A Message from PA Representative, Chris Rabb, for the Community

Posted: March 23, 2020

State Representative Chris Rabb represents the 200th legislative district in Philadelphia County, which includes Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill. We are proud to have a great relationship with the representative who has attended numerous events at the College and who recently spoke to some of our students about state government.

Recently, Rep. Rabb shared an updated newsletter reflecting some of the actions the PA legislature is taking as well as resources on social distancing, how to vote with a mail-in ballot, advice on completing the census and much more helpful information at this time.

We thank Rep. Rabb for all of the helpful information and for continuing to be a strong voice in the local community.

Dear Neighbor,

I want to provide some updates and resources regarding COVID-19.

Please, continue to STAY HOME to SAVE LIVES

Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday that all 67 counties statewide are under a stay-at-home order he has issued.

That stay-at-home order is in effect until at least April 30.

What that means is that everyone must STAY AT HOME except for certain essential activities and work to provide life-sustaining business and government services.

That doesn’t mean you must stay in your homes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It does mean that you should only leave your home when necessary.

Things you CAN DO:
Grocery shop once a week, at most, to get things you need.
Go to work, if you work at a life-sustaining business.
Go for a walk, a hike or get outside for exercise so long as you practice social distancing.

Things you SHOULD NOT do:
Do not go grocery shopping frequently or to pick up a single item. Also, do not take your entire family to the grocery store.
Do not travel unnecessarily.
Do not exercise in groups: No playing basketball or other group sports. That goes for adults and children, alike.

You can read Gov. Wolf’s order by clicking here.

The Primary Election has been moved to June 2, 2020

The Primary Election Day has been moved to June 2.

But you can take action now to get your mail-in ballot. The option is new this year, and allows anyone to mail in their ballot, no excuse necessary. Visit https://www.votespa.com/Pages/default.aspx for more information and to get your mail-in ballot.

If you go out, exercise social distancing!

If you need to leave your home, it is vital that you practice social distancing. You can click on the image below to watch a video I made to demonstrate what social distancing is and how it can be accomplished.

All schools closed until further notice

On Monday, Gov. Wolf and the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced that all Pennsylvania schools will remain closed until further notice in order to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to protect our children, educators and others would otherwise be put in harm’s way if schools were to reopen too soon.

While this decision was done in the best interests of everyone, there are some challenges associated with keeping schools closed, particularly ensuring that children have meals to eat.

But there are a variety of resources throughout Philadelphia ensuring that all people, children included, have food.

On Mondays and Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to noon, FREE FOOD for anyone in need will be available for pick up from multiple sites around Philadelphia, including:
Upper Room Baptist Church, 7236 Ogontz Ave. (19138)
Dare 2 Imagine Church, 6610 Anderson St. (19119)

People can pick up one box per household. Supplies will last up to five days. You don't need to present an ID or proof of income for eligibility.

For more information and other pick up locations, click here.

Do you need to file for Unemployment Compensation? Here’s a guide.

If you need to file for Unemployment Compensation and you’re unsure of how to do that, there’s a very short and useful video that can walk you through the process.

Click the image below to watch the video.

Please, take the census now. You could save lives.

If everyone, including YOU, responds to the census now, we can limit how many folks who work for the census will have to go door-to-door to follow up and ensure everyone takes the census.

Please do your part NOW, so we can ensure we get a full and accurate census count and we can keep people who work for the census safe and maintain social distancing. If you act now, you could literally save lives.

For more information on the census, visit https://www.pa.gov/census/.

In these tough times, I’m continuing to work for you

Last week, my House colleagues and I voted to pass legislation to:
Provide a $50 million emergency fund for health care facilities to get medical equipment, supplies.
Allow unemployed people to collect unemployment compensation and waive the “waiting week” and standard job-search requirements. Employers’ Unemployment Compensation taxes for employees’ benefits during the pandemic will not increase.
Ensure educators and other school employees get paid while school is out. Students won’t be penalized for missing time in the classroom.
Move the Primary Election Day to June 2.
Permit local governments to meet remotely during a disaster or emergency declaration by the governor.

Gov. Wolf signed this legislation into law on Friday.

My office is closed, but my staff is still here to help

While my office remains closed in order to limit the spread of COVID-19, my staff and I are still here to help you. We will be responding to emails and returning phone calls. You can find my contact information and a form to send me and my staff an email by clicking here.

Please take care of yourself, stay home if you can and keep checking our state department of health for regular updates.

In Service,

Dear Neighbor,

I want to provide some updates and resources regarding COVID-19.

If you don’t need to go out, STAY HOME!

Unless you absolutely must be out and about, please do yourself and your friends, family and neighbors a favor and stay home.

With the quickly evolving COVID-19 pandemic, one of the top priorities is limiting the spread of this virus. We can do that by limiting exposure, which you do by staying home and limiting interaction with others.

To that end, the City of Philadelphia put new restrictions on commercial activity and a halt to all non-essential City government operations. You can read more about the City’s announcement here.

Follow their lead and stay home.

If you want to learn more about what social distancing means and how you do it, please click the image below to watch a video I made to demonstrate how easy social distancing can be accomplished:

Important updates about local/regional services

Gov. Wolf has ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania to close. Grocery stores are life-sustaining, so they will stay open. You can get a breakdown of which businesses are non-life-sustaining and which are life-sustaining by clicking here.

The PA Turnpike Commission (PTC) has announced that to keep travelers from interacting with tolling personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic, cash and credit cards will NOT be accepted at any interchange statewide until further notice. Click here for more info.

SEPTA has announced changes to its service schedule. It will be operating the Severe Weather Plan for Regional Rail. Click here for more info.

Amtrak has changed its service schedule. Click here for more info.

If you’re employed in Pennsylvania and unable to work because of COVID-19, you may be eligible for Unemployment or Workers' Compensation benefits: Click here for more info.

PennDOT has issued an announcement about expiration dates for driver licenses, ID cards, vehicle registrations and safety and emission inspections. Those dates have been extended. Click here for more info.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health has activated a Greater Philadelphia Coronavirus Helpline. It’s available 24/7. If you have questions about symptoms and risk factors, what to do if you think you may have been exposed, testing resources or recommendations for social distancing, you can contact the helpline at 1-800-722-7112. Click here for more info.

The School District of Philadelphia is working with city offices to provide meals and activities in safe spaces for children throughout the city. Click here for a listing of all places to find meals and the schedule of when they will be available during the week.

The City of Philadelphia has published a blog that details City services still available even though there’s a partial shutdown of the government. The blog includes guidance for residents in need of services. Click here to read the blog.

The State Department of Agriculture recently provided information regarding local food banks and food pantries. People who are out of work without pay – including people who worked in the service industry and can’t get shifts or hourly wage employees of non-essential businesses that have voluntarily closed due to COVID-19 mitigation – are eligible to receive food from a food bank or food pantry. People will be asked to verbally complete a Self-Declaration of Need form and to provide their household size and weekly income level as of the day they apply. Philabundance and the Share Food Program are offering services in our area. Click here for more information and for a full list of food banks/pantries around the state.

COVID-19 has had an impact on students as it relates to the PA State Grant Program and all Special Programs administered by PHEAA. Learn more by visiting: https://www.pheaa.org/about/covid-19.shtml

My office is closed, but my staff is still here to help

While my staff and I decided to close our office in order to limit the spread of COVID-19, we are still here to help you. We will be responding to emails and returning phone calls. You can find my contact information and a form to send me and my staff an email by clicking here.