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Archdiocese of Philadelphia Voter Guide

September 14, 2020
by Al Gnoza
Comments are off

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference is the public affairs arm of the Catholic bishops across the state. We monitor hundreds of pieces of legislation throughout the year and determine whether or not to take a position for or against what we feel are the ones most important to our faith.

This Voter Guide includes a cross-section of seven bills spanning seven categories to show how incumbent legislators have voted. We have also invited their challengers in the general election to indicate how they would vote on these same bills. This guide is meant to be an educational piece, which we hope will provide you with information so that you can make your own decisions.

A listing of the bills used for this comparison and their descriptions are below.  Please understand we continue to work with legislators from all parties on various pieces of legislation. Unlike these, not all of that legislation has been sent to the Governor.

The Conference neither supports nor opposes any candidate or political party. The Catholic Conference aims to educate and inform Catholics about a wide range of issues.

List of issues included for comparison:

Pro Life:
House Bill 321 was a prolife measure which would prohibit the aborting of a fetus solely on the basis of a possible diagnosis of Down syndrome. The PCC strongly supported this bill and worked with prolife lawmakers to gain its passage.  The bill passed both the House and the Senate but was vetoed by Governor Wolf.

Criminal Justice Reform:
Senate Bill 637 is a bill that will remove procedural boundaries that have prevented many ex-offenders from getting professional licenses in a number of professions. The PCC supported this measure, which got bi-partisan support. It’s a bill that many law enforcement professionals say will result in a reduction of crime. The bill passed both chambers and was recently signed by the Governor.

Disability Rights:
Senate Bill 906 was a measure that would delay the closing of two state long-term centers. The Wolf Administration had called for the closing of both facilities, but the PCC had concerns about what would happen to the residents. We supported the bill, which passed both the House and Senate but was vetoed by the Governor.

Health Care:
House Bill 427 required that health insurers stay out of decisions between doctors and patients suffering from Stage IV metastatic cancer. The PCC supported this measure.

Human Trafficking:
Senate Bill 60 increased penalties for those connected with crimes of human trafficking. The PCC actively supported this measure in continuing with our efforts to work against human trafficking. This bill was one such bill that was passed and signed into law by the Governor this session.

Poverty:
House Bill 33 was a move to eliminate public assistance due to a purported lack of accountability of recipients.  Voting ‘yes’ on the bill would advocate the ending of that $200 per month payment.  The PCC opposed this bill. The bill ultimately was signed into law.

School Choice:
House Bill 800 was a bill that would have provided tax credits toward children who were attending a failing public school and wanted to attend another school of their choice. The PCC supported this measure as we do with all bills designed to further school choice. Both the House and Senate approved the measure but it was vetoed by the Governor.

Detailed voting breakdown of legislators voting with or against PCC’s position:

Senate

DistrictCandidateHB 321SB 637SB 906HB 427SB 60HB 33HB 800
1Nikil Saval (D)
3Sharif Street (D)*NoYesNoYesYesYesNo
5John P. Sabatina (D)* (D)*NoYesNoYesYesYesNo
7Vincent J. Hughes(D)* *(D)*NoYesNoYesYesYesNo
9Thomas H. Killion(R)* (R)*YesYesNoYesYesYesYes
9John I. Kane (D)

 

17Amanda M. Cappelletti (D)
17Ellen Fisher (R)
19Carolyn Comitta (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
19Kevin T. Runey (R)

