Marlene Katz is challenging incumbent in 29th District

Marlene Katz, a Democrat running against Republican Meghan Schroder in Pennsylvania’s 29th District, says she’ll take climate change seriously, support the Affordable Care Act and further state funding for small businesses.

The district includes Buckingham Township, Ivyland Borough, Warminister and Warwick townships.

Responding to a wide-ranging questionnaire from The Bucks County Herald, Katz outlined her positions on several issues, including the shutdown of businesses across the state when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“As a former small business owner, my heart breaks for the business owners who have suffered as a result of COVID-19, said Katz, a longtime Realtor in the area. “The shutdown has affected so many businesses, but it was the best way for us to flatten the curve early on in the pandemic, and I believe it saved countless lives in the process.”

Katz added, Pennsylvania can learn from those experiences and recognize the state had lower infection rates “in comparison with other states, which did not heed the advice of scientific experts.”

HB 2787, legislation that proposes local government control over the playing of school sports and the audiences, is supported by Katz. “These are local decisions that families and communities can decide on for themselves, and I support opportunities for the state to give that authority,” she said.

When it comes to ongoing concerns about the high cost of prescription drugs, the Democratic challenger said, “it’s long past the time when the state should step in and curtail the rising drug prices in Pennsylvania.

“The state should take steps to protect the Affordable Care Act in Pennsylvania, and have the power to negotiate lower drug prices shifted onto patients. That is the only way we can have better health care for lower costs,” said Katz.

Further state funding to help struggling businesses is needed, Katz said. “I was pleased to see so many Democratic legislators vote for grant funding … and I want to see more funding like this while in office. We can assist entrepreneurs by providing grants and even loans so they can adapt to the crisis and develop their businesses at the same time.”

The state’s unemployment rate is a problem, said Katz, and should have been remedied by now, but has not been due to “inaction.”

With unemployment, like many areas of governance during the pandemic, Katz said, “there needs to be increased care taken into supporting Pennsylvanians who want to get back to work. Extending unemployment benefits is “a good step,” toward easing the spike, she said.

Katz said, she will be vocal in addressing the eviction crisis many tenants and landlords are facing. “As we weather this crisis, we can provide funding and loans to residents so they can meet their monthly rents and mortgages.” The minimum wage must be raised in Pennsylvania, she added.

On the controversial subject of police reform, Katz said, she understands that a lot is asked of police officers and said she wants to ensure they have “every opportunity to advance their training so that uses of force are more rare, and handled appropriately.”

Greater funding for social services “long ignored by the government,” is needed, she said, to “provide a better system of justice.” This, said Katz, “is the only way we can keep law enforcement officers safe while they perform their duties protecting and serving their communities.”

In discussing climate change, Katz said, any politician who says it’s not real “is lying to you.”

If elected, she said, “I will not sit by and watch as our environment is harmed and our future generations are burdened with the costs. I will propose legislation that supports investing in new and cleaner, cheaper and more sustainable energy resources.”

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