Today, Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-5) and Ilhan Omar (MN-5) introduced the Student Borrower Advocate Act – a plan to transform the Federal Student Aid Office’s Ombudsman into the Office of the Borrower Advocate. Over 45 million Americans currently have a federal student loan, including one-third of all young adults. For most people, student loans have become the largest monthly expense, outpacing that of a home mortgage and often leading to financial hardship. “Borrowers currently lack...
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Today, Representative Mary Gay Scanlon led a bipartisan letter addressed to the House and Senate Armed Services Committee Leadership requesting they honor the House position on funding for the Advanced Chinook program for the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The CH-47F Block II program funds the production of this advanced capability aircraft, built in Ridley Park, which can lift more weight, fly at higher altitudes, and fly in hotter temperatures. This letter was sig...
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Today, Congresswomen Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jahana Hayes (CT-05)and Lucy McBath (GA-06) introduced H.R. 4298, the Pell Grant Restoration Act. This critical legislation would amend Title IV of the Higher Education Act to restore students’ Pell Grant eligibility for any period of time during which they would have qualified for loan forgiveness due to school closure or institutional fraud or misconduct. A companion measure was introduced in the Senate by Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA). Under exi...
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Today, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon released the following statement in response to reports that PES executives put profits before workers and the environment. “While federal investigations concerning the safety and environmental impact of the June explosion and fire at the PES refinery are ongoing, it really adds insult to injury that PES executives chose to line their pockets with millions of dollars, while hundreds of workers were laid off without health insurance or severance pay. “These ...
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javascript:void(0); Today, Representative Mary Gay Scanlon introduced the Justice for Student Borrowers Act, which would prohibit predatory lending practices by private student loans lenders. Currently, nearly 86% of private student loan lenders bury in their loan documents provisions that strip student borrowers of their right to take a dispute over the loan to court. Lenders go so far as to prohibit students from forming or joining a class action law suit. Instead, the lenders require borrowe...
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In an effort to ensure that Hahnemann continues to keeps it doors open to serve those most in need, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), alongside U.S. Representatives Brendan Boyle (D-PA-2), Dwight Evans (D-PA-3) and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-5), is calling on Hahnemann Hospital and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children owner Joel Freedman to reverse course on the planned closure. “The employees and patients of Hahnemann Hospital and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children have put their faith and tr...
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Today, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon released the following statement to address reports regarding the future of Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES), its workforce, and the surrounding community: “Immediately following the incident at PES last week, our office joined a call with representatives from PES, Mayor Jim Kenney’s office, and local elected officials. We have now learned that PES will likely close in the coming weeks, which will have an immediate impact on the workers, their families, ...
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— In a letter to Department of Education Secretary Betsy Devos and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon calls attention to the mental health crisis disproportionately affecting Latina/x students in the Philadelphia region and nationwide. This letter, co-signed by 28 members of Congress, comes on the heels of an in-depth report produced by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) and 13 Latina/x students in the Philadelphia School District. NW...
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– Today, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon announces her co-sponsorship of several pieces of legislation to invest in our nation’s schools. “When we discuss our need to invest more money in infrastructure, that conversation cannot be limited to our roads and bridges,” Congresswoman Scanlon said. “Our nation’s schools need significant infrastructure investment, too. Our students and teachers deserve to learn and teach in buildings that are safe and conducive to a 21st century learning environment. ...
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– Today, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon announces the winners of the 2019 Congressional Art Competition, which was open to high school students from Pennsylvania’s fifth district. Over 130 students from 13 schools throughout the district submitted original pieces of artwork, in various mediums, for the competition. Through the support of the Lansdowne Economic Development Corporation, the art pieces were displayed as part of an art show at Utility Works, which was attended by over 100 people. “...
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