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Meet Lois

Hi! I'm Lois Bower-Bjornson, a wife and mother of four from Fredericktown, PA. I currently serve as a Southwestern Pennsylvania Field Organizer with the Clean Air Council and operate two microbusinesses.

Lois for PA 50

Lois Bower-Bjornson is from Fredericktown, Pennsylvania. She is a wife and mother of four.

Lois Bower-Bjornson currently works as a Southwestern Pennsylvania field organizer with the Clean Air Council and operates two microbusinesses.

Lois' run for State Representative in State Assembly District 50 is her first run for office.

2026 Pennsylvania General Election 

There have been a number of legislative proposals that would increase revenue for the state, including marijuana legalization, a tax on digital advertisements, and the legalization/taxation of “skill games.” Which, if any, of these do you favor, and why?
I support all three listed proposals. Skill games are everywhere, and this is revenue that could be used in our state. I know people have mixed feelings about marijuana. I'm a parent, but I also know the benefits of marijuana for people that have certain illnesses and cancer treatments. That is another huge revenue stream for our communities. Something that’s not on your list is finally taxing the quote-unquote nonprofit companies like UPMC that would generate millions of dollars for us.

Pa. State House 50th District election: Bower-Bjornson v. Humble | 90.5 WESA

What are your thoughts on the state budget process? What changes, if any, would you support so that the budget is enacted in a timely manner?
I believe that we should continue operating under the previous budget until the current budget is passed. Other states have adopted this method. There should be no shut down.

Voter Guide for Pennsylvania State Representative District 50

I will work to protect communities from unwanted data centers, along with making sure that people have a say in what is happening to their communities.
Transportation: I would like to combine already existing bus lines. A transportation study will need to be conducted, to determine the need and cost for rail transit to establish routes and infrastructure.
Public transportation plays a role in affordable housing. People can choose to live in the 50th, with reliable public transit.

Economic Growth and Good Jobs

I will fight to support existing energy jobs while attracting new clean energy industries and support new and existing small businesses so people can find good-paying jobs without leaving the community they grew up in. That means investing in infrastructure, supporting local entrepreneurs, and expanding workforce training programs tied to the skilled trades, manufacturing, energy, and emerging technologies.

PLATFORM

Supporting Workers and Retirees

Working families built this district. I will stand with organized labor, protect pensions, and ensure workers have safe conditions and fair wages. Our retirees deserve stability and respect after a lifetime of work.

Supports legalizing and taxing marijuana and skill games, taxing digital advertisements, and taxing nonprofit companies such as UPMC.

Supports continuing the prior state budget until a new budget passes to prevent a government shutdown.

Proposes consolidating existing bus routes and studying the need for and cost of rail transit routes and infrastructure.

Plans to support energy jobs, clean-energy industries, small businesses, infrastructure investment, and workforce training for skilled trades, manufacturing, energy, and emerging technologies.

Pledges to support organized labor, protect pensions, and seek safe working conditions and fair wages.

- Supports legalizing and taxing marijuana and skill games, taxing digital advertisements, and taxing nonprofit companies such as UPMC.
- Supports continuing the prior state budget until a new budget passes to prevent a government shutdown.
- Proposes consolidating existing bus routes and studying the need for and cost of rail transit routes and infrastructure.
- Plans to support energy jobs, clean-energy industries, small businesses, infrastructure investment, and workforce training for skilled trades, manufacturing, energy, and emerging technologies.
- Pledges to support organized labor, protect pensions, and seek safe working conditions and fair wages.

Economy

Affordable Healthcare

Healthcare costs are one of the biggest burdens facing families. I will work to protect rural hospitals, lower prescription drug prices, and expand access to mental health services so everyone in our district can get the care they need.

Supports marijuana legalization, citing potential benefits for people with certain illnesses and cancer treatments.

Plans to protect rural hospitals, lower prescription drug prices, and expand access to mental health services.

- Supports marijuana legalization, citing potential benefits for people with certain illnesses and cancer treatments.
- Plans to protect rural hospitals, lower prescription drug prices, and expand access to mental health services.

Healthcare

Supporters of private schools have urged the state to expand a tax break that allows businesses to deduct contributions they make to those schools. Critics say private schools should provide more details about tuition costs and the family income of students that benefit from such support. Where do you fall on these questions, and on how the state should fund grade-school education generally?
My kids have been in public, private, charter, and brick-and-mortar charter schools. It’s about what children need to learn, because every child is not the same. But spending should also be very transparent. Funding should be increased, but it should be increased for all schools across the board. And rather than demonizing other types of schools, whether it's a public, charter or private, these schools should learn from one another and work together.

