House Approves Cox Bill to Ensure Displaced Workers Can Continue Participating by Video in Unemployment Hearings

May. 05, 2021 /

HARRISBURG – The COVID-19 pandemic forced Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation system to adapt by enabling displaced workers and employers to participate by video in unemployment compensation appeal hearings. The state House today approved a bill introduced by Rep. Jim Cox (R-Berks/Lancaster) to make sure the system remains modernized and doesn’t slip back into its old, inconvenient ways.

House Committee Hearing Wednesday Seeks Unemployment Compensation System Update

Jan. 26, 2021 /

WHAT: With many Pennsylvanians still unable to access Unemployment Compensation benefits they applied for during the global COVID-19 pandemic and after the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry late last year failed to meet its deadline to launch a revamped unemployment compensation benefits system, the House Labor and Industry Committee will convene an informational hearing to learn about the status of the thousands of unresolved claims as well as to receive an update related to the progress toward the launch of the renovated system.

PA Lawmakers: Numbers Don’t Add Up, Certification of Presidential Results Premature and In Error

Dec. 28, 2020 /

PA Lawmakers: Numbers Don’t Add Up, Certification of Presidential Results Premature and In Error

HARRISBURG – A group of state lawmakers performing extensive analysis of election data today revealed troubling discrepancies between the numbers of total votes counted and total number of voters who voted in the 2020 General Election, and as a result are questioning how the results of the presidential election could possibly have been certified by Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar and Governor Tom Wolf. These findings are in addition to prior concerns regarding actions by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Secretary, and others impacting the conduct of the election.

Cox Worries Labor and Industry Focus on COVID-19 Enforcement Could Harm Unemployed Workers and Their Families

Dec. 18, 2020 /

HARRISBURG – With thousands of unemployed Pennsylvanians still waiting for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry to process their unemployment compensation claims, House Labor and Industry Committee Chairman Jim Cox (R-Berks/Lancaster) this week was dismayed to learn some department staff are focused on enforcing COVID-19 restrictions on employers rather than helping unemployed workers.

Cox Calls for Election Audit Before Results are Certified

Nov. 12, 2020 /

HARRISBURG – The results of the 2020 Pennsylvania general election should not be certified until the state Legislature is able to complete a fair and comprehensive audit to ensure the integrity of the outcome. That is the stance local state Rep. Jim Cox (R-Berks/Lancaster) took this week in the state Capitol, and a group of state representatives shares his perspective.

Cox Disappointed House Effort to Override Governor’s Veto of High School Sports and Activities Bill Falls Short

Sep. 23, 2020 /

HARRISBURG – After voting today in Harrisburg to override the governor’s recent veto of legislation that would empower local school districts to establish health and safety standards for sports and other extracurricular activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, but watching that effort fall short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto, state Rep. Jim Cox (R-Berks/Lancaster) issued the following statement:

House Committee Hearing Thursday on Revamped Unemployment Compensation System

Sep. 16, 2020 /

WHAT: With so many Pennsylvanians relying on Unemployment Compensation benefits due to the economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the House Labor and Industry Committee will convene an informational hearing to discuss whether the Department of Labor and Industry is ready to proceed with its transition to a new benefit application process in early October or if such a transition could hamper unemployed Pennsylvanians’ access to their benefits.

House Committee Seeking Answers for Pennsylvanians Struggling to Access Unemployment Compensation Benefits

Jul. 13, 2020 /

HARRISBURG – More than one out of every four Pennsylvanians has applied for unemployment compensation benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, and nearly one out of every 10 eligible applicants still has not received benefits. With so many eligible Pennsylvanians still waiting for relief from a system they paid into for years, House Labor and Industry Committee Chairman Jim Cox (R-Berks/Lancaster) plans to hold a hearing in Harrisburg on Aug. 12 to get some answers.

House Approves Cox Bill to Help Fight Opioid Epidemic

Jun. 24, 2019 /

HARRISBURG – The state House today approved legislation introduced by Rep. Jim Cox (R-Berks/Lancaster) that would help health care professionals identify and treat patients who previously overdosed on opioids.

House Committee Approves Cox Bill to Fight Opioid Epidemic

May. 14, 2019 /

HARRISBURG – The state House Health Committee today approved legislation introduced by state Rep. Jim Cox (R-Berks/Lancaster) that would help health care professionals identify and treat patients who previously overdosed on opioids.

House Committees to Hear from Auditor General about Workforce Development Report

Mar. 18, 2019 /

WHAT: House Labor and Industry Committee Chairman Jim Cox (R-Berks/Lancaster) and House Commerce Committee Chairman Mark Keller (R-Perry/Cumberland) will host a joint hearing to receive testimony from Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale regarding a recent performance audit report published by his office pertaining to Pennsylvania’s workforce development system.

Cox, House Committee to Consider Bill to Inform Workers of Their Rights and Repeal Unconstitutional Law Related to Public Unions

Mar. 15, 2019 /

WHAT: House Labor and Industry Committee Chairman Jim Cox (R-Berks/Lancaster) will host a committee meeting where members will consider House Bill 785, introduced by Rep. Kate Klunk (York), that would provide non-union workers in public-sector union shops with information about their First Amendment rights and also repeal “fair share fee” provisions of Pennsylvania’s labor laws that were recently deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Cox, House Committee to Hear about Worker Training Programs

Feb. 15, 2019 /

WHAT: House Labor and Industry Committee Chairman Jim Cox (R-Berks/Lancaster) will host an informational hearing to identify policies and procedures to better align worker training and preparation programs with the needs of employers in an effort to enhance the success of workers seeking to enter or advance in the workforce.

Cox, House Committee to Hear about Worker Training Programs

Feb. 15, 2019 /

WHAT: House Labor and Industry Committee Chairman Jim Cox (R-Berks/Lancaster) will host an informational hearing to identify policies and procedures to better align worker training and preparation programs with the needs of employers in an effort to enhance the success of workers seeking to enter or advance in the workforce.