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ANDRE D. CARROLL
FOR STATE REP
ISSUES
OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
deserve investment.
In the last three years we have seen bills that increase mass incarceration, a bill that denies elders compassionate release and votes to deny Philadelphia the ability to govern itself. We have seen median household incomes go down. All while the Republican controlled legislature continues to ignore calls for an increase in the minimum wage, which is still $7.25 an hour. Our system is strained, as trash collection times have increased, and litter has filled our streets.
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Germantown high school is shut down and it’s currently slated to become luxury apartments. This forces our children into schools with larger class sizes, in the midst of a pandemic. Every time a major community resource is lost, nothing is created in its place and this is unacceptable. We need change in our community that benefits and includes us in the process, not changes that make our communities worse.
Criminal Justice
We must put an end to mass incarceration in this State and in this country. Pennsylvania has the highest number of Juvenile lifers, which means we have the largest number of individuals sentenced to life when they were minors. The great majority of these individuals are from Philadelphia, where there is a war on poverty and people of color.
I currently sit on the board for the Brothahood Foundation, an organization that provides court support, mentorship and advocacy for minors who have been tried as adults. We must actively oppose the criminalization of young people in this state, where we spend 42k per inmate and 18k per student. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Youth Aid Panel keeps juveniles from getting a criminal record after they are arrested. I am a member of this board because, I believe that advocacy and mentorship are integral in helping our youth navigate out of the criminal justice system
WHAT I SUPPORT
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Ending the practice of juveniles being tried and sentenced as adults
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Opposing mandatory minimum sentencing
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Universal Parole.
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PA is the only state where people convicted of 1st or 2nd degree murder are automatically sentenced to life. Anyone serving a life sentence in Pennsylvania is automatically ineligible for parole. Universal parole would make it so that no one in Pennsylvania would be ineligible for parole.
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Presumptive Probation
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When a person is sentenced we can predetermine when they would be eligible for probation or parole.
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Extending the wrongful conviction appeal window indefinitely.
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Legalization of marijuana, and the expungement of all marijuana related offenses.
Healthcare + Reproductive Rights
My grandmother lacked access to quality healthcare and that had a direct impact on her quality of life. This is a reality for so many Pennsylvanians who struggle to find access to affordable healthcare. During my time working to connect seniors with healthcare, I got to see first hand some of the inequities that are faced by our most vulnerable seniors. The rising costs of medical care, the increase to the cost of living, inability for seniors to age in their home. I’m from this community, I understand the issues, I’ve had the opportunity to work for the Philadelphia City Controller's office, and the Pennsylvania State Senate. Which has afforded me the opportunity to be able to identify the resources which could improve the quality of life for folks in our community. With reproductive rights and abortion access under attack across the country, Pennsylvania MUST continue to be a beacon of hope for those seeking abortion and reproductive health services.
WHAT I SUPPORT
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The creation of a public healthcare option, which would ensure that every Pennsylvanian has access to quality healthcare regardless of their income level or employment status.
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Increased funding and resources for our mental health facilities and resources in our communities, with an emphasis on communities of color communities.
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When hospitals are sold or there is a change in ownership, there needs to be job guarantees for the employees who work at these facilities. Additionally there needs to be measures of accountability, which include community hearings.
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Granting free access to high quality, trauma informed, and culturally competent reproductive health and abortion services for working class communities across our commonwealth.
Education
The public high school I’ve graduated from has been shut down and is currently awaiting redevelopment. The plan is for the school to become luxury apartments, and there has not been a school built in its stead. This is all too common across the city where we’ve seen more than 20 schools shut down between 2012 and 2013. One of my major priorities is to make sure that education is fully funded in Pennsylvania, and in Philadelphia. This looks like remediating existing, and developing new public school buildings. We cannot continue to send our children to dilapidated schools with mold and asbestos, all while we are navigating a global pandemic. These conditions are very similar to the conditions I faced when I was in school. Water from the fountains was undrinkable and the quality of the cooling and heating units were poor. I’ve spent time as an educator because I realize how important education is for our children, especially in the midst of so many intersecting issues.
WHAT I SUPPORT
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Increased funding for (CTE) and workforce development programs.
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Free community college
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Universal Pre-K for all of our children. The most important years for a child's education are when they are between the ages of 0 and 8 years old.
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Expanding funding for extracurricular and afterschool programs.
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Divorcing funding for schools based on standardized test test scores. This penalizes children who are poor, have learning challenges, and physical limitations.
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Ending the criminalization of truancy, we can not continue to penalize students who are poor or who may be experiencing crises.
Environmental JustiCE
Our environment is changing as climate change worsens by the day, as pollutants and waste shift our community ecosystems. Just south of Philadelphia, not even 15 minutes away there is an incinerator in Chester that produces more air pollutants than any other incinerator in the country, this isn’t a surprise because Chester is over 75% Black. This air pollution not only affects residents of Chester, but also poor and working class residents in surrounding counties like Philadelphia., worsening air quality. I believe that we need to deal with environmental pollution now.
WHAT I SUPPORT​
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The creation of a state law that incentives residents to install solar panels
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Funding to combat flooding, which would include funds for waterproofing residents basements
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Creation of new green jobs
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Neighborhood beautification and infrastructure maintenance workers would be responsible for the maintenance and management of Trees and other plant life.
