Oct 27, 2019 3 min read

State Sen. Camera Bartolotta said during her tenure on the state’s Commission for Women, she will fight to bring attention to incarceration and human trafficking issues.

The Carroll Township Republican, who represents all of Greene County and portions of Washington and Beaver counties, said she’s already discussed the barriers women face once they are released from prison with the state’s first lady, Frances Wolf.

“I’m very interested in that topic,” said Bartolotta. “I also shared my passion on the human trafficking issue with women who are being released from incarceration. We’ve got to address that issue. We need to be educating women prior to being released to make sure they have the resources they need, so they don’t fall prey to human traffickers.”

Gov. Tom Wolf made appointments to the volunteer commission earlier this month. Its members advise him on polices and legislation that impacts women and girls in Pennsylvania.

“It was such an honor to find out I’d been appointed to that commission,” said Bartolotta. “It’s amazing to be in the room with that many women with outstanding credentials working on a mission to improve the lives of women throughout the community.”

She joined the other eight new appointees, including state Sen. Pam Iovino, D-Mt. Lebanon, and 25 returning commissioners, and was recently sworn in by Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar at the governor’s residence.

Bartolotta chairs the Labor & Industry committee in the state Senate and is co-chair of the Criminal Justice Reform Caucus. She said Frances Wolf shared some alarming statistics on the number of incarcerated women with mental health or addiction issues.

“We need to invest more in mental health services for women, children and families. If we did, I know absolutely that we would reduce our incarceration rate. It’s been done in other states and we need to learn from their examples,” said Bartolotta.

The senator said she is also passionate about workforce development and finding a solution to the “economic cliff” that many mothers – especially single mothers – face. She said many want to improve their economic situation by going to school and getting a degree, but can’t because they may lose assistance for the services they rely on for their children and family.

“This is locking them into a dependency situation. We need to be offering them a safety net to allow them to climb that ladder and move forward,” Bartolotta said.

Gov. Wolf said the commission is a valuable tool to help the state’s women.

“We owe it to our families and communities to remove barriers that women too often face at school, work and home,” he said in a release. “The Commission for Women serves as a powerful voice and has worked tirelessly over the last four year to represent the best interests of Pennsylvania’s women and girls. With the addition of these nine new members who are just as passionate and dedicated, we will work together to ensure women are treated equally and that their rights are protected.”

In addition to advising the governor on policies and legislation, the commission also supports economic and civic opportunities for women, encourages mentoring programs for girls and young women, identifies programs and opportunities for the benefit and advancement of women and serves as a resource center.