Press Releases
Sen. Schwank Praises Approval of Tax Credits for Reading Residential Development Projects
HARRISBURG, Feb. 20, 2014 -- State Sen. Judy Schwank today hailed the recent approval by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency of nearly $1.4 million in low-income housing tax credits to support two housing development projects in the City of Reading. Schwank said...
Schwank: Berks Continues to Lead in Ag Preservation
HARRISBURG, February 19, 2014 – Nearly 700 additional acres of Berks County farmland will be preserved through the purchase of agricultural easements, state Sen. Judy Schwank announced today. “Adding more land to the acreage protected from development does more than...
Community Leaders To Testify During Schwank’s Model Senate Committee Hearings
HARRISBURG, Feb. 12, 2014 – Sen. Judy Schwank will give students from 15 Berks County schools another first-hand glimpse of life as a state lawmaker on Feb. 18 during the third of five sessions in her Berks County Model Senate. The third session will be held at...
Schwank Bill Would Keep Cities’ Ability to Charge Recycling Fees
HARRISBURG, Feb. 11, 2014 – State Senator Judy Schwank said today she will introduce legislation to preserve the authority of communities to use local fees to support their recycling programs. “For more than two decades, nobody questioned whether municipalities have...
Schwank’s ‘Revenge Porn’ Legislation Heading to House
HARRISBURG, Jan. 28, 2014 – The Pennsylvania Senate today unanimously approved state Sen. Judy Schwank’s bill to criminalize so-called “revenge porn,” and it did so as the young woman who sparked initiatives across the country to change state laws stood almost...
Sens. Schwank, Blake Team Up to Help Struggling PA Cities
HARRISBURG, Jan. 15, 2014 – To improve performance and brighten the economic future for more of Pennsylvania’s struggling cities, state Sens. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) and John Blake (D-Lackawanna) today introduced legislation to expand a new program designed to drive...
Sen. Schwank’s Intimate Partner Harassment Bill Clears Committee
HARRISBURG, Jan. 14, 2013 – Legislation introduced by Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) that would make Pennsylvania the third state in the country to criminalize so-called “revenge porn” cleared a key state panel today. The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to...
Schwank, Blake to Propose Expansion of City-Revitalizing Legislation
HARRISBURG, Jan. 14, 2014 – Sen. Judy Schwank and Sen. John Blake will hold a press conference at 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 15, in the Capitol to unveil a bill that would expand the state’s new City Revitalization and Improvement Zones. Lancaster and Bethlehem were...
Family Physicians Pick Schwank as Co-Legislator of the Year
HARRISBURG, Jan. 9, 2014 – The statewide organization representing 5,500 doctors, residents and students of family medicine has picked state Sen. Judy Schwank for its “2014 Legislator of the Year” award. The Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians said it picked the...
Schwank to Help Oley American Legion Make ‘Sandwiches for the Homeless’
READING, Jan. 9, 2014 – Sen. Judy Schwank will join members of the Oley American Legion Post 878 at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 11, to help make sandwiches as part of the group’s “Sandwiches for the Homeless” program. The Oley Legion makes sandwiches every month for...
Sen. Schwank Voices Approval of Decision Delaying Small Games Reporting
HARRISBURG, Jan. 2, 2014 – State Sen. Judy Schwank today said she was glad to hear the commonwealth has decided to again delay implementation of new reporting requirements for organizations that operate small games of chance in Berks County and throughout...
878 Additional Acres of Berks County Farmland Preserved, Sen. Schwank Reports
HARRISBURG, Dec. 12, 2013 – Pennsylvania’s 25-year-old agricultural land preservation movement acted today to protect another 878 acres of Berks County farmland, Sen. Judy Schwank said. “Nine more tracts of prime Berks County farmland are now protected from...
New Special Education Funding Formula Wins Sen. Schwank’s Approval
HARRISBURG, Dec. 12, 2013 – State Sen. Judy Schwank said today she is pleased with a special commission’s recommendation to change Pennsylvania’s formula for financing special education. The Special Education Funding Reform Commission released a long-awaited report...
Sen. Schwank Unveils Legislation to Stop Intimate Partner Harassment
HARRISBURG, Dec. 11, 2013 – Legislation introduced today by state Sen. Judy Schwank would make online posting of naked or sexually explicit images of former intimate partners a crime in Pennsylvania. The bill would make the offense a third-degree felony if the victim...
Sen. Schwank Honored With PVMA’s President’s Award for ‘Tireless Work’ On Agriculture, Animal Issues
HARRISBURG, Dec. 10, 2013 – The Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association today bestowed its prestigious “President’s Award” to state Sen. Judy Schwank. PVMA said it picked the Berks County Democrat because of her “tireless work to raise awareness about agricultural...
Schwank to Host ‘Elected Municipal Officials’ Meeting’
READING, Dec. 9, 2013 – Sen. Judy Schwank will hold her “Elected Municipal Officials’ Meeting” for new and current officials at 7:30 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 12, in Wyomissing. This event will give officials the opportunity to obtain information about current legislation...
Sen. Schwank Lays Wreath in Tribute to All Soldiers
HARRISBURG, Dec. 9, 2013 – In memory of the soldiers who have died defending American freedom and in honor of Pennsylvania soldiers who will not be home during this holiday season, state Sen. Judy Schwank today laid a wreath at the Capitol as part of a “Wreaths Across...
