Rep. Shusterman To Serve On 4 PA House Committees In 2nd Term

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania State Rep. Melissa Shusterman (D-157th) today announced her committee assignments for the 2021-22 legislative session, in her second term representing the 157th District.

Shuster man will retain her seat on the House Judiciary Committee and the Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, and will also serve this term on the Commerce Committee and Children and Youth Committee.

"All of the committees I have been appointed to serve on this session deal with issues that affect people's everyday lives and are reflective of some of my top priorities as a legislator," Shusterman said today.

"My committee assignments put me in a position where I'm able to speak up for some of our commonwealth’s most vulnerable populations and spark social and economic change," she said.

The Judiciary Committee reviews bills relating to law enforcement and corrections. It has oversight over a number of state agencies, including the Pennsylvania State Police, Attorney General's Office, Department of Corrections, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, and the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, Shusterman's office explained.

Shusterman is already busy with Judicial Committee business. This week she asked the public to weigh in on House Bill 38, legislation the pertains to the election of appeals court judges by zone.

Shusterman said the bill amounts to "judicial gerrymandering," as the state Supreme Court presently is comprised of a Democrat majority.

The bill's subtitle reads, "A Joint Resolution proposing integrated amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, organizing the Judiciary into representative districts and further providing for residency requirements." The legislation, introduced on Jan. 13 by Rep. Russ Diamond (R-102nd) can be accessed here.

Shusterman's other committee assignments include the Children and Youth Committee, which reviews bills pertaining to the youngest residents of Pennsylvania. The committee reviews bills that affect the Office of Child Development and Learning and the Office of Children, Youth and Families under the Department of Human Services.

The Commerce Committee reviews legislation involving the banking and financial services industries, economic development agencies and programs, and housing agencies and programs, as well as provides legislative oversight for regulations proposed for those areas of the economy.

The Aging and Older Adult Services Committee deals with a wide range of issues to improve the lives of Pennsylvania's senior citizens. The committee works with the Department of Aging and reviews bills that affect senior citizens of the commonwealth.