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
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
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.