*incumbent

House

DistrictCandidateHB 321SB 637SB 906HB 427SB 60HB 33HB 800
13John Lawrence (R)*YesYesNoYesYesNoYes
13Richard Raymond Ruggieri (D)
18Kathleen C. Tomlinson (R)*NVYesNVNVNVNVNV
18Harold M. Hayes (D)
26Timothy F. Hennessey (R)*YesYesYesYesYesNoYes
26Paul F. Friel (D)
29Meghan Schroeder (R)*YesYesYesYesYesNoYes
29Marlene Katz (D)
31Perry S. Warren (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
31Charles S. Adcock (R)
53Steven Malagari (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
53Allan Miles Arnott (R)
61Laura Elizabeth Hanbidge (D)*NoYesNoYesYesYesNo
61Florence Louisa Friebel (R)
70Matthew Bradford (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
70James Courtland Saring (R)
74Dan K. Williams (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
74Dale L. Hensel (R)
131Kevin Branco (D)
131V. Milou MacKenzie (R)
140John Galloway (D)*YesYesYesYesNVYesYes
140Jeanine Mary McGee (R)YesYesYesYesYesNoYes
141Tina M. Davis (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesYes
141Kelly A. Bellerby-Allen (R)
DistrictCandidateHB 321SB 637SB 906HB 427SB 60HB 33HB 800
142Frank A. Farry (R)*NoYesYesYesYesYesYes
142Malinda Lauren Lareau (D)
143Wendy Ullman (D)*YesYesNVYesYesYesNo
143Shelby E. Labs (R)
144F. Todd Polinchock (R)*NoYesNoYesYesNoYes
144Gary P. Spillane (D)
145Craig T.Staats (R)*YesYesYesYesYesNoYes
145Robyn Colajezzi (D)
146Joseph Ciresi (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNV
146Thomas J. Neafcy (R)YesYesYesYesYesYesYes
147Jill A. Dennin (D)
147Tracy Elizabeth Pennycuick (R)YesYesYesYesYesYesYes
148Mary Jo Daley (D)*NoYesNoYesYesYesNo
148Allen Arthur Anderson (R)YesYesNoYesYesNoYes
149Tim Briggs (D)*NoYesNoYesYesYesNo
150Joseph Webster (D)*NoYesNoYesYesYesNo
150Beth Ann Bittner Mazza (R)
151Todd Stephens (R)*  candidate list) (R)*NoYesYesYesYesNoYes
151Jonathan Kassa (D)
152Nancy Guenst (D)
152Karen M. Houck (R)
153Benjamin Sanchez (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
154Kathleen Bowers (R)YesYesYesYesYes—-Yes
154Napoleon J. Nelson (D)
155Daniel Friel Otten (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
155Michael Taylor (R)YesYesYesYesYesYesYes
156Leonard J. Iacono (R)
157Melissa Shusterman (D)*NoYesNoYesYesYesNo
158Christina Sappey (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
158Eric Mark Roe (R)
159Brian Kirkland (D)*NoYesNoYesYesYesNo
159Ruth Moton (R)
160Anton N. Andrew (D)
160Wendell Craig Williams (R)
161Leanne Krueger (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
161Ralph F. Shicatano (R)NoYesYesYesYesNoYes
162David Delloso (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
162Peter Thomas Gaglio (R)
163Michael Zabel (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
163Michael McCollum (R)
164Margo L. Davidson (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNV
165Jennifer O’Mara (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
165Robert F. Smythe (R)YesYesYesYesYesNoYes
166Greg Vitali (D)*NoYesYesNVYesYesNo
166Christine E. Boyle (R)
167Kristine C. Howard (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
167Wendy Graham Leland (R)

 

 

DistrictCandidateHB 321SB 637SB 906HB 427SB 60HB 33HB 800
168Christopher B. Quinn (R)*NVYesYesNVYesYesYes
168Debra A. Ciamacca (D)
170Martina White (R)*YesYesYesYesYesNoYes
172Kevin J. Boyle (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
172Aaron Bashir (R)YesYesYesYesYesNoYes
173Michael Driscoll (D)*YesYesYesYesYesYesYes
174Ed Neilson (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
175Mary Louise Isaacson (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
177Joe Hohenstein (D)*NoYesNoYesYesYesNo
177John Arthur Nungesser (R)YesYesYesYesYesNoYes
178Wendi Thomas (R)*NoYesYesYesYesNoYes
178Ann Marie Mitchell (D)
179Jason Dawkins (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
180Angel Cruz (D)*NVYesYesYesYesYesYes
181Malcolm Kenyatta (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
182Brian K. Sims (D)*NoYesNVYesNVYesNo
182Andrew I. Murray (R)YesYesYesYesYesNoYes
184Louis T. Menna (R)
185Regina Genell Young (D)
186Jordan Harris (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
188Rick Chester Krajewski (D)
190Amen Brown(D)

(

190Wanda Logan (R)

 

191Joanna McClinton (D)*NVYesYesYesYesYesNo
192Morgan Cephas (D)NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
194Lisa Goldman Riley (R)
195Donna Bullock (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
197Danilo Burgos (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
198Darisha K. Parker (D)
200Chris Rabb (D)*NoYesYesYesNoYesNo
201Stephen Kinsey (D)*NoYesYesYesYesYesNo
202Jared G. Solomon (D)*NoYesNoYesYesYesNo
203Isabella Fitzgerald (D)*NoYesNoYesYesYesNo

 

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