State Senator Larry Farnese is fighting to make Philadelphia a better and safer place to live, work, and raise a family. During his time in office he has fought for and passed laws that will significantly improve Philadelphia’s communities:
Environment
– Co-sponsored Pennsylvania’s version of the Green New Deal – Senate Bill 630 – to move Pennsylvania energy production to 100% renewable energy by 2050. This is the major goal of the Green New Deal.
– Senator Farnese voted to protect consumers and landowners by voting against natural gas industry deregulation and the repeal of consumer protections in the fall of 2019.
– Supported Senate Bill 600, which would require 30% of all energy produced in PA to come from renewable sources by 2030.
– Voted against sweetheart deals for the natural gas industry known as Act 13, which trampled on landowner and municipal rights, put our environment at risk and made it easier for gas companies to frack.
Education
– Restored $1 billion in Republican education funding cuts that put our students’ future at risk.
– Fighting for legislation which will provide $400 million in additional funding each year to Philadelphia schools by immediately implementing or phasing in the basic education fair funding formula over four years.
– Led the successful push to incorporate a historic and substantial $1 billion proposal in the Governor’s 2020-21 budget to fund asbestos, lead, mold, and remediation of other environmental toxins from schools in Philadelphia and across the state.
Reform
– Farnese wrote and helped pass the bill that finally removed elected officials from the costly DROP program. (HB 1828 [Senate Amendment A03599])
– Introduced legislation to restrict pay-to-play contributions by those seeking to do business with the state. (SB 892)
– Larry also wrote legislation that would close municipal pension loopholes and prevent state and municipal employees convicted of sex crimes from collecting public pensions. (SB 893; SB 1290)
Public Safety
– Wrote laws that would require a minimum one-year sentence for carrying an unlicensed firearm and temporarily bar those charged with violent felonies from purchasing or owning firearms. (SB 619; SB 620)
– Created legislation that would close the “Florida Loophole” that gun permit rejects use to obtain gun permits in Pennsylvania and impose stiffer penalties on straw gun purchasers. (SB 622; SB 1028)
– Farnese fought to increase funding for witness protection efforts and obtained a state grant to bring back the Philadelphia Police Mounted Unit.
Jobs
– Larry is working with community leaders, private businesses, and elected officials on the Southport project, which would attract $300 million in private investments and create thousands of permanent, family-sustaining jobs.
– Led successful fight against art taxes proposed in 2009 and 2010 and worked to restore arts funding cut in 2011, saving arts grants for dozens of local organizations.
– Larry fought for continued port funding to develop an auto processing facility in the district, helping to sustain more than 600 well-paying jobs.
– During Farnese’s tenure the First Senatorial District has received over $1 billion in grant funding from the state. This includes $370.5 million in RACP funding for critical construction projects that have created thousands of jobs and helped Philadelphia’s economy thrive.
LGBTQ Advocacy
As a representative of one of the commonwealth’s most diverse communities, Senator Farnese has long been a passionate supporter of equality for all Pennsylvanians.
– Farnese sponsored legislation to reinstate PA’s hate crimes law to protect the LGBTQ community.
– Introduced legislation ban the use of the despicable gay-trans panic homicide defense.
– Obtained a $1 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant for renovations to the William Way LGBTQ Community Center so they can improve services and programs to the LGBTQ community.
– Cosponsored a bill that would require insurance coverage for HIV preventative medicines.
Criminal Justice Reform
– Supported the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) and is working to pass Justice Reinvestment Initiative II reforms.
– As Democratic Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Farnese will play a key role in ushering these reforms through the general assembly.
– Will reduce our prison population, ensure people get the treatment they need rather than expensive and counterproductive prison time, that no one sits in jail because they cannot afford bail, and that minor parole violators are not locked up for excessively long prison terms and are given alternative sentences that help them rehabilitate.
– Also pushing for common sense gun reforms like universal background checks, reporting of lost and stolen guns, and removing firearms from people with mental illness.
Protecting Women’s Rights
– Prime sponsor of a law guaranteeing freedom of access to reproductive health care facilities.
– Fought to make insurers pay for fertility treatments and mammograms.
– Served as a Planned Parenthood volunteer escort to help women access critical health care services.
– Member of the PA Senate and House Women’s Health Caucus.
– Fought for equal pay protections for working women
Housing
– Larry strongly supports providing affordable housing to all Pennsylvanians and making sure long time residents are not priced out of their homes and neighborhoods.
– He recently voted in favor of two housing bills that unanimously passed the Senate with the support of the PA Housing Alliance to increase the construction of affordable housing units and to help Pennsylvanians buy their own homes. SB 30 provides tax credits to developers who construct affordable housing for people living at or below 30% of an area’s median income. SB 309 allows first-time homebuyers to put up to $150,000 of income into a nontaxable savings account.
– Since 2009, he has secured over $14 million in affordable housing grants and tax credits for projects in our communities.
– In addition to securing this important funding, Larry has been advocating for affordable housing policies that would help provide safe, secure housing for all Pennsylvanians. His plan:
- Incentives to start and grow community land trusts
- Utilization of inclusionary zoning
- Adding an affordable housing component to existing state CFA programs such as Building PA and the High Performance Building Program
- Increasing the availability of affordable rental housing
- Improving tenant rights and preventing housing discrimination
