Latest News
Upgrades for Reading Waste Water Treatment Facility Approved by PENNVEST
Harrisburg - Aug. 11, 2016 - Upgrades at Reading's Fritz Island Waste Water Treatment Facility will be completed thanks to $27.1 million in additional funding from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST), state Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) said...
Schwank Looks Forward to Future of Hemp Industry in Pennsylvania
Harrisburg - July 22, 2016 - Legislation recently signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf legalizing the growing of industrial hemp in Pennsylvania represents a significant step forward for the agricultural industry in Pennsylvania, State Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks)...
State Infrastructure Loan for Reading Airport Industrial/Business Park
HARRISBURG — July 1, 2016 — The Berks County Industrial Development Authority (BCIDA) was approved today by the Commonwealth Financing Authority for a state low-interest Business In Our Sites (BIOS) loan in the amount of $1,119,709 to improve electrical infrastructure...
Berks County Environmental Groups Approved for $470k State Investment, Sen. Schwank, Reps. Caltagirone, Rozzi Announce
HARRISBURG, July 1, 2016 – Three regional conservation, watershed protection, and civic improvement groups will receive a total of $470,000 in new state investments for their ongoing efforts to protect and enhance the outdoor experience for Berks County residents....
Sen. Schwank, Reps. Caltagirone, Rozzi Announce A Nearly $1 million State Investment to Improve Skyline Drive
HARRISBURG, July 1, 2016 – Historic Skyline Drive will soon be receiving much needed upgrades thanks to a $969,298 Multimodal Transportation Fund grant approved today by the Commonwealth Financing Authority to reconstruct a 2.4 mile stretch of Skyline Drive in Alsace...
Frankel, Schwank Praise Supreme Court Decision on Texas Anti-Abortion Law
HARRISBURG, June 27, 2016 – Two co-chairs of the legislature's Women's Health Caucus praised today's U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a Texas abortion law that caused all but a few clinics there to close. The number of clinics in Pennsylvania also dropped...
State Senate Roundtable in Muhlenberg Twp. Focuses on Zika Virus
Reading - June 9, 2016 - At the request of state Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks), the Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a roundtable discussion today on Pennsylvania's Zika Virus response plan that focused on measures available for state, local and health officials...
Schwank: Additional Farmland in Berks County to be Preserved
Harrisburg - June 9, 2016 - The Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board today approved an additional 194 acres of Berks County farmland for preservation, state Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) said today. "The farmland preservation program is so vitally important...
Senate Democratic Policy Committee Zika Virus Awareness
Schwank’s POW-MIA Flag Legislation Clears Senate Committee
Harrisburg – June 8, 2016 – Legislation sponsored by state Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks), requiring the POW-MIA flag to be flown on state grounds is one step closer to becoming law today after a unanimous vote by the Senate State Government Committee. Schwank praised...
Schwank Applauds Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program Extension
Harrisburg – June 6, 2016 – State Senator Judy Schwank today announced that the filing deadline for Pennsylvania’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate program has been extended from June 30 to Dec. 31, 2016. “More than half a million Pennsylvanians took advantage of the Property...
Senate Democrats Outline Legislation to Combat Opioid and Heroin Crisis
Harrisburg, May 18, 2016 – With drug overdose deaths reaching epidemic levels, Senate Democrats unveiled legislation today to address the opioid addiction crisis from prevention through recovery. “Addiction is a disease that does not discriminate and there is no easy...
Bill Would Provide Early Intervention for Mothers Suffering from Postpartum Depression
HARRISBURG, May 17, 2016 – Newborn and infant children of mothers affected by postpartum depression (PPD) would be eligible for early intervention services under legislation introduced today by Sens. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) and Camera Bartolotta (R-Washington). Senate...