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Benefits of Trees
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Having a neighborhood with tree cover, which provides shade could lower the temperature by as much as 20 degrees in the summertime.
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This cooling doesn’t just affect the outdoors, but could also reduce the cost of your electricity bill.
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Tree’s also provide protection against strong winds, which would otherwise lead to further heat loss.
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Worker's Rights
My grandmother was a hardworking union LPN, and was able to provide for me even after having to leave the workplace, due to an injury. It was because my grandmother was in a union that she could still provide for me financially and even purchase our home. Because of this I grew up believing in the power of unions, as they have been the backbone of our modern civil rights and social justice fights. Collective bargaining allows for unionized employees to negotiate their contracts with employers, which helps determine pay, benefits, hours, safety policies and much more. I am a homeowner because of my grandmother's union, and I will champion the rights of all workers.
WHAT I SUPPORT
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Increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15.00 and hour
Workers rights to unionize, fight for better working conditions, and fair contracts
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Paid family leave
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Altering the wage tax for tippable employees, so that companies are responsible for paying them.
housing
As someone who has worked for wages below $15 an hour for the majority of my adulthood, I know what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck. Had I not inherited a home, I would surely be facing housing insecurity. Before my grandmother collected her settlement check, we faced homelessness. When we came home one day all of our belongings were in plastic bags on the street. Housing is a human right, and should be accessible and affordable to everyone. The current system see’s that Pennsylvanians are paid at minimum $7.25 an hour which isn’t a living wage in an economy where most things are unaffordable.
WHAT I SUPPORT
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Making it so that criminal history wouldn’t be a factor in anyone’s attempt to secure housing.
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Increased funding from federal and state subsidies for housing
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Making it so that landlords/property owners would not be able to evict without “just cause”.
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Sealing and evictions after 2 years.
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A more in depth audit of the PPA, to determine actual costs, as this agency hasn’t been reformed in decades. The PPA was formed to help fund schools, and hasn’t done so in decades.
infrastructure
President Biden is committed to investments in public infrastructure across the country, and here in the commonwealth, we have an opportunity to improve the lives of so many Pennsylvanians. We have public transit systems which operate in every county in Pennsylvania. These systems help guarantee millions of people have access to healthcare facilities, jobs, housing and food. However, many of the existing transit systems are strained and in dire need of modernizing. My district is home to the second largest Septa transportation hub, the Broad and Olney transportation center which includes The Broad Street Line, The Broad Ridge-Spur, and Septa bus routes, 6, 8, 16, 18, 22, 26, 55, 80 and L. This allows for constituents of my district to travel across the city, and in some cases outside of the city into surrounding counties. We must ensure that this access not only continues to be available for our citizens, but that we improve and increase access across the commonwealth. Additionally, we must commit to decreasing the number of road accidents, by making concerted efforts to improve roadway conditions, limit highway congestion and add safety features to busy roads, as just a few examples.
WHAT I SUPPORT
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Ensuring that public infrastructure remains publicly owned and operated, including public transit, roads, bridges, sidewalks and utility facilities.
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The allocation of funds for a statewide low-income public transit fare program.
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Decriminalizing fare evasion.
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Investment in a green transition of our existing public transit systems.
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An increase in medians and speed-bumps on roads.
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Making sure that road and bridge repairs are being done by unionized contractors.
LGBTQIA+ Rights
With transphobic and homophobic hate crimes on the rise in this nation, we need more elected officials who will stand against hatred and champion fights for equality. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I know all too well the realities of discrimination and the implications of a lack of representation. Because the Pennsylvania state legislature has only had one openly gay Black elected official in history, I think it’s time we expand that representation. Currently there is no state clause prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender expression and/or sexuality and this is unacceptable. My commitment is to the people who are most marginalized, and I am dedicated to creating a more just and equitable Pennsylvania for everyone!
WHAT I SUPPORT
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The creation of anti-bullying laws, in schools, colleges and universities.
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Statewide Anti- Discrimination Laws, which specifically define LGBTQIA+ folks as a protected class of citizens.
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Creating an outright ban on gay and trans panic defense.
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A statewide ban on conversion therapy, which is cruel, unusual, inhumane and outright wrong.
Voting Rights
We must stand against racist and discriminatory ID and voter suppression laws across this nation. Gerrymandering makes it so that none of our elections are fair elections, grouping people together, not by population, but in favor of certain classes or political parties. Our commitment must be to the people and to fair districts everywhere. A trend that we see over and over again is that in whiter areas there are no lines for voting and the process is rather seamless. Now if you look at districts which are in communities of color, the story is far different. Long lines, faulty equipment and overall shortage of poll staff lead to increased disenfranchisement for Black voters and other voters of color. We need to make it easier for people to vote, not harder and I will fight for our constitutional rights.
WHAT I SUPPORT
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Increasing the number of polling places
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Make Election Day a federal holiday.
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Extend Registration Deadline + Vote By Mail Deadline.
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Legislation which would allow for same day voter registration.
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Act 77, which allows for a person to request a “no excuse absentee ballot”.
