Latest News
Schwank to Host Wyomissing Town Hall Meeting, Present Berks Co. DA Adams
HARRISBURG, April 1, 2014 – State Sen. Judy Schwank will meet with constituents at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 3, during a town hall meeting in Wyomissing. “With only three months remaining before adopting a new state budget, this will be a great time to meet with...
Schwank, Labor, Local Officials Urge Adoption of Tax on Natural Gas Drilling to Fund Economic Development, Education, Environmental Protection
READING, March 27, 2014 – To improve the education of children, better protect Pennsylvania’s environment and spark long-awaited economic development, Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) today announced her support for new legislation that would impose a severance tax on...
Sen. Schwank urges adoption of Tax on Natural Gas Drilling to Fund Education, Economic Development, Environmental Protection
Berks County Veterans Programs Awarded $37k in Grants, Sen. Schwank Announces
HARRISBURG, March 25, 2014 – Two Berks County organizations that work to help veterans have been awarded a total of $37,000 in grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, state Sen. Judy Schwank announced today. The Berks County...
Schwank to Host 4th Session of ‘Berks County Model Senate’
HARRISBURG, March 17, 2014 – Sen. Judy Schwank will deliver the fourth installment of her Berks County Model Senate beginning at noon, March 18, at Albright College. Schwank’s model senate gives students from 15 Berks County schools a first-hand glimpse of life as a...
Reading-based 333rd Engineering Company Coming Home Tuesday
Sen. Schwank urges residents to help salute their return HARRISBURG, March 10, 2014—The U.S. Army 333rdEngineering Company will return home from Afghanistan late Tuesday and conclude a nearly year-long deployment as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, state Sen. Judy...
Schwank: Veterans Designation Driver’s Licenses Now Available
HARRISBURG, March 4, 2014 — Pennsylvanians who have served in the armed forces can now apply for a driver license designation identifying them as veterans, state Sen. Judy Schwank announced today. “Fortunately, veterans are eligible for numerous discounts, benefits...
Pennsylvania Report March 2014 :: State Budget
Sen. Schwank Urges Berks Co. Businesses, Schools, Local Governments to Apply for Alternative Fuels Grants
HARRISBURG, Feb. 28, 2014 – Help for school districts, local governments and businesses looking to stretch their energy budgets and conserve fuel are being urged today by state Sen. Judy Schwank to apply for a grant program opening March 1. Pennsylvania’s Alternative...
Community Leaders to Offer Expert Testimony During Schwank’s Model Senate Committee Hearings
HARRISBURG, February 28, 2014 – Sen. Judy Schwank will continue her Berks County Model Senate on Tuesday, March 4, at Albright College. This third session, which is being made up due to a prior weather-related postponement, will include “Senate committee hearings”...
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...
Pennsylvania Report February 2014 :: 2014-15 Budget
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...
Pennsylvania Report January 2014 :: PA Agriculture
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 2nd Session of Berks County Model Senate
HARRISBURG, Nov. 19, 2013 – Sen. Judy Schwank will continue to give students from 15 Berks County schools a first-hand glimpse of life as a state lawmaker from noon until 2 p.m., tomorrow, Nov. 19, at Albright College during the second of five sessions of her Berks...
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...