U.S. Senators John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) are not the only bipartisan bromance.
Enter Sen. Joe Picozzi (R-Philadelphia) and Rep. Amen Brown (D-Philadelphia).
Picozzi and Brown discussed their friendship and common goals to improve the City of Brotherly Love at a Philadelphia Young Republicans meeting at McGillin’s Olde Alehouse in Center City on Tuesday.
While they were supposed to expound on bipartisanship to the entire group, the room they expected to use was not available. After socializing with the crowd, they spoke with Broad + Liberty.
“This is our first interview together,” said Brown. “Joe and I hit it off very early on, as soon as he got elected [in 2024]. We’re two young elected officials who just want to serve our communities. It’s not about color, race, gender, none of that. It’s about serving the community. He reached out, and we hit it off. And I love the wonderful things that he’s doing up there in Northeast Philly.”
Picozzi jumped in.
“Here are a few things we’re doing together,” he said. “Public safety is a big one. A huge issue. We’re working together on that. For us, specifically, combating hunger is a huge issue. You’ve been the guy,” he said to Brown. “He rolls up his sleeves. He stands up for his neighborhood… Combating hunger has been a big, bipartisan issue that both of us worked together on.”
Brown agreed.
“I’ve got hungry families in my district. He has them in his district. I’ve seen the work that he’s doing up in his district combating hunger.”
“And Joe, being the chair of housing, that’s one of the number one issues in the City of Philadelphia,” said Brown. Picozzi chairs the Senate’s Urban Affairs and Housing Committee. A bill that he was a co-prime sponsor with Sen. Greg Rothman (R-Cumberland/Perry/Dauphin) for a model housing plan passed the Senate unanimously. Picozzi was also instrumental in the 20-year LEARTA (Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance) housing and development incentives language in last year’s budget, he said later.
“And quite frankly, I believe once we made this event public, there should have been more of my Democratic friends here to sit down and share conversation,” said Brown. “We did have a DSA [Democratic Socialists of America] member here.”
The camaraderie of the two legislators is not all that unusual, Brown said.
“What Joe put together tonight, this is what happens in Harrisburg,” said Brown. “The public sees all the debates and the arguments and the name-calling. That’s what the public sees. But what you don’t see is the evening time when we all come together, whether it’s a cigar, bourbon, laughter, dinner, the whole nine. It’s not just Democrats and Republicans. We all come together, and we try to find some common ground on certain issues.”
One of those is SEPTA funding and also safety for SEPTA workers.
Brown called Picozzi “the number one champion for SEPTA.”
Picozzi interjected, “Especially on this side of the aisle.”
“He’s fighting for SEPTA more than any other Republican that I’ve seen myself, and I appreciate that because a large percentage of my constituents depend on SEPTA,” Brown continued.
Brown said his party needs allies to accomplish things.
“And us Democrats, even though we’re the majority in the City of Philadelphia, we cannot do it alone, and we need to address them in a bipartisan way,” said Brown.
Another thing they two agree on is education.
“I’m a strong school choice supporter,” Brown said. “My children attend private school…and the reason is because the public school system wasn’t working too well for my children [who are 11 and 12]. They’re in a much better situation. They’re in private school, and my children are thriving. That’s what I want for all of my children in our commonwealth. It shouldn’t just be great for me and not for thee.”
Picozzi wants people to know about his vision of bipartisanship during a time when the country is increasingly polarized.
“Part of the vision for this, in Harrisburg at the end of the day, we actually get along,” said Picozzi. “There’s all this nonsense, performative politics. I figure if this Republic is going to go another 250 years, we have to get away from it. We have to make politics chill. Normal. Fun. Something that’s inviting…We need a lot more of this. If we want politics to be something that excites people, that drives people, that builds for the future, then this is what we need.”
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Women have fought hard for equal rights, equal pay and equal treatment. Now, under the Shapiro administration, the proposed new state Health Department regulations would pencil them out.
If adopted, the 500-page document includes such changes as “pregnant woman” to “pregnant individual,” or “mother of a newborn” to “postpartum individual.”
“The Shapiro administration’s effort to replace words like ‘mother’ and ‘pregnant woman’ in Pennsylvania’s health regulations is more than a change in terminology. Government language shapes government policy, and these changes embed a contested ideology about biological sex into the law itself,” said Randall Wenger, Chief Counsel, Independence Law Center. “Pennsylvania should not be using its regulatory power to erase the plain biological reality that only women can become pregnant and that mothers are women. Legislators and citizens alike should be asking why ideological language is being written into regulations governing public health.”
Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the Republican challenging Josh Shapiro for the governorship in November, blasted him.
“For someone who preaches that we should follow the science, Josh Shapiro clearly skipped Biology 101,” said Garrity. “This is just another embarrassing example of Josh Shapiro bowing to the radical wing of his Party, abandoning all commonsense, all in the name of advancing his political ambitions. But Josh Shapiro’s latest attempts to defy reality should surprise absolutely no one. Josh Shapiro has called anyone who believes biological boys should not play girls’ sports ‘extremists,’ so in his eyes 80% of Pennsylvanians are extreme. We’re not extreme. We simply accept reality, and Josh Shapiro is going to get a dose of reality this November when Pennsylvania voters reject his woke agenda.”
“Regulatory review is an extensive process and nearly 200 regulatory packages across state agencies are currently undergoing updates,” said Rosie Lapowsky, a spokeswoman for the governor. “These draft Department of Health regulations are currently in the public feedback stage of that process, which includes input from stakeholders, independent regulatory review, and the Legislature. Once public comment concludes later this month, the governor will weigh in, and the regulations will be revised accordingly.”
Lapowsky noted that there can be serious disease outbreaks like the current measles situation with 540 cases reported. The state has 13.1 million residents.
“The governor’s philosophy, which will guide the final regulations, is that public health depends on trust, and building that trust means respecting individual rights, involving parents in decisions that affect their children, and ensuring government works closely with the people it serves,” she said.
Pennsylvanians can submit comments on the proposed regulations via email to the Pennsylvania Department of Health at [email protected].”
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Montgomery County transported its 9/11 memorial on Tuesday in a police-escorted procession from the emergency operations center in Eagleville to Elmwood Park in Norristown. It had been moved to Eagleville because of construction at the courthouse.
“As we approach the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, we remember and honor the victims, first responders, and families whose lives were irrevocably changed,” said Jamila H. Winder, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “Relocating this memorial to a centrally located part of Elmwood Park allows residents of all ages to more easily visit and reflect on this pivotal moment in history. “
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners commissioned the memorial in 2003. Sculptor Sassona Norton used an I-beam from the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of an 18-foot monument honoring victims and first responders of the 9/11 attacks.
A re-dedication ceremony for Montgomery County’s 9/11 Memorial will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 11, 2026, in Elmwood Park, located at 1325 Harding Blvd, Norristown, PA 19401.