives is available at www.senatorfarnese.com.

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“There is nothing better than making a child smile during the holidays,” said Sen. Farnese.  “And thanks to CH2M HILL Philadelphia and the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Philadelphia 40 area children now have a safe, new bike that they can enjoy all year long.”

CH2M HILL staff members organize and participate in Bikes for Kids fundraising events throughout the year.  For the last seven years staff from CH2M HILL’s Philadelphia office has teamed with Philadelphia Neighborhood Bike Works to purchase, assemble and distribute bikes to area children.

“We are delighted to team with Senator Farnese this year to help brighten the holidays for some deserving children in Philadelphia.  A core element of CH2M HILL’s corporate culture is meaningful involvement in the communities in which our employees live and work, and we are grateful to the Senator for providing us with the opportunity to fulfill this important mission,” said Jed Campbell, Vice President for CH2M HILL Philadelphia.

Neighborhood Bike Works is a nonprofit educational organization in West Philadelphia that seeks to increase opportunities for urban youth through bicycling and shares CH2M HILL’s commitment to promote cycling as an environmentally-friendly means of transportation.

“We appreciate Senator Farnese’s support and the wonderful donation of 40 bicycles from CH2M HILL Philadelphia,” stated Ted Qualli, Vice President of External Affairs and Marketing for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern Pennsylvania.  “Thanks to your generosity, there are a lot of kids who will now be able to go on a bike ride for the first time ever with their Big Brother or Big Sister.”

The 40 children who received the new bikes were selected by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

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Sen. Larry Farnese was elected to the Senate in 2008 to represent Pennsylvania’s First Senatorial District which contains some of Philadelphia’s most unique and vibrant neighborhoods from Port Richmond on the Delaware River to Fairmount Park on the Schuylkill River and South Philadelphia, Center City, the Navy Yard, Philadelphia International Airport.  Senator Farnese serves as the Democratic Chair of the Communications and Technology Committee.  He is also a member of the Appropriations Committee, Banking and Insurance Committee, the Law and Justice Committee and the Judiciary Committee.  His District Office is located at 1802 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA (ph: 215-952-3121) and his Harrisburg Office is located at 543 Main Capitol in Harrisburg, PA (ph: 717-787-5662).  More information about the Senator and his initiatives is available at www.senatorfarnese.com.

CH2M HILL is an employee-owned, global leader in providing engineering, construction, operations, and related technical services to public and private clients. Recognized as one of FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” and a “Most Admired Company,” CH2M HILL has more than 30,000 employees in regional offices worldwide.  CH2M HILL has been providing the City of Philadelphia with engineering services for many years.  CH2M HILL staff members value the communities where they live and work, such as Philadelphia.  They show this commitment to the local community by organizing the annual Bikes for Kids program. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is a donor and volunteer supported organization that enriches, encourages and empowers children to reach their highest potential through safe, one-to-one mentoring relationships. In Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties, nearly 4,000 children annually are more successful socially and academically because of the work of Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA. Learn more at 215.790.9200 or bbbssepa.org.

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Senator Larry Farnese was elected to the Senate in 2008 to represent Pennsylvania’s First Senatorial District which contains some of Philadelphia’s most unique and vibrant neighborhoods from Port Richmond on the Delaware River to Fairmount Park on the Schuylkill River and South Philadelphia, Center City, the Navy Yard, Philadelphia International Airport.  Senator Farnese serves as the Democratic Chair of the Communications and Technology Committee.  He is also a member of the Appropriations Committee, Banking and Insurance Committee, the Law and Justice Committee and the Judiciary Committee.  His District Office is located at 1802 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA (ph: 215-952-3121) and his Harrisburg Office is located at 543 Main Capitol in Harrisburg, PA (ph: 717-787-5662).  More information about the Senator and his initiatives is available at www.senatorfarnese.com.

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PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 15, 2011 – State Sen. Larry Farnese (D-Phila.) today voted to expand consumer choice and support local businesses by allowing consumers to directly ship wine to their homes.  Senate Bill 790, which was amended in committee to closely resemble Sen. Farnese’s March 2011 legislation (Senate Bill 886) unanimously passed out of the Senate’s Law and Justice Committee.  The bill will offer Pennsylvanians more choice in the wines they select and drink in their homes and area restaurants.

“Philadelphia has some of the greatest BYOs, restaurants, bistros and wine lovers in the Commonwealth, and I’m pleased to announce that a version of my legislation allowing the direct shipment of wine passed out of committee.  I hope it will be voted on by the Pennsylvania Senate shortly so we can expand consumer choice and further support local businesses,” said Sen. Farnese.

Senate Bill 790 amends the Pennsylvania Liquor Code to allow for the direct shipment of up to 18 liters of wine per month to Pennsylvania residents 21 years or older.  Purchases to licensed direct shippers can be made via the internet, telephone or mail.  The bill also calls on direct shippers to verify the age of the recipient, pay all applicable taxes, mark that the shipping containers contain alcohol and be licensed and bonded in their home state.

The Pennsylvania Senate could consider the legislation before Dec. 14, 2011.

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In light of the alleged sex crimes scandal at Penn State University, Senator Farnese is calling on the state Senate to quickly act on his proposed legislation that would prohibit current and former public employees convicted of sex crimes against children to collect their pension. 

“Senate Bill 1290 is an important piece of legislation that will protect our children and it needs to be called up for a vote when the Senate reconvenes,” said Sen. Farnese.  “The headlines out of Happy Valley are disgusting, and we need to get this legislation to the Governor’s desk as soon as possible so those convicted of sex crimes against minors know we are serious about protecting our children.”

Almost 19,000 Penn State employees participate in state funded pension plans that could be covered under this law.  Current Pennsylvania law contains provisions that bar public officials and employees who commit certain crimes related to their employment from receiving retirement and benefit payments.  But there are no provisions that call for the same punishment if an employee commits a crime against a minor.  Senate Bill 1290 corrects that by prohibiting public employees from receiving retirement benefits if they commit crimes requiring them to register as a sex offender under Megan’s law.

Megan’s Law is a federal law that authorizes states to establish their own procedures for registering sex offenders.  In Pennsylvania, information about registered sex offenders is available to the public through the internet.  The law was inspired by the case of seven-year-old Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl who was raped and killed by a known child molester who moved across the street from her family.  Senate Bill 1290 is companion to legislation introduced by State Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Phila./Mont.) and State Rep. Kevin Boyle (D-Phila.).