Property Tax/Rent Rebate Deadline 28 Days Away, Sen. Schwank Reminds
HARRISBURG, Dec. 3, 2013 – Pennsylvania’s extended deadline for people to apply for property tax/rent rebates is fast approaching, state Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks) reminded residents today. The deadline to submit free applications for the program – which is...
Schwank, Senate Democrats Unveil Package to Help PA’s Veterans Return to Civilian Life
HARRISBURG, Nov. 19, 2013 – Sen. Judy Schwank and the Senate Democratic Caucus today unveiled a 21-bill package designed to help soldiers who return to civilian life in Pennsylvania. Schwank is the prime sponsor of two of those proposals: Senate Bill 1143, which would...
Schwank to Host Volunteer Firefighters’ Forum
READING, Nov. 1, 2013 — State Sen. Judy Schwank will hold a volunteer firefighter’s forum at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 7, in the Berks County Fire Training Center, for the county’s volunteer emergency responders. “I am looking forward to meeting with Berks County’s...
Application Window Now Open to Help Berks County Schools Be Safer
HARRISBURG, Oct. 28, 2013 – In the wake of the one-year anniversary of the unforgettable and deadly shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, the Pennsylvania Department of Education is accepting applications for grants of up to $25,000 for...
As Colder Weather Returns, Schwank Reminds Low-Income Residents Heating Cost Help Available Through LIHEAP
HARRISBURG, Oct. 23, 2013 – The high cost of heating a home can be problematic for low-income residents, but the commonwealth will again be available to help, Sen. Judy Schwank announced today, through its Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP....
Schwank Proposal Naming Route 662 The ‘Jarett M. Yoder Highway’ Wins Senate’s Nod
HARRISBURG, Oct. 22, 2013 – Sen. Judy Schwank’s proposal to name Route 662 in Ruscombmanor Township, Berks County, as the “Chief Warrant Officer-2 Jarett M. Yoder Highway” won the Senate’s unanimous approval today. House Bill 925, because it was amended in the Senate,...
Schwank to Host Town Hall Meeting in Fleetwood Borough
READING, Oct. 22, 2013 — State Sen. Judy Schwank will hold a town hall meeting at 7 p.m., Oct. 24, in the Borough of Fleetwood for residents of the 11th Senate District. “I am looking forward to meeting with the residents of the Borough of Fleetwood and the...
In Its 25th Year, PA’s Farm Preservation Program Protects 3 More Berks County Tracts, Sen. Schwank Announces
Harrisburg, Oct. 10, 2013 – Berks County added three farms and more than 170 acres today to the state’s 25-year-old farmland preservation program, Sen. Judy Schwank announced. “In its silver anniversary, I’m pleased to announce today that an additional 173 acres of...
Schwank to Again Offer College Financial Aid Seminar
HARRISBURG, Oct. 9, 2013 – Parents and students looking for answers and tips on paying for higher education will find the help they are seeking at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 10, during Sen. Judy Schwank’s annual “College Financial Aid Awareness Night” in Reading. “College...
Schwank Announces $140k in Grants for the Arts in Berks County
HARRISBURG, Sept. 26, 2013 – Eighteen arts organizations in Berks County will share more than $140,000 in grants from the PA Council on the Arts, Sen. Judy Schwank announced today. “Berks County is a great place for people with artistic talent; an eye for the...
Schwank to Host Town Hall Meeting in Caernarvon Township
READING, Sept. 25, 2013 — State Sen. Judy Schwank will hold a town hall meeting at 7 p.m., Sept. 26, in Morgantown for new residents of the 11th Senate District. “Legislative district boundaries changed for many state lawmakers following the 2010 Census, and I am...
Schwank, Caltagirone Say Doubletree Hotel, Other Downtown Reading Development Projects Getting Big Boost with Additional State Investments
HARRISBURG, Sept. 17, 2013 -- Development Projects in the City of Reading will get a big boost with the approval today of more than $5 million in new investments for the Greater Berks Development Fund, and an additional $1 million for the Doubletree Hotel Project,...
Applications Being Accepted for Emergency Services, Schwank Says
READING, Sept. 13, 2013 – The emergency services organizations representing the men and women who answer the call to help Berks County residents in distress can now apply for state grants to pay for facilities, equipment and training. Eligible fire departments,...
Schwank Delivers Answers, Tips for Berks County Seniors Worried About Becoming Victims of Crime
LEESPORT, Sept. 12, 2013 – With elder abuse a growing problem, Sen. Judy Schwank and top prosecutors from Berks County and the state today provided tips for staying safe to a packed house of senior citizens at Bern Evangelical Lutheran Church. “With the third highest...
Schwank to Hold Senior Crime Prevention Seminar
READING, Sept. 10, 2013 – To help senior citizens in the 11th Senate District protect themselves from becoming victims of crime, Sen. Judy Schwank will hold a Senior Crime Prevention Seminar at 10 a.m., Thursday, at Bern Evangelical Lutheran Church in Leesport. Berks...
Schwank, PLCB Award $ 150,000 in Grants to Kutztown Borough, Area Colleges, Wyomissing Police Department for Alcohol Abuse Prevention
KUTZTOWN, Sept. 3, 2013 – Sen. Judy Schwank and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced today that three local colleges, Kutztown Borough, and the Wyomissing Police Department will share a combined $ 150,000 to help minors avoid the temptation of underage drinking and alcohol abuse.