November 18, 2019 - Sen. Brooks chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, which recently considered legislation addressing a fetal diagnosis of Down Syndrome, milk banks, and methadone drug death reviews.
Harrisburg –October 29, 2019 --Sen. Brooks joined Sen. Bob Mensch and Pat Halpin-Murphy in supporting the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition at their annual “Jazzing Up the Capitol” event. Sen. Mensch donated his musical talents to raise valuable funds for breast and prostate cancer awareness and research.
Harrisburg (October 23, 2019) - Art teacher Suzanne Weathers and her husband Mark visited the Capitol after accepting a School Bus Safety Poster Award on behalf of second-grader Dreshad Eaton from Conneaut Valley Elementary School.
Sept. 25, 2019 --American hero and football star Rocky Bleier joined Sen. Michele Brooks in announcing the debut of a service dog training program at SCI Mercer, which will allow veterans to help other veterans living in the community. One veteran who received a Guardian Angel dog called him “the best medicine.”
Sept. 25, 2019 --The dogs will be provided by Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, led by Carol Borden, and, once trained, will be given to veterans living in the community with post-traumatic stress, balance issues, blood sugar fluctuations, and other medical needs. Inmates in SCI Mercer’s Veterans Service Unit will earn college credit and an apprenticeship certification for their work, skills which they can then apply to a job when they re-enter the workforce. Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel and Brig. General Mark Schindler also participated in the program kick-off, which will begin with 12 veteran-inmates who were specially selected for the program.
August 7, 2019 - I always love seeing the Rudy Family along the parade route of the Cochranton Fair.
June 26, 2019 –Sen. Brooks joined her colleagues from the House and Senate in lifting a milkshake toast to those who work around the clock to put food on our tables, and the package of bills that puts farmers first. Agriculture is not only key to the economy, but our homeland security, Senate leaders underscored.
June 25, 2019 –Sen. Brooks was honored to receive the “There’s No Place Like Home Legislative Champion Award” from the PA Homecare Association. She said that caring for her grandmother after a stroke and her own mother before she died inspired her to fight for families undergoing difficult times. She is pictured here with Katie Dotto (left) and Vicki Hoak (right) of the PHA.
June 18, 2019 --Sean Hronchich of Grove City and Trey Wilt joined Sen. Brooks on the Senate floor and in a Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee meeting as they visited the Capitol for American Legion’s Boys State program.
June 18, 2019 –Cole Meyers will be a senior at Edinboro University this fall, majoring in secondary education, with the goal of teaching math at the high school level in an inner-city school. He visited Sen. Brooks to share his concerns about educational funding, academic quality and school safety in Pennsylvania.
June 10, 2019 – Sen. Brooks was happy to see that newly sworn-in Senator Doug Mastriano was accompanied by Sharpsville residents. Pictured, left to right, are Karen Rudge, Senator Brooks, Dick and Willie Hetrick, Bill Rudge, and Rebbie, Josiah, and Doug Mastriano .
May 27, 2019 - Sen. Brooks was honored to be part of the Jamestown Memorial Day ceremony. She told the stories of so many local heroes, and the sacrifices made by their families.
May 8, 2019 - Sen. Brooks conversed with young FFA members after a Senate Republican Caucus press conference was held outside the Capitol to spotlight their efforts to support the state’s vital agriculture industry.
May 8, 2019 - Sen. Brooks joined her colleagues from the Senate Republican Caucus in outlining a package of bills designed to help the dairy industry and the entire agriculture industry, including finding ways to pass farms and farming skills along to the younger generation, using barns for wedding venues, and forming a Dairy Commission to help stop the loss of dairy farms in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania lost 370 farms in 2018 alone, leaving a little more than 6,000 still in operation.
May 7, 2019—Sen. Brooks was so happy to meet with youth advocates against tobacco use in minors. Michiah Lenzi of Sharpsville, a sixth grader, spoke with Sen. Brooks about the dangers of smoking and the effects of early tobacco use on the developing brain. He and his peers would like the legal age to purchase all tobacco products to be raised from 18 to 21. He is pictured here with parents Rebecca and Michael Lenzi, and sister Reese, a second-grader.
April 29, 2019 - Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Sen. Brooks joined the seventh and eighth graders from the Faith Builders School in Guys Mills, Crawford County at the front desk of the Senate Chamber. The group sang on the marble steps in the Rotunda at lunchtime, were introduced on the House and Senate floors, and toured the Capitol Complex.
April 29, 2019 - The singers from Faith Builders School included seventh graders Travis Hershberger, Christian Kauffman, Alex Miller, André Miller, Natalie Miller, Maya Schmucker, Nicholas Stoltzfus, and Shelby Wengerd. Eighth graders are Jessica Byler, Sophia Hostetler, Trennis Lehman, Elijah Miller, Jayla Warren, and Kiahna Wengerd.
April 10, 2019 –As the Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Sen. Brooks joined with House Chair Kathy Rapp in hosting a joint hearing on advances in gene replacement therapy.
March 26, 2019 - Sen. Brooks consoled Gold Star dad Daniel McLaughlin from Forest County at a recent Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness confirmation hearing and promotion ceremony. His son, Army National Guardsman Michael McLaughlin, was killed in action in Iraq in January 2006. An exit ramp in Grove City is named in honor of Lt. Col. McLaughlin.
March 26, 2109 –The Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee re-confirmed Adjutant General Anthony Carelli and promoted several outstanding officers in the Guard, including Major Gen. Mark McCormack, Major Gen. Mike Regan, Major Gen. Mark Schindler, Brig, Gen. Jeffrey Heasley, Brig. Gen. Edwards Little, Brig. Gen. Claudia Malone, and Brig. Gen. Michael Wegscheider. Gold Star Dad Daniel McLaughlin of Forest County is also pictured (center).
February 27, 2019 – As Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Senator Michele Brooks listened intently to the testimony and priorities of Secretary of Health Rachel Levine during the department’s budget hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee. Topics covered included opioids, lead poisoning, rural access to health care, and Lyme disease.
January 28, 2019 –The Farrell Steelers were honored as state football champions in the Senate and House of Representatives by Sen. Brooks, Rep. Mark Longietti, and the members of both Chambers. The team also met Lt. Gov. Fetterman and Gov. Tom Wolf. Player of the Year Kyi Wright and Coach of the Year Jarrett Samuels were also recognized for their achievements.
January 1, 2019 – Sen. Brooks was honored to take the oath of office as she embarks upon her second term in the Pennsylvania Senate.
January 1, 2019 - Newly elected members of the Senate Republican Caucus include Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill and Sen. Judy Ward, who joined Sen. Brooks in placing their hand on the Bible and taking the oath of office, in a Chamber filled with flowers, family and friends.