The Democratic nominee in Pennsylvania's Seventh Congressional District, Bob Brooks, did not hold a workers' compensation insurance policy at his lawn care company for more than four years, records reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon show, an apparent violation of state law.
Brooks Lawn Care LLC, which Brooks founded in 2013, canceled its workers' compensation insurance on Nov. 30, 2017, and did not take out a new policy until Dec. 28, 2021, according to state records. Pennsylvania law states that workers' compensation insurance is "mandatory for all employers who have one or more employees, whether they're part-time or full-time, including family members." Businesses that don't hold a policy face a $2,500 fine and up to one year in prison for each day the employer doesn't have coverage—that can increase to $15,000 and up to seven years in prison if the employer intentionally violated the requirement.
Brooks Lawn Care appears to have employed enough people to fall under that law during at least a portion of the time in which it did not have a workers' compensation insurance policy. Brooks's son, Austin Brooks, managed "six man crews" while serving as a foreman for the company from May 2017 to August 2019, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Brooks, a longtime firefighters' union official challenging incumbent Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R.), has made his lawn care company a centerpiece of his campaign as he positions himself as a tribune of the working class. His website touts the "small family-operated snow removal and lawn care business," stating that, "Whether plowing driveways at 4 a.m. or mowing lawns after a firefighting shift, Bob has never stopped hustling to provide for his family." Profiles of the candidate in Politico and Time have zeroed in on Brooks Lawn Care as well.
The lack of workers' compensation insurance is particularly striking given Brooks's own history on the topic. Brooks, a retired firefighter, has served as president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association since 2021. In 2024, as leader of the organization, he successfully advocated for a state law to expand workers' compensation insurance to increase coverage for first responders with post-traumatic stress injury.
Brooks's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
News of Brooks's insurance snafu comes as the former firefighter attempts to flip a district Republicans took in 2024 and which President Donald Trump carried by 3 points that same year. Brooks gathered a long list of primary endorsements that included Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro (D.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.). Brooks said in May that Shapiro asked his union to back a Republican for state treasurer in 2024 because the Democrat in the race had opposed the governor as a potential running mate for former vice president Kamala Harris. Shapiro denied the claim, and Brooks later said he "misspoke and made an inaccurate comment."
Earlier this year, Brooks berated union firefighters who also work as volunteer firefighters off the clock as "scab[s]" and "shitbags" in social media posts, the Free Beacon reported last month. Several volunteer firefighters in Pennsylvania's seventh district told the Free Beacon they took issue with his comments, with one saying, "This guy is speaking poorly of good people."
