Amanda M. Cappelletti

Drug Policy

The opioid epidemic is one of the worst public health crises facing Pennsylvanians today. According to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the opioid, heroin, and fentanyl epidemic kills 12 Pennsylvanians every day. Amanda supports the recent settlement that will provide more than 50 billion to the Commonwealth thanks to a lawsuit brought against several large drug distributors. She also recognizes that more has to be done to curtail drug use, provide assistance to those who are in need of recovery, expand access to treatment, and enact criminal justice reforms for those whose lives are caught in the destructive web of drug abuse. Learn more

Education

The Pennsylvania Constitution requires that the Pennsylvania General Assembly “provide a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.” As it stands, the legislature is failing to do its constitutional duty. Our schools are inequitably funded, relying too heavily on local property taxes. Under this structure, wealthy school districts thrive while communities with low-incomes suffer. Amanda will work with her fellow legislators to develop and implement a fair funding formula for schools. She will also work to improve regulation, oversight, and the funding of charter schools to ensure ‘traditional public schools’ are supported. Learn more

Fair funding is only part of the equation for improving Pennsylvania’s public education. Pennsylvania must also reduce our reliance on standardized testing, support vocational and technical training, and allow our teachers to foster a learning environment that reaches all students. Amanda will work to support education and support our teachers to foster a learning environment that reaches all students. Amanda will work to support education – at all levels. Learn more

Environment / Energy

Pennsylvania is an exceptionally beautiful state, with mountains, lakes, forests, and rivers. It is our state constitutional obligation to protect, preserve, and enjoy the wondrous outdoors our great Commonwealth has to offer. Amanda will fight, every day, to protect and preserve our environment, combat climate change, and ensure that generations from now can enjoy the great outdoors of Pennsylvania. She will support increasing funding for the Department of Environmental Protection, a moratorium on fracking in the Delaware River Basin, and a fair severance tax. As a Senator, Amanda will work to protect the environment and our future - not the interests of the fossil fuel lobby. Learn more

Guns

Gun violence has taken an immeasurable toll on our society. Too many children’s lives have been cut short. Too many families have grieved the loss of a loved one due. Too many communities have been torn apart. Thoughts and prayers cannot prevent another mass shooting. We must act. We must stand up to the gun lobby. We owe it to every family that has been touched by gun violence. Amanda will be a proactive leader on gun control working to close loopholes in gun legislation, pass red flag laws, ban assault weapons, limit the amount of ammunition and the number of guns that can be purchased at once, and work with colleagues from both parties to fight gun violence. Learn more

Healthcare

Pennsylvania has made strides by expanding Medicaid, but there is more that can be done. The waiver process can be streamlined to reduce wait times and legislation can be passed to enshrine essential Affordable Care Act protections into state law: protecting individuals with pre-existing conditions, requiring essential health benefits coverage, and more. Regardless of what happens in our nation’s capital, we must protect our basic human right to healthcare here in Pennsylvania. Learn more

Protecting the right to healthcare also means ensuring that quality healthcare is affordable. Opening a state-based insurance exchange is one step toward that goal. Another step is to address surprise balance billing. It is time for the legislature to come together and protect the citizens of Pennsylvania from this patently unfair business practice. Seeing a doctor, having a child, or a medical emergency should not bankrupt you. Learn more

Healthcare is also more than just physical health. Mental health is critical to overall health and well-being. Stigma can create barriers and prevent people from seeking the treatment they need, especially those suffering from addiction. Amanda will work to help break the stigma and pass legislation to reduce barriers and make access to mental health treatment more accessible. Learn more

Wages / Job Benefits

In addition, Amanda adamantly supports raising the minimum wage. Since 2009, 29 states have raised their minimum wage. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania remains at the bottom of the scale, with the lowest minimum wage allowed by law in the country. As Senator, Amanda supports proposed legislation to increase the wage to 15.00 an hour in order to ensure that all working Pennsylvanians are making a viable living wage. Learn more

Amanda was raised in a union household, where she learned the integral role organized labor has played in the lives of Pennsylvanians. Unions have provided workers with a 40-hour work week, sick leave, child labor laws, workplace safety, and a minimum wage. She whole-heartedly supports the right of workers to organize and collectively bargain on behalf of the workforce, which is the cornerstone of fair labor. Amanda will fight against a myriad of proposed anti-union legislation, including the obnoxiously worded right-to-work legislation meant to undermine workers’ right to organize. Learn more

According to recent studies, Pennsylvania ranks 24th in the nation in gender pay disparity and is not projected to pay men and women equally for doing the same job until 2072! Amanda supports proposed legislation to modernize Pennsylvania’s 1959 Equal Pay Act in order to broaden the scope of the law and protect workers’ rights and end the gender gap in income. Learn more

Amanda supports legislation that would ensure working parents are provided with basic workplace accommodations to breastfeed or pump in private quarters. In addition, Amanda will promote legislation that gives parents opportunities to take time from work following labor and delivery without losing their pay or their job. Learn more