Strong Public Schools

Every child deserves access to a well-funded public education. I support fair school funding, competitive pay for teachers, and expanded career and technical education programs that prepare students for college, the trades, or local industries.

Supports increasing and transparently reporting school funding across public, charter, and private schools.

Supports fair school funding, competitive teacher pay, and expanded career and technical education for college, the trades, and local industries.

- Supports increasing and transparently reporting school funding across public, charter, and private schools.
- Supports fair school funding, competitive teacher pay, and expanded career and technical education for college, the trades, and local industries.

Education

I've focused on environmental issues for a decade now. If someone wants to work together on a bill that's going to help people, how can we get it done, or at least part of the way there? But we have to talk to each other. Data center regulation is bipartisan too. If Democrats win a trifecta, I’d want natural gas companies to pay more in Act 13 impact fees to communities. I’d also want to pass the wastewater loophole bill.
It requires companies to test at well sites, and if the result is high in radiation, it would have to be taken to an appropriate dump, not the municipal dumps.

What do you see as the most pressing issues facing residents of your district, and how would you address them?
I will work to protect communities from unwanted data centers, along with making sure that people have a say in what is happening to their communities.
Transportation: I would like to combine already existing bus lines. A transportation study will need to be conducted, to determine the need and cost for rail transit to establish routes and infrastructure.

The growth of data centers has attracted controversy across the state, yet lawmakers have so far struggled to devise legislation to address it. Are there legislative measures you support to address data center concerns, such as local or statewide construction moratoriums or efforts to require more transparency/limit resource use by the centers?
I would love to see a one-year moratorium, because then you can have public hearings, you can have actual input from the community and the people that are going to live there. Upper Burrell, Westmoreland County, had a moratorium put in place so that they could get a hold of the data centers for a couple months. Our feedstock for data centers is going to be more fracking in the area, and we already know the health impacts from fracking.
Everyone needs to slow down a little bit and let communities be involved, not just the council members and representatives.

People can choose to live in the 50th, with reliable public transit.
Pennsylvania is an energy producing state. We should be producing all forms of energy. These jobs are family and community sustaining.
Public transportation, affordable housing along with clean jobs and protecting communities will rebuild the 50th.

It is past time that elected officials take these health impacts people who live near fracking are experiencing much more seriously. We need action now. We need strong, common sense protective buffers to better protect residents from the impacts of this infrastructure.

To be clear, this bill is not about stopping fracking in Pennsylvania altogether - it is about being much smarter about where fracking should occur in a way that limits harms to our residents.

2023_0416_0005_TSTMNY.pdf

Wants higher Act 13 impact fees for communities and wastewater testing at well sites, with radioactive wastewater sent to appropriate disposal sites.

Supports a one-year data-center construction moratorium to allow public hearings and community input.

Supports producing all forms of energy in Pennsylvania, citing the importance of energy jobs to families and communities.

Calls for stronger protective buffers between fracking infrastructure and residents to limit health impacts.

- Wants higher Act 13 impact fees for communities and wastewater testing at well sites, with radioactive wastewater sent to appropriate disposal sites.
- Supports a one-year data-center construction moratorium to allow public hearings and community input.
- Supports producing all forms of energy in Pennsylvania, citing the importance of energy jobs to families and communities.
- Calls for stronger protective buffers between fracking infrastructure and residents to limit health impacts.

Energy & the Environment

As of October 16, 2026, Lois Bower-Bjornson’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Public Safety

What changes, if any, would you support to enable better access, ensure security, and support the processes of our elections?
I would continue with poll watchers, mail in ballots along with recommending that everyone get involved with the election process, to see the security of the election process and the training required to be a poll worker.

Supports retaining poll watchers and mail-in ballots and encourages public participation in the election process.

- Supports retaining poll watchers and mail-in ballots and encourages public participation in the election process.

Voting & Elections

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Lois Bower-Bjornson

- Plans to support energy jobs, clean-energy industries, small businesses, infrastructure investment, and workforce training for skilled trades, manufacturing, energy, and emerging technologies.
- Pledges to support organized labor, protect pensions, and seek safe working conditions and fair wages.

- Plans to protect rural hospitals, lower prescription drug prices, and expand access to mental health services.

- Supports fair school funding, competitive teacher pay, and expanded career and technical education for college, the trades, and local industries.

Edward Krutsch

Buket Urgen

Ben Humble

- Your state representative represents the interests of your local district in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives. The State House of Representatives, along with the State Senate, makes up your state lawmaking body: the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
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- State representatives and their staff respond to constituent concerns and questions through emails, phone calls, and website announcements. 
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- They are elected to two-year terms and have a salary of $106,000, with a 1-3% annual increase

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