June 15, 2021
HARRISBURG, June 15, 2021 – A diverse group of education advocates joined state Sen. Wayne Fontana today to urge passage of Fontana’s legislation to create the “Nellie Bly Scholarship Program” aimed at easing financial burdens to keep Pennsylvania students in...
June 11, 2021
HARRISBURG, June 11, 2021 – Local organizations that help low-income homebuyers achieve their dream and help others stabilize their lives, will receive $3 million in state funding to advance their efforts, state Sen. Wayne D. Fontana announced today. “Home ownership...
June 2, 2021
Harrisburg – June 2, 2021 – At the request of Senators Wayne Fontana (D- Allegheny), Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D- Allegheny), Jim Brewster (D- Allegheny/Westmoreland), and Lindsey Williams (D- Allegheny), the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee...
May 26, 2021
HARRISBURG, May 25, 2021 – Local municipalities with projects to fight blight and stabilize communities will receive more than $600,000 in grants to fund their efforts, state Sen.Wayne Fontana announced today. “Many of our older communities are plagued with abandoned...
May 12, 2021
HARRISBURG – May 12, 2021 − The Pennsylvania Senate Democrats today proposed an aggressive $6 billion plan that provides the opportunity and tools that the citizens of PA can use to recover from the pandemic, according to Sen. Wayne Fontana “Our plan includes creating...
May 5, 2021
Harrisburg – May 5, 2021 – At the request of Pennsylvania State Senators Wayne D. Fontana (D- Allegheny) and John Kane (D- Chester/Delaware), the Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a virtual policy hearing on Legionella prevention in Pennsylvania and the...
April 28, 2021
HARRISBURG – April 28, 2021 – An initiative originally introduced by state Sens. Wayne Fontana and Bob Mensch to boost first-time home ownership has cleared a key committee and is headed again to the full Senate for a vote. The plan will allow individuals and...
April 21, 2021
HARRISBURG, April 21, 2021 – Community projects in the 42nd Senate District will receive more than $1.2 million in state funds, Sen. Wayne Fontana announced today. The money will go toward local improvement projects ranging from a pedestrian bridge and walking...
April 21, 2021
HARRISBURG, April 21, 2021 – Continued improvements to North Side’s Allegheny Circle will receive a state grant for pedestrian upgrades, state Sen. Wayne Fontana announced today. “A modern city is a walkable city and this grant will help bring that vision to Allegheny...
April 16, 2021
Harrisburg, April 16, 2021 – A local rail freight project will receive nearly $1 million in funding from a state program aimed at improving transportation safety and efficiency, state Sen. Wayne Fontana announced today. A $929,771 grant from the Pennsylvania...
March 22, 2021
Harrisburg – March 22, 2021 – Sen. Wayne D. Fontana (D- Pittsburgh) released a statement today regarding the announcement by Senate Republicans that the Pennsylvania Senate will not consider an emergency constitutional amendment to provide a window for sexual abuse...
March 12, 2021
Harrisburg, Pa. – March 12, 2021 − Pennsylvania Senate Democrats held a press conference today to again call for immediate action to create a two-year window for adult survivors of sexual abuse currently barred from seeking justice due to statutory time limitations....
March 12, 2021
HARRISBURG – March 12, 2020 – Following the high-profile arrest of four Philadelphia men selling “ghost guns,” State Senators Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) and Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny) reintroduced two pieces of legislation pushing to...
February 18, 2021
Harrisburg – February 18, 2021 – State Sen. Wayne D. Fontana (D-Allegheny) today was unanimously re-elected to serve as the vice chairman of the board of directors for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA). Created in 1963 by the state...
January 29, 2021
HARRISBURG – January 29, 2021 – Members of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus wrote U.S. House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi urging an investigation into the “traitorous and seditious acts” against the U.S. Constitution by U.S. Rep. Scott Perry. “This is not a...
January 6, 2021
Harrisburg, PA – January 6, 2021 – The PA Senate Democrats released the following statement on the violent protest today in the nation’s Capitol: The First Amendment is one of our most sacred. It is not political and it is not partisan. The rights to free speech,...
December 23, 2020
Pittsburgh – December 23, 2020 – Sen. Wayne D. Fontana (D- Allegheny) announced today that $38,971,428 in state grant funds has been awarded to local projects across his Senate district. “The investment of state funds into local projects is essential to the...
December 4, 2020
Pittsburgh, December 4, 2020 – Sen. Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny) today said he will reintroduce a bill that would change Pennsylvania’s voting system so that elections are conducted entirely by mail. “With the pandemic menacing the 2020 elections, I was pleased to see...
November 19, 2020
Harrisburg, November 19, 2020 – State Senate Democrats today unanimously re-elected state Senator Wayne D. Fontana (D-Brookline) to serve as Democratic Caucus chairman for the upcoming two-year legislative session. The caucus chairman sets the daily caucus agenda and...
November 9, 2020
On Monday, Nov. 16 I hosted a Virtual Financial Aid Webinar. I was joined by Amy Sawdey, the Higher Education Access Partner in Allegheny County for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), who gave a presentation, providing an early understanding...
October 2, 2020
Harrisburg – October 2, 2020 – Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale released a follow-up audit yesterday to a 2008 Auditor General report of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) where Sen. Wayne D. Fontana (D- Pittsburgh) sits on the...
September 15, 2020
Brookline, PA – September 15, 2020– Sen. Wayne D. Fontana (D-Allegheny) today announced that 13 Allegheny County arts and cultural entities will receive a total of $3.08 million in state grant funds. “Knowing how the ongoing pandemic has harmed these important...
April 29, 2020
Harrisburg, April 29, 2020 – State Sen. Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny) today provided the following statement in support of the state Senate Democratic proposal for distributing Pennsylvania’s $3.9 billion in federal stimulus dollars. “It is crucial that we check...
April 22, 2020
Harrisburg, April 22, 2020 – Sen. Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny) today introduced a bill that would change Pennsylvania’s voting system so that all elections are conducted entirely by mail. “The pandemic has compromised the health and safety of our citizens, shaken our...
April 15, 2020
Harrisburg, April 15, 2020 – Insisting that sound mitigation practices and indelible worker protections must be in place before re-opening additional Pennsylvania workplaces, state Sen. Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny) today voted against Senate Bill 613, legislation he...