Ferlo and Pittsburgh Job Corps Celebrate 13th Street Boat Launch Dedicated in Sharpsburg



SHARPSBURG, August 20th, 2008- A new boat launch with free parking and a floating dock is now open to the public on the Allegheny River off 13th Street in Sharpsburg. Ferlo, participants from Pittsburgh Job Corps, and Pittsburgh Job Corps Director Mike Douglas were on hand to celebrate.

The Job Corps is the local branch of the national program administrated by the United States Department of Labor. The program teaches young adults marketable job skills and trades, and then gets them real-world experience in meaningful service projects that benefit their communities.

"The new boat launch is sure to be a valued asset to avid anglers and community members for many years to come. The young men from Job Corps deserve great credit for their assistance in implementing this project," said Ferlo.


Click here to visit the Pittsburgh Job Corps website

Tribune-Review: Sharpsburg waterfront no longer drowning in trash

Ferlo Holds August 9th Press Conference to 'Bring The PA National Guard Home'

Recognizing the National Democratic Platform Committee Meeting in Pittsburgh as an opportunity to raise awareness, Senator Ferlo and other participants will be presenting new Pennsylvania Senate and House Bills aimed at clarifying when the Guard can be called into federal service, empowering the Governor, and ultimately ensuring the safety of Pennsylvanians.

“We must empower our Governor to take back control of the Pennsylvania National Guard, and restore Pennsylvania’s ability to defend and protect our citizens at home from unpredictable natural disasters and emergencies” said Ferlo.

WHEN:     Saturday, August 9 at 4 P.M.

WHERE:    David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Room 307             (Across from the Spirit of Pittsburgh Ballroom - Location of the DNC Platform Committee Meeting)
           1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd
           Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Speakers Include: Ferlo, Ben Manski (Executive Director of Liberty Tree), Helen Gerhardt (Former National Guard Member and Iraq War Veteran), Pete Shell (Pittsburgh Anti War Committee), David Gibson (Pennsylvania Coalition for Peace Action)

Ferlo comments on the National Guard Resolution


Click here or on photo above to view photo gallery

Ferlo Holds Universal Single-Payer Health Care Press Conference August 9th


Recognizing the National Democratic Platform Committee Meeting in Pittsburgh as an opportunity to raise awareness, Senator Ferlo, Congressman Conyers and other participants will be presenting the case for adopting a universal, single-payer health care model.

“Single-payer preserves the patient-doctor relationship, but it finds a far better way for paying for care,” Ferlo said.  “Our current health-care system is crumbling under the administrative weight of health insurance providers, who act in the interest of making profit, not in protecting their customers.”

WHEN:     Saturday, August 9 at 10 a.m.

WHERE:    David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Room 307              (Across from the Spirit of Pittsburgh Ballroom -Location of the DNC Platform Committee Meeting)
           1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd
           Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Speakers Include: Ferlo, United States Congressman John Conyers Jr., Donna Smith (American Patients United and Progressive Democrats of America), Dr. Ron Codario, M.D. (Western PA Coalition for Single Payer Healthcare), Chuck Pennacchio (Healthcare for All PA), Fred Redmond (United Steel Workers)

Click here or on photo above to view photo gallery

Ferlo Hosts Medicare Birthday Celebration

LAWRENCEVILLE, July 30, 2008 - - Healthcare groups and organizations from across Pennsylvania today joined Ferlo in celebrating the 43rd birthday of Medicare

The celebration recognizes the passage of Federal Medicare, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, and calls for legislation that would create a single payer national health care plan. 

Ferlo said, "There is no better time than now to make improvements and expand this program to everyone in the country. Today’s event was a lot of fun, but we are faced with a very serious problem in the United States.  Our current health care system is not sustainable. We need to find a better way to pay for health care and we think single payer is the way to do it."

Click here or on photo above to view photo gallery

Ferlo Applauds Final Passage of Bills to Protect Homeowners

PITTSBURGH, July 18, 2008 - Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG) Executive Director Steven Shivak and Ferlo are pleased to announce the final passage of a series of bills to protect homeowners from unscrupulous lenders. Former Secretary of Banking, Bill Schenck, established a committee with Ferlo and PCRG to help craft the legislation, which was recently signed by the Governor.

Co-sponsor and champion of the legislation Ferlo said, "Out of town lenders were selling consumers Adjustible Rate Mortgagess with low teaser rates changing into higher rates consumers could not afford.”  Moreover, in Pennsylvania “you have to have a license to sell insurance, drive a cab or even cut a person’s hair.  But when it comes to selling a consumer a mortgage there were no licensing requirements.”

Ferlo stands with fellow Senate Democrats to curb rising electricity prices from deregulation

Click above to watch Sen. Ferlo advocate for customer protection from winter shut-offs.

Post Gazette: Democrats caution against electric rate deregulation

Senate Democrats Act to Stem Expected Spike in Electric Bills

“We need to take strong steps to protect consumers from being gouged.  While generation companies are predicting record profits, I expect my constituents will see their pocketbooks stretched to their limits.   We must design an electric market in Pennsylvania that provides effective consumer protection laws, maximizes the buying power of residential electric customers through aggregation, and holds utility companies to the highest standards for rate making,” said Ferlo.