Women’s Reproductive Freedom

I believe that a woman’s right to choose is a very personal decision. Our legislature has no right to take away a woman’s right to control her own body.

“In the lengthy House debate, Rep. Melissa Shusterman, D-Chester, called the proposal “extreme and extremely cruel to women.”

“This takes away individual liberties, a woman’s right to control her life,” Shusterman said. “My right to control my life, my sister’s right to control her life. And it allows for political and religious leaders to insert their radical, uninformed beliefs in the doctor’s office.” July 8, 2022 AP News Read here

My speech on the House Floor after the 1st vote for a Constitutional Amendment was passed to prohibit a woman’s right to choose.

Child Tax Credit

In a day of rising costs for childcare, Democratic state Reps. Tina Davis (D-Bucks) and Melissa Shusterman (D-Chester) shepherded a bill through the Pennsylvania House to help working parents.

House Bill 1259 passed through the chamber with bipartisan support, 141-62, and now heads to the state Senate for concurrence.

June 13, 2023
PoliticsPA

Community Safety

I have brought safety grants back to the district and work with local and state police to keep our community safe, earning me the endorsement of the Chester County FOP Lodge #11. The 2022 - 2023 Budget includes $100 million to increase school safety as well as funding for violence prevention and public safety and gun violence prevention

Election Integrity

Our friends and neighbors work tirelessly on election day and the days after to ensure that our elections are accurate. Legislation needs to be passed, and I would support it, to allow ballots to be canvassed, as in many other states, including Florida. Florida's results come in on election night. By not passing this law, it feeds into the narrative that because it takes so long to count our ballots, our election is not an honest one. That can't be further from the truth. If a county can only open the envelopes when the polls open on election day, they can't possibly finish counting that night. That is where we are today and I would like to see that change. Read more here

Bipartisanship

I have worked across the aisle on legislation since I was first elected. Here’s just one example of what we can do to help our constituents when we work together and vote together on good, common sense bills.

HARRISBURG, PA — A bill that would provide food donors with legal protections for donating food in good faith passed the House on Friday, announced state Rep. Melissa Shusterman, D-Chester/Montgomery, who first suggested the action last session.

Feb 6, 2021 ChesCo

EErCCu2XoAAUCif.jpeg

Gun Safety

As a mother and as an American, I am horrified and angered by the scourge of gun violence in our country. Legislators must take seriously our duty to protect the people of our Commonwealth and this nation. It is time to pass universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders –– legislation overwhelmingly supported by Pennsylvanians.

I believe in the right for a hunter to put food on the table, however, I do not believe that there is a need for semi automatic weapons in our community. Read more here

Government Reform

During my first campaign, I often spoke about the importance of transparency and accountability in our government. These principles continue to shape my stances on government issues. I am sick of legislators taking taxpayer money while ignoring taxpayer needs. For this reason, I introduced a “No Budget, No Pay” bill to make sure Harrisburg does its job before collecting its salary. Last year, I vowed not to take a paycheck until a budget passed and our Commonwealth’s needs were served.

I supported Fair Districts to eliminate gerrymandering. We were successful this past year with the new redistricting.

Environment

Pennsylvania’s Constitution states “The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of ... the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come.” I have fought tirelessly to protect our environment in the legislature and stood up against efforts to exploit our vital natural resources. I support increased funding for the Department of Environmental Protection, a moratorium on fracking in the Delaware River Basin, a more stringent and transparent permitting process, a fair severance tax, and stricter laws to protect our air, water, and land. Our government should be working to protect our environment and our future, not doing the bidding of special interests whose only goal is profit. I support aiming for 100% of Pennsylvania’s energy production to come from clean and renewable sources by 2050. In addition to protecting our environment, we have the chance to create new jobs and new opportunities for the people of Pennsylvania as we take on these challenges.

157_02012020_Winter_Kid's_Fest_040.jpg

Education

Public education has been a cornerstone of my success. My mother taught at Radnor High School and I am a proud graduate of the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District. Having taught at several public universities myself, I understand the value of public education. I am committed to making sure every child in our state has access to quality public schools. In the 157th District, we’re lucky to have some of Pennsylvania’s best schools, but there are many Pennsylvanians who are not as lucky. In the legislature, I have worked to increase education funding, free our students from restrictive standardized tests, support our teachers’ independence, and modernize our schools. We also must strengthen our vocational training programs to ensure a range of opportunities are available to our graduates. Charter schools receive more than $1.8 billion in state and property taxes each year with little to no oversight on spending or operations. While I believe in a parent's right to choose the best school for their child, I firmly stand by the principle that any school that relies on public funding should be held to the same standards as any other public school. Harrisburg too often uses our students’ futures and teachers’ livelihoods as bargaining chips and I’ve had enough.

Dignity for our Seniors

As Americans it is our duty to protect the men and women who have shaped and built our community and country. Currently, Pennsylvanian seniors are facing increasing cuts to Medicaid that will drastically reduce their standard of living. It is vital that we engage, support, and protect the senior citizen community in our district. They deserve to live with dignity.

Making Pennsylvania Accessible to All

I am working to give the disabled access, jobs and a platform from which to be heard. I have co-sponsored legislation establishing a Bill of Rights for individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism as well as protection from assault or any kind of intimidation. As human beings, disabled Pennsylvanians have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

 

Infrastructure

Improving our infrastructure is crucial to ensuring mobility and growth in our state. Pennsylvania is ranked among the worst states for aging infrastructure, and it shows. Many of our neighbors commute into Philadelphia every day and suffer through overcrowded and delayed trains and sit in hours of traffic on our local highways.

I was proud to take part in the opening of Paoli’s new state-of-the-art train station last year. I support incentivizing the use of SEPTA through service improvements and discounted passes to give our commuters a better range of options.

Opioid Epidemic

A recent report by the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration on heroin and opioid related hospital admissions in Pennsylvania shows overdoses have quadrupled since 2010, and fatal overdoses rose 37% in 2016. (citing Philly.com goo.gl/XD5cd4) This crisis is having a devastating impact on our Pennsylvania families and communities. As a state we need to do everything we can to fight this disease. It’s time to focus on prevention, treatment, recovery, as well as criminal justice reform.

Open Space

One of Pennsylvania’s greatest resources is its beautiful, open land. Over the past three decades Chester County has become a leader in open space preservation, which has brought demonstrable economic, environmental, and public health benefits to county residents. It is a privilege that we can enjoy the bounty of nature so close to home, and I am committed to the protection of open space for years to come.