Latest news with #NapoleonNelson
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Legislation aims to clarify workplace rules for medical marijuana use in PA
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — Pennsylvania lawmakers are taking steps to eliminate confusion over medical marijuana use in the workplace with new legislation aimed at protecting both employees and employers. In a co-sponsorship memo released this week, Rep. Napoleon Nelson and another House member announced plans to introduce a bill that would provide clearer rules for how employers handle medical marijuana under state law. The bill is a companion to Senate Bill 1290 from a previous session, which was supported by a bipartisan group of state senators. Though medical marijuana has been legal in Pennsylvania since 2016 under Act 16, it remains illegal at the federal level. That disconnect has left employers without federal guidance on how to treat workers who are certified medical marijuana patients. The proposed legislation would define key terms related to medical marijuana use and provide consistent guidelines for workplace drug testing. It would also clarify when job applicants or employees must disclose medical marijuana use, particularly for safety-sensitive positions, and how such use affects unemployment and workers' compensation eligibility. Importantly, the bill does not change the current legal protection that prevents employers from firing or refusing to hire someone solely for being a medical marijuana patient. Instead, lawmakers say the goal is to remove ambiguity and ensure fair treatment on both sides. Supporters hope the legislation will give Pennsylvania businesses and workers confidence and structure as they navigate medical marijuana policy in the workplace. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Proposed bill would allow Pennsylvania students to take mental health days
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — A representative announced plans to model new legislation after a current Utah law that allows students to take mental health days. Representative Napoleon Nelson (D-Montgomery County) called mental health a 'significant issue' among students and youth. Adding that in a 2023 report, 98,000 students have depression and over half had not received care for their mental health. 'Additionally, high school students with depression are more than two times more likely to drop out than their peers, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents,' Nelson wrote. 'Fanta's Law' aims to require Pennsylvania police firearms training courses The proposed legislation would be modeled after a current law in Utah. The bill would allow students to take excused absences to recover from mental health issues, while not creating additional personal or sick days. An additional part of the legislation would require a staff member to talk to a student who has taken two or more mental health days. In a memo to lawmakers, the additional part of the legislation would make it so that students can be connected to mental health support. 'Student mental health is just as important as physical health, and normalizing support for students with mental health issues has increased in the last several years. Teen mental health has been recognized as a crisis, and it is important for the Commonwealth to take charge in protecting the well-being of its citizens,' Nelson wrote. Nelson argues that these are the benefits of the proposed legislation: Normalizes mental health support and encourages students to take care of their mental health Provides schools with additional insight Would allow schools to connect students with essential supports rather than simply punishing them The full memo to lawmakers can be read here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
