Bartolotta details her agenda for state’s Commission for Women
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta said during her tenure on the state鈥檚 Commission for Women, she will fight to bring attention to incarceration and human trafficking issues.
The Carroll Township Republican, who represents all of Greene County and portions of Washington and Beaver counties, said she鈥檚 already discussed the barriers women face when they鈥檙e released from prison with the state鈥檚 first lady, Frances Wolf.
鈥淚鈥檓 very interested in that topic,鈥� said Bartolotta. 鈥淚 also shared my passion on the human trafficking issue with women who are being released from incarceration. We鈥檝e got to address that issue. We need to be educating women prior to being released to make sure they have the resources they need, so they don鈥檛 fall prey to human traffickers.鈥�
Gov. Tom Wolf made appointments to the volunteer commission earlier this month. Its members advise him on polices and legislation that impacts women and girls in Pennsylvania.
鈥淚t was such an honor to find out I鈥檇 been appointed to that commission,鈥� said Bartolotta. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing to be in the room with that many women with outstanding credentials working on a mission to improve the lives of women throughout the community.鈥�
She joined the other eight new appointees, including state Sen. Pam Iovino from Allegheny County, and 25 returning commissioners, and was recently sworn in by Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar at the governor鈥檚 residence.
Bartolotta chairs the Labor & Industry committee for the state Senate and is co-chair of the Criminal Justice Reform Caucus, and said Frances Wolf shared some alarming statistics on the number of incarcerated women with mental health or addiction issues.
鈥淲e need to invest more in mental health services for women, children and families. If we did, I know absolutely that we would reduce our incarceration rate. It鈥檚 been done in other states and we need to learn from their examples,鈥� said Bartolotta.
The senator said she is also passionate about workforce development and finding a solution to the 鈥渆conomic cliff鈥� that many mothers 鈥� and especially single mothers 鈥� face. She said many want to improve their economic situation by going to school and getting a degree, but can鈥檛 because they may lose assistance for the services they rely on for their children and family.
鈥淭his is locking them into a dependency situation. We need to be offering them a safety net to allow them to climb that ladder and move forward,鈥� Bartolotta said.
Gov. Wolf said the commission is a valuable tool to help the state鈥檚 women.
鈥淲e owe it to our families and communities to remove barriers that women too often face at school, work, and home,鈥� he said in a release. 鈥淭he Commission for Women serves as a powerful voice and has worked tirelessly over the last four year to represent the best interests of Pennsylvania鈥檚 women and girls. With the addition of these nine new members who are just as passionate and dedicated, we will work together to ensure women are treated equally and that their rights are protected.鈥�
In addition to advising the governor on policies and legislation, the commission also supports economic and civic opportunities for women, encourages mentoring programs for girls and young women, identifies programs and opportunities for the benefit and advancement of women and serves as a resource center.