Brown, Policy Committee to Host Hearing on Workforce Development in the Trades

March 18, 2026

WHAT: House Republican Policy Committee Chairman David H. Rowe (R-Snyder/Union/Mifflin/Juniata), Rep. Marla Brown (R-Lawrence) and other lawmakers will host a hearing titled “Built in Pennsylvania: Workforce Development in the Trades” to examine strategies to strengthen workforce development in the skilled trades across the Commonwealth.

WHO: Testifiers will include Anna Barensfeld, vice president, strategic initiatives, ELLWOOD; Joseph Hughes, director, government relations, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades; Julie Michael Smith, coalition manager, Lawrence Mercer Manufacturers Coalition; Brendan Hathaway, junior/senior high school principal, Wilmington Area School District; Dr. Joe McCormick, superintendent, Shenango School District; and Leonard Rich, superintendent, Laurel School District, and director, Lawrence County Career and Technical Center.

WHEN: Thursday, March 19, at 1 p.m.

WHERE: Crane Room 3009 Wilmington Road, New Castle, PA 16105