State Rep. Arvind Venkat conducts 1st town hall meeting

Funding for public education, gun violence and healthcare were some of the topics discussed April 17 during a town hall meeting conducted by State Rep. Dr. Arvind Venkat at the A.W. Beattie Career Center in McCandless.

More than 50 people attended, with Venkat answering their questions and sharing news and updates about his work locally and in Harrisburg. He introduced House Bill 78 to provide medical debt relief for low-income Pennsylvanians. He is pushing to include funding for medical debt relief in this year’s state budget.

Venkat, an emergency physician, maintains that with a $15 million investment in a state-level program, up to $1.5 billion of medical debt could be eliminated.

This was the first town hall meeting Venkat held since he took office in January. Venkat, a Democrat from McCandless, represents the 30th House District, which includes communities in the North Hills.

“Our district is full of engaged, community-minded residents,” Venkat said. “Gatherings like this give me a chance to connect with folks on a one-on-one basis and learn what’s on their minds. I’m looking forward to more productive dialogues like this in the future.”

Venkat also discussed charter school reform and women’s healthcare. Residents attending the meeting asked about proposing legislation to help curb gun violence.

Venkat plans to have another town hall possibly this fall.