{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://rothfus.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/tribune-democrat-rothfus-hosts-session-drugs-poverty-other-local-issues", "Tribune-Democrat: Rothfus hosts session on drugs, poverty, other local issues", "2016-10-26", "2016", "2016-10", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Keith Rothfus", "R000598", "rothfus.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Lack of educational opportunities, limited access to public transportation, drug addiction issues and day-to-day financial struggles all can negatively affect a person\u2019s ability to achieve upward mobility.\n\t\t\t\t\tMany local organizations are trying to help address those issues.\n\t\t\t\t\tOn Tuesday, representatives from some of them, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People\u2019s Johnstown branch and PA CareerLink, came together for a round table discussion hosted by U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus, R-Sewickley, at Greater Johnstown High School.\n\t\t\t\t\tThe congressman received input from community leaders about ways groups are working together to improve the lives of citizens.\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cYou look what our country was founded on \u2013 the principles on which our country was founded on \u2013 you\u2019re supposed to be able to pursue your dreams here,\u201d Rothfus said.\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cAnd yet we find many people unable to pursue their dreams for whatever circumstance. And you see people become marginalized and sidelined, and you see what a tremendous loss that is to our society.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t\tRothfus talked about the role society plays in the development of individuals.\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cThe culture is the background of respect and dignity and worth,\u201d he said.\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cThere is a transcendent \u2013 or there should be a transcendent \u2013 element to culture because we all have to give an accounting for our time.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t\tHe discussed upward mobility in context of House Republicans\u2019 Better Way agenda that has steps designed to address poverty, national security, bailouts, executive branch power, tax codes and the Affordable Care Act.\n\t\t\t\t\tThe upward mobility plank deals with evaluating programs and seeing how they can be \u201crefashioned or retooled to really address the issue of poverty in our country,\u201d according to the 12th district\u2019s representative.\n\t\t\t\t\tParticipants provided information about a variety of subjects from Greater Johnstown School District\u2019s dual enrollment program to Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley\u2019s new Helms Academy for adult students, along with the spirit of cooperation between different organizations in the region.\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cThe future looks bright,\u201d said Michael Vuckovich, the school district\u2019s director of education.\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cI really believe that. Everyone is pulling together.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t\tEven with those positives, the specter of the area\u2019s opioid epidemic haunted part of the conversation.\n\t\t\t\t\tCambria County ranked third in two recent reports on overdose deaths per capita among Pennsylvania counties. Local law enforcement agencies find themselves battling violent crime \u2013 from robbery to murder \u2013 associated with drugs. About half of local job applicants cannot pass a drug or criminal background check, according to Johnstown Area Regional Industries.\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cYou can build beautiful schools,\u201d said Ronna Yablonski, executive director of the new Cambria County Drug Coalition. \u201cYou can build beautiful buildings. You can have the greatest hospital facilities. You can have the latest technology. You can have all these training opportunities.\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cBut if they can\u2019t pass a drug screening, it doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://rothfus.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/tribune-democrat-rothfus-hosts-session-drugs-poverty-other-local-issues"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.185229979455471, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}