Westmoreland Review

The Pennsylvania House Bipartisan "Meet Me in the Middle" Caucus held a news conference today to present their agenda for the current legislative term. Established in 2021 by state Rep. Stephen Kinsey (D-Philadelphia) and state Sen. Greg Rothman (R-Cumberland/Dauphin/Perry), this caucus aims to foster cooperation between Democratic and Republican members to address issues facing Pennsylvania.

In the Pennsylvania House, Democrats currently hold a one-seat majority, highlighting the importance of bipartisanship for passing legislation. The caucus is co-chaired by Kinsey along with state Reps. Jill Cooper (R-Westmoreland), Patty Kim (D-Dauphin/Cumberland), and Jamie Flick (R-Lycoming/Union). Each co-chair shared their thoughts on the potential of this caucus to reduce partisanship and advance the state's interests.

Cooper remarked on her collaboration with Kinsey, stating, "Whether it is improving education funding, enhancing public safety, supporting seniors or paving the way for businesses to grow and create new jobs, there are unifying goals on which we can all agree." She emphasized the need for progress through cooperative efforts.

Kinsey highlighted his motivation for starting the caucus due to political division affecting Pennsylvanians negatively. He said, "We don’t have to agree on everything, but working together in a bipartisan fashion and listening to the people of our Commonwealth is very important in moving Pennsylvania forward."

Kim expressed her desire to maintain open communication channels across party lines: "It’s important to keep lines of communication open so we don’t get comfortable in our respective echo chambers."

Flick noted that many districts are politically mixed and stressed the need for lawmakers to collaborate on everyday issues like rising energy costs and mental health support. He stated that forming this caucus represents progress toward greater bipartisanship.

The full news conference is available at repjillcooper.com/video/latestvideo.