Issues
Family Values
Families are the bedrock of our community. Rob Mercuri is a strong voice for family values in Harrisburg. A proud pro-life and pro-family leader, he will continue to defend the sanctity of life compassionately through all its phases and always keep the needs of families in mind when crafting policy.
“Life is sacred and the way we care for the most vulnerable among us is a reflection of our society’s compassion and strength. That’s why I’m proud to stand with women, families and the unborn as a pro-life member of the State House. I hope you’ll stand with me.” ~Rob Mercuri
Economic Development and Small Business
Small business forms the lifeblood of many local communities. As a small business owner right here in Wexford, Rob understands what helps them grow: lower tax rates, less regulation, and reduced barriers to entry. With the goal of growing the area's economy in a fiscally responsible manner and enacting pro-small business policies, Rob established the Wexford Business Roundtable. It is Rob’s intention that this group will supply expertise and guidance to increase local jobs, reduce bureaucratic hurdles, better manage state resources, and boost the district's economic recovery.
Additionally, Rob recently introduced House Bill 1588, which allows for continued remote mortgage origination. This “Remote Mortgage Banking Bill” eliminates the restriction of mortgage operations outside of 100 miles from the physical branch location. This bill's passage modernizes and opens up the home lending market to remote work across the state. It also enhances the working environment for mortgage brokers and consumers borrowing to fund their homes. This makes Pennsylvania a more competitive place to do business along with improving the home buying process across the Commonwealth.
Fiscal Responsibility
Families across our district know how to balance their checkbooks and live responsibly within their means. Government should follow this example and set budget priorities responsibly within revenues. No one has fought harder for fiscal responsibility than Republican legislators. Rob continues the PA Republican legacy of fiscal restraint in Harrisburg. He knows the hardworking taxpayers of the 28th district deserve to have their money spent responsibly and reasonably. With these principles in mind, Rob stood up for taxpayers by voting in favor of a fiscally responsible state budget. This vote came with the goal of creating a budget that specified a plan for responsible spending to accommodate the diverse needs of citizens while supporting maximum employment and economic growth. Additionally, guided by the lessons learned from these past 2 years, Rob, as part of the general assembly, saved 2.5 billion in the state's Rainy Day Fund. This accomplishes the goals of responsible fiscal spending as well as investing in the Commonwealth's future.
As a West Point trained economist, MBA, and small businessman, Rob understands the importance of controlling spending and keeping taxes low. As State Representative, Rob has fought for lower taxes, less spending to create more family-sustaining jobs, and a climate of growth for businesses.
Crisis Leadership
Having served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, and as a financial services expert who helped the economy rebound from the 2008 financial crisis, Rob is a proven leader who our country can count on. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a lack of transparency and leadership from our state government, Rob knows that Pennsylvania deserves better than that. In Harrisburg, Rob has and will continue to focus on legislation that will help Pennsylvania recover, restore, and rebuild its economy and social institutions. Principled leadership on this front will guide policy and the necessary steps needed to bring our powerful economy back to life and keep workers employed.
Tough times have never broken western Pennsylvanians, they have made us who we are for generations. With the right leadership, we can come back stronger than ever from these challenging times.
Government Reform
In the State House, Rob will work to improve openness and transparency of government. He’ll push to privatize the state liquor monopoly. Rob knows that in order to be effective, government must be accountable to citizens. Pennsylvanians shouldn’t settle for less and legislators should not let partisanship get in the way of their duty to citizens.
Education
The 28th District is blessed with some of the best schools in Pennsylvania. Rob is the father of three children who attend our public schools here in the district. Rob is committed to keeping our schools world class — all while holding the line on taxes.
He’ll fight for funding and to expand educational opportunities for Pennsylvania’s students at every stage of their education. Whether they are in early childhood, preparing for a career in STEM or the arts, or receiving training in the trades, every Pennsylvanian should have the ability to receive a quality education that puts the needs of student first.
Health Care
Pennsylvanians are often faced with complexities regarding their healthcare that only get worse with more mandates from Harrisburg. Rob will work to reduce costs and increase access through innovative reforms like tele-medicine and promoting preventive care. This approach ought to focus on overall health by considering all aspects of one’s well-being — such as mental health, dental care and physical fitness — as key components. Additionally, Rob will fight for greater transparency and continued support for programs that make healthcare more affordable and available for the most vulnerable. It is time that the people of Pennsylvanian get the healthcare they deserve by putting them in the driver’s seat.
Public Safety
Public safety encourages people to put down roots to raise their families and helps the growth of small businesses. As a legislator, Rob will work to develop programs to keep our communities safe that follow a few holistic principles. Of course, it is vital to ensure police departments, fire fighters and all first responders are supported and have access to the tools they need.
Schools, churches and public places must likewise have the proper resources to keep themselves safe and free from violence. Every person also ought to be encouraged to work towards greater public safety in their homes, places of employment and social lives. Through education on the difference each of us can make, we can all help create a safer and more prosperous commonwealth.
Energy
Rob will work hard to ensure that Pennsylvania residents and businesses continue to benefit from our abundant natural resources in a way that responsibly embraces technological development and sustainability.
Pennsylvania is home to the second-largest natural gas supply in the world. The responsible development and growth of the clean natural gas industry has been a benefit to Pennsylvania's economy by creating more than 100,000 new family-sustaining jobs and inexpensive electricity for Pennsylvanians. Additionally, the clean natural gas industry raises hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue and the cleaner fuel improves the environment. Western Pennsylvania has improved its air quality in the last two decades by significantly reducing the number of pollutants in our environment.
Importantly, other energy sources have high potential for job creation and responsible power generation as an important part of Pennsylvania’s diverse and growing energy portfolio. Solar, wind, nuclear and hydro-power each hold promise to power our present and our future. The encouragement of free market development of diverse energy sources will be a key component to making this sustainable energy future a reality.
Infrastructure
Pennsylvania has a vibrant and diverse economy. But despite a robust economy and the highest gas taxes in the entire country, many of our roads and bridges have fallen into disrepair. It is not that Pennsylvania needs more funding to get the job done, we need focus and prioritization of the issues at hand.
It is also important to keep in mind that infrastructure impacts our lives in many ways and goes beyond roads. It helps businesses expand and hard-working people get to work safely. In addition to roads and bridges, our approach of reviving infrastructure must include locks, dams, airports and waterways. Making our infrastructure the gold standard is one of the biggest challenges Pennsylvania faces and Rob will prioritize it in Harrisburg.
