PathWays PA Policy Blog

In October 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) put out a final rule to protect consumers and borrowers from excessively high interest rates on payday loans, car title loans, and other predatory lending. According to Prosperity Now, these rules  represented "the first-ever attempt at the federal level to regulate an industry that each year siphons off more than $8 billion dollars from the pockets of hard-working individuals and families. Built on over five years of CFPB research, community and stakeholder engagement—including more than one million comments submitted during the public comment process last year—this landmark regulation ensures that consumers everywhere are protected from the many predatory practices that plague the payday lending industry." But today, unfortunately, these rules are in jeopardy. Earlier in the year, CFPB announced plans to change the payday lending rule. We are now in a comment period to allow stakeholders to offer feedbac...

Are you planning to be a voter this May? If you live in Pennsylvania, you need to register to vote by April 22, 2019. If you are not registered by April 22, 2019, you won't be able to vote in this election. To vote in Pennsylvania, you must be: Age 18 or older on Election Day (May 21, 2019) A US citizen A resident of Pennsylvania for at least 30 days before the election If you are on active duty in the military, or you are a hospitalized or bedridden veteran, you can register at any time. See www.fvap.gov for more information. How do I register? You can register to vote online or by sending this form to the county voter registration office. You can also register in person at your voter registration office . P ennDOT and some other government agencies can also take your registration. I voted before. Do I still need to register? If you already registered to vote in Pennsylvania, you shouldn't need to do it again unless you need to change your name...

(from our friends at the Keystone Counts Coalition ) Pennsylvania is at risk of an undercount in the 2020 Census, and this could mean a significant loss of federal funds for healthcare, nutrition assistance, transportation, housing, education, programs for children and parents, and much more! We can't afford to put these programs needlessly at risk. That's why Pennsylvania needs to take immediate action to prevent an undercount. If you're concerned about about health care, nutrition assistance, transportation, housing, education, child welfare programs and more. tell lawmakers to support a public fund in the state budget to ensure a fair and accurate #2020Census .  Take action today!

Last week, two mosques in New Zealand became the sites of terror attacks. At least 50 people were killed and another 50 wounded in Christchurch, New Zealand. The main suspect in the shooting may have posted a manifesto containing "anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim" sentiments minutes before the attack. PathWays PA sends our thoughts and support to families in New Zealand and to all those affected by gun violence and xenophobia. Please read on to learn more about what you can do to support families and stop violence and hatred. How You Can Help Victims The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh set up a fund for Christchurch victims . Last year, Muslim communities in Pittsburgh and across the world raised money for victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting. CNN recommends supporting the New Zealand Council of Victim Support Groups , which has launched a crowdfunding campaign .  As always, please research any organization carefully before donating to them How You C...

Family Separation:  We've been talking about it on this blog and throughout the country for months. Back in June 2018, the Administration said they would stop separating families who come to the US border. But in March, the New York Times reported that more than 200 children were removed from their families since the court ordered the practice to end. Parents and children are held in different facilities and even different states. Meanwhile, thousands of children separated from their parents before the court order took place still have not been reunited. Take Action: HIAS has an ongoing list of actions you can take, including contacting your legislators and confronting misinformation about refugees .  Welcoming America , United We Dream, and  MomsRising also have tools that can help. Public Charge : On October 10, the Department of Homeland Security issued a new change to the public charge rule, which looks at how using public benefits affects a person's appl...

FREE DENTAL CARE FOR CHILDREN & TEENS! During Spring Break April 15th - 22nd 2019 Call for appointments starting April 1st 215-563-5848 x21 Give Kids a Smile! Participating dental offices providing free care in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks and Chester counties. Give Kids a Smile is for children who don’t have insurance or have not seen a dentist in the last 6 months. For mo PCCY.org/smileday . re information visit

April 2, 2019 12:00 - 1:00 pm Cohosted by PathWays PA, Friends of the Delaware County Women's Commission, Delaware County BPW, and District 10 BPW Women's Commission Join us on Equal Pay Day to learn more about Equal Pay affects you and what you can do about it! Whether you're an employer or employee, there are ways that you can make the workplace more equitable for everyone. Sign up  here  or join the meeting at https://zoom.us/j/913032585