Tom Waring, the Wire
State Rep. John Galloway joined Gov. Tom Wolf for his announcement of signing an executive order to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $10.15 for some state workers.
The governor’s order will apply to employees of state agencies under the jurisdiction of the governor and for employees of state government contractors.
Galloway said he hopes the action by the governor is just the beginning to raising the wage for all workers in Pennsylvania.
“The current $7.25 minimum wage in Pennsylvania is antiquated. Many people continue to struggle to pay their bills while raising a family,” Galloway said. “Providing an increased wage would give these people more purchasing power and the ability to afford basic necessities, contributing more to our overall economy.”
Galloway is a co-sponsor of H.B. 250, which would increase the state’s minimum wage to $10.10.
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Galloway said he is pleased that the House voted to allow medical marijuana in Pennsylvania.
The bill would require a prescribing doctor to be registered with the Department of Health before they would be authorized to prescribe the use of cannabis for the following conditions: intractable seizures, cancer, HIV/AIDS, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, Huntingdon’s disease, sickle cell diseases, Crohn’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, glaucoma, autism and neuropathic pain for which traditional therapies are inadvisable, as well as other neuropathies and certain spinal cord injuries.
“Today was a historic vote in the House, and the vote brings us one step closer to offering the potential health benefits that cannabis oil seems to offer,” Galloway said. “It is unfair that fear of the unknown has been limiting the use of potentially life-changing medication. Many Pennsylvanians, and especially children, may benefit from the medical use of marijuana, but without the legal availability of the medicine, they may never know.”
The Senate is expected to pass the bill, and Gov. Tom Wolf will likely sign in.