Senator Schwank Remarks on Passage of Truancy Legislation
Senate Approves Schwank Bill to Keep Parents Out of Jail for Delinquent Truancy Fines
HARRISBURG, May 10, 2016 – Sparked by the tragic death of a Berks County mom who died after being imprisoned for her child’s delinquent truancy fines, Sen. Judy Schwank has won the Pennsylvania Senate’s approval of a bipartisan bill to keep parents from this...
Sen. Schwank Announces Fire/EMS Grant Awards for Berks County 1st Responders
READING, April 25, 2016 – More than five dozen Berks County EMS and fire companies will receive state grants totaling more than $840,000 to help with training, equipment purchases and construction or renovation of facilities, Sen. Judy Schwank announced today. Twelve...
Pennsylvania Report April 2016 :: Opioid Addiction & Treatment
Pennsylvania Report April 2016 :: Sexual Assault Awareness
Pennsylvania Report April 2016 :: Agriculture Hemp Production
More than 70k Acres of Berks County Farmland Now Protected, Sen. Schwank Says
HARRISBURG, April 14, 2016 – The number of acres of Berks County agricultural land protected by Pennsylvania’s farmland preservation program eclipsed 70,000 today, state Sen. Judy Schwank said. The milestone happened when the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land...
Sen. Schwank’s Volunteer Firefighters, Emergency Responders Forum Wednesday
READING, April 11, 2016 -- Sen. Judy Schwank will hold a forum for firefighters and emergency responders Wednesday, April 13, at the Berks County Fire Training Center. Joining the senator during the program will be Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner Timothy Solobay,...
Senator Schwank Comments on Drug Addiction Awareness :: April 4, 2016
Statewide Drug Addiction Study Proposed by Schwank Ordered by PA Senate
HARRISBURG, April 4, 2016 – The Pennsylvania Senate today unanimously approved Sen. Judy Schwank’s resolution for an advisory task force to find better ways to address drug addiction and treatment. “I believe the task force will find that Pennsylvania needs better...
Business Tips, Advice on Tap Wednesday During Sen. Schwank’s ‘W.E. R.O.A.R. Summit’
READING, March 28, 2016 – Women business owners and entrepreneurs will have the unique opportunity to learn how to grow their businesses Wednesday, March 30, during a special seminar in Reading sponsored by Sen. Judy Schwank and a group of private and public partners....
‘Retirement Not The End of Judicial Reform,’ Sens. Williams, Schwank Say as They Demand Action on Judicial Reform Proposals, Punishment for Those Involved
HARRISBURG, March 22, 2016 – On the plaza of the state government building that houses Pennsylvania’s highest appellate courts, state Sens. Anthony Hardy Williams and Judy Schwank called for renewed efforts to improve the accountability of commonwealth justices and...
Sens. Schwank, Williams to Urge Action on Judicial Reform Proposals
HARRISBURG, March 21, 2016 – Two of Pennsylvania’s leading legislative voices for better performance and oversight of the commonwealth’s judicial system will hold a press conference at 11 a.m., tomorrow, Tuesday, March 22, to call for judicial performance and...
Schwank’s Hemp Bill Sails Through Senate
HARRISBURG, March 16, 2016 – State Sen. Judy Schwank’s proposal to return hemp as a legal, cash crop in Pennsylvania was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate today. Senate Bill 50, which Schwank and Sen. Mike Folmer introduced more than a year ago, was approved by...
Schwank’s Proposal to Find Effective Ways to Deal with Drug Addiction Clears 1st Hurdle
HARRISBURG, March 16, 2016 – The state Senate Health and Welfare Committee today unanimously approved a proposal by state Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks) calling for a broad study of addiction treatment concerns in Pennsylvania. The proposal now goes to the full Senate...
2nd Session of Schwank’s ‘Model Senate’ to Open Thursday
READING, March 16, 2016 – The second session of state Sen. Judy Schwank’s third annual “Berks County Model Senate” will give area high school participants to experience the legislative committee process and the opportunity to interview subject matter experts. The...