2022 Year in Review

2022 was a year of great progress for Pennsylvania families as the Democratic Congress worked hard with the Biden administration and members of both parties to put people over politics and enact landmark legislation to lower costs, support better-paying jobs, and safer communities. From the transformative investments delivered to our region through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act to the long-overdue progress made to protect and provide for your families through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and the Honoring Our PACT Act, our Democratic Congress kept its promise to deliver time and again.

As I fought to advance these historic pieces of legislation, my top priority was fighting for our families, children, and workers here in PA-05 — including the more than 2,000 constituents my team helped navigate issues with federal agencies. I hope you’ll take a moment to check out the highlights of some of the key efforts I led this past year.

Led on legislation to keep our communities safe, provide the resources families need to thrive, and ensure accountability and transparency in our government:

• Secured inclusion of the Federal Firefighters Workforce Support Act, my bill to ensure federal firefighters are not forced to operate with staffing levels below national standards as they provide the essential service of keeping our communities safe and protecting our nation’s most valuable assets, in the FY2023 NDAA.
• Introduced the Health and Location Data Protection Act to ban the sale of Americans’ health and location data.
• Introduced the Stopping the Fraudulent Sales of Firearms Act, a bill to prevent gun sellers from circumventing technology companies’ terms of service by making it illegal to fraudulently sell firearms and ammunition online.
• Led the call to restore competition and increase resiliency to secure the vital baby formula supply chain.
• Secured language in the FY2022 government funding bill that authorizes the VA to use as much as $5 billion to ensure claims from veterans newly eligible under the newly signed into law PACT Act are processed in a timely manner.
• Introduced the Corporate Crime Database Act, bicameral legislation that requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to collect, aggregate, analyze, and publish comprehensive data on federal corporate criminal enforcement actions.
• Introduced the Hide No Harm Act to hold corporate wrongdoers accountable for knowingly withholding information that risked the lives or safety of consumers and workers.
• Called on the Department of Homeland Security to halt the expansion of ICE facilities in Pennsylvania.
• Introduced the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA) Enhancement Act to fix Congress’ broken workplace harassment and discrimination rules.
• Introduced the Job Protection Act, the largest expansion of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) coverage in nearly 30 years to expand FMLA protections to all employees, no matter the size of their employer or part-time status.
• Introduced the Affordable Loans for Any Student Act of 2022, comprehensive legislation that would provide affordable, simple income-based repayment plans for all federal student loan borrowers.

Worked to secure and implement historic levels of federal funding to invest in our community:

• Delivered $8.5 million in federal funding for 10 PA-05 projects in the FY2022 government funding bill that addresses some of the most pressing needs in our region — community safety, workforce development, climate resilience, and substance misuse and mental health crisis resources.
• Built on the success of the FY2022 community projects by securing $20 million in federal funding for 15 PA-05 projects in the FY2023 government funding bill
• Worked with federal, state, and local officials to direct and implement numerous incredible investments in our region’s infrastructure, health, and safety made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and American Rescue Plan. Some exciting investment announcements include:
• Congresswoman Scanlon Announces $2.6 Billion Headed to Pennsylvania to Strengthen Roads, Bridges Under Democrats’ Infrastructure Law
• Biden-Harris Administration Awards More Than $6.6 Million to Pennsylvania in ‘Internet for All’ Planning Grants
• Scanlon Announces $22.8 Million in Federal Funding for Philadelphia Works Inc.
• Scanlon Announces Largest Investment for Community Air Monitoring in EPA History Headed to Pennsylvania
• Scanlon Announces $96 Million for SEPTA from American Rescue Plan
• Congresswoman Scanlon Highlights Largest Investment Ever in Bridges Under New Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
• Congresswoman Scanlon Announces $24 Million Headed to Philadelphia International Airport Through Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
• Congresswoman Scanlon Highlights Largest Investment Ever in Bridges Under New Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
• SEPTA Awarded Federal Grant to Support Station Accessibility Commitment
• Scanlon, Evans Announce $9.8 Million Federal Grant for Two New SEPTA Bus Centers in South Philly
• Scanlon Delivers $186 Million to Lower Costs and Increase Energy Efficiency for Pennsylvania Households
• Congresswoman Scanlon Announces $267.8 Million in New American Rescue Plan Funding to Support Pennsylvania Small Businesses
• Biden-Harris Administration and EPA Announce Delivery of Historic Water Infrastructure BIL Funding to Pennsylvania

Hosted roundtables and events with experts, advocates, community members, and constituents to better serve as your voice in Congress:

• Convened experts to discuss how legal aid providers can secure critical benefits for constituents, including food and nutrition assistance.
• Hosted in-person and virtual town halls throughout the district at colleges and universities, senior centers, and community centers.
• Hosted a Black Maternal Health Roundtable with local advocates, health care providers, and experts to ensure we explore all possible solutions in our continued work together to address the Black maternal health crisis.
• Recognized our local Vietnam vets and thanked them for their service by hosting a special pinning ceremony.
• Hosted a Local Contracting Opportunities Forum to give local small businesses and general contractors the opportunity to connect with representatives from city agencies to learn what it takes to thrive in competitive procurement processes.

Forged extraordinary progress in the 117th Congress for America’s working families with many consequential new laws:

• American Rescue Plan: Pulling our communities out from the depths of the pandemic by getting vaccines in arms, money in pockets, parents safely back to work, and children safely back in school, resulting in the fastest, strongest jobs recovery in modern times.
• Infrastructure Law: Putting Americans back to work rebuilding our roads, bridges, ports, and water systems. The Infrastructure Law put justice and equity front and center, reconnecting communities divided by projects of the past. Read more.
• Safer Communities Act: Protecting America’s children, keeping schools safe, and reducing the threat of violence across the United States.
• Honoring our PACT Act: Delivering on our sacred duty to care for our heroes who don the uniform. Our new law ensures that up to 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic chemicals while protecting our nation can access the health care services they need.
• CHIPS and Science Act: Lowering costs for American families, end our dependence on foreign manufacturers instead of American-made semiconductors, and turbocharge American R&D to ensure our economic and national security for generations to come. Read more.
• Inflation Reduction Act: Delivering landmark investments to lower Pennsylvania families’ health care costs, create nine million good-paying union jobs, combat the climate crisis, and dramatically reduce the deficit.

At the same time, House Democrats have passed legislation advancing many of our top priorities, including:

• Defending health freedom with the Women’s Health Protection Act, the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, and the Right to Contraception Act.
• Fighting inflation with the Lower Food & Fuel Costs Act.
• Advancing economic justice with the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Richard Trumka PRO Act.
• Building safer communities with our Invest to Protect Act while advancing justice and accountability with the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
• Fighting for full equality for all with the Equality Act.
• Combating the scourge of gun violence with the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 and the Background Checks Act, as well as providing more federal dollars for community violence intervention programs.

In the upcoming Congress, our Democratic Caucus is ready to fight smart and hard to defend our progress and keep the health, security, and freedom of your families Congress’ top priority. I’m optimistic about the power of a value-oriented and solution-driven agenda, and I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and find ways to keep delivering for the people.