Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee Questionnaire

Michael Laws | State Committee Candidate | Lehigh Valley

HEALTHCARE & WOMEN’S RIGHTS (PRO-CHOICE)

What is your position on reproductive rights and how will you advocate for them at the state level?

Healthcare is a right, not a privilege  and reproductive healthcare is healthcare, full stop. Since Dobbs, Pennsylvania has become a sanctuary state for women fleeing abortion bans across the region, and we must fight to keep it that way. As State Committee member, I will push our party to make reproductive freedom a centerpiece of every candidate’s platform, from school board to governor. I will advocate for codifying abortion rights into Pennsylvania law, expanding access to contraception, and protecting providers from out-of-state legal harassment. Women in the Lehigh Valley and across this Commonwealth deserve a party that fights for their bodily autonomy without apology and without compromise.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

How will you address the affordable housing crisis facing Pennsylvania families?

Families across Northampton and Lehigh Counties are being priced out of communities they built. Working people, seniors on fixed incomes, and young families cannot find housing they can afford — and that instability undermines everything else we fight for. As State Committee member, I will advocate for increased investment in the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, push our caucus to champion zoning reform that removes barriers to affordable development, and support robust tenant protections that prevent predatory evictions. Housing is the foundation of economic security. When our party fights for affordable housing, we fight for the dignity of working-class Pennsylvania families who have been left behind by a rigged market.

FOOD INSECURITY

What is your commitment to addressing hunger and food insecurity in Pennsylvania?

No child should go to bed hungry in the wealthiest nation on earth — and no senior should have to choose between groceries and medication. Food insecurity in the Lehigh Valley is not just a poverty issue; it is a policy failure. As State Committee member, I will advocate for full funding of Pennsylvania’s food assistance programs, push back aggressively against any Republican attempts to cut SNAP benefits, and support expanded farm-to-family programs that strengthen both local agriculture and community nutrition. I will work to connect Democratic candidates at every level to the food banks, community fridges, and hunger relief organizations doing the real work on the ground — because our platform must match the reality our neighbors are living every day.

Michael Laws | Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee | Lehigh Valley Chair, Pennsylvania Democratic Black Caucus | Northampton County Democratic Committee