Beaver County News

Rep. Andrew Kuzma of the 39th Legislative District hosted a hearing on inflation's impact on communities, small businesses, and households in Pennsylvania. The event was part of the House Policy Committee's efforts to address rising costs affecting various sectors across the Commonwealth.

The hearing, titled “Relief is Possible: Combatting the Crisis of Cost,” included testimonies from Doug Pascoe of South East Regional EMS, Norm Candelore from Sarris Candies, Patrick Haver, a local constituent, and Kurt Couchman from Americans for Prosperity. These speakers highlighted how inflation has affected essential services like fire and emergency medical services, increased costs for small businesses due to labor shortages and supply chain issues, and made housing, energy, child care, and groceries less affordable for many families.

According to data from Pennsylvania’s Joint Economic Committee State Inflation Tracker in 2024, "the average household in Pennsylvania is paying $984 more per month to purchase the same basket of goods and services as in January 2021." Additionally, there is an increase of $140 monthly spending on food compared to January 2021.

Kuzma stated that his constituents frequently express their struggles with rising prices. He emphasized that mortgage rates have doubled home buying costs and mentioned that "a dollar is only worth 80 cents today." He expressed his commitment to working with colleagues to find legislative solutions through hearings like this one.

Rep. Josh Kail added that Pennsylvanians are hard-working individuals who should not be living under such tight budgets. He remarked on the importance of prosperity for families and the state as a whole.

The full hearing can be accessed online for those interested in viewing it.