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| Legislative Report |
| The latest news from the State Capitol |
Fill A Glass With Hope During PA Dairy Month
June is Pennsylvania Dairy Month!
It’s always great day when you can have a Farm Show milkshake at the state Capitol courtesy of the PA Dairymen’s Association.
Pennsylvania’s dairymen are great partners helping to get fresh milk to PA families in need!
On Tuesday, I joined with many other of my legislative colleagues to help “fill a glass with hope” in the fight against hunger.
For more information, visit www.feedingpa.org/milk.
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Follow PA Ice Cream Trails!
To help Pennsylvanians find the best of the best and support local farms, the state departments of Agriculture and Community and Economic Development have unveiled an expanded Pennsylvania Ice Cream Trail program for 2019.
The program includes a passport that visitors can have stamped at each of 32 stops along the three trails in eastern, southcentral and western Pennsylvania. More information about creameries on the trail, including a downloadable passport and prize information, can be found at www.visitPA.com/scoops.
The trails officially opened June 1 in conjunction with the start of PA Dairy Month. The Commonwealth is ranked sixth in total milk production nationally, with 525,000 cows producing more than 10.8 billion pounds of milk each year.
We have the second largest number of dairy farms in the country, second only to Wisconsin. The average herd size is around 80 cows, and 99 percent of all dairy farms in Pennsylvania are family owned.
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Continuing to Support PA Military, Veterans
In recognition of the service and sacrifice of active duty military and veterans in the Commonwealth, I am always working together with my colleagues to enact policies that help and support these courageous men and women and their families.
This week, the House approved House Bill 630 to extend Pennsylvania’s current employment protections to Pennsylvania citizens who are members of another state’s National Guard and are called up to serve outside of the Commonwealth.
We also voted to approve House Bill 1050 to ensure an in-state tuition rate for military families as soon as a student enrolls in a public college or university, regardless of whether his or her military parent is reassigned out of the state.
Both bills are now pending consideration in the Senate.
For more information about state services and support for our military and veterans, visit the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs website at www.dmva.pa.gov.
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Committees Examine Impacts of Medical Marijuana on Gun Rights
Earlier this week, members of both the House Health and Judiciary committees held a joint public hearing focusing on medical marijuana use and Second Amendment rights.
While medical marijuana use is legal under state law, it remains a violation of federal law. Federal law also prohibits anyone who is an “unlawful user” or addicted to any controlled substance from buying or owning a firearm.
Committee members heard from law enforcement officials and representatives of gun rights organizations.
Key points of the discussion included the need to better inform medical marijuana users about the impact on their Second Amendment rights and how HIPAA laws protect patients from disclosing their use of medical cannabis.
Law enforcement officials also talked about other enforcement-related issues, such as how to administer field sobriety tests on a driver suspected of using cannabis.
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| Office Locations |
| Belle Vernon, 10 Main St. Belle Vernon, Pa 15012 (724) 929-2660 / California, 130 Woodland Court, Brownsville, Pa 15417 (724) 938-5355 |
| B-15 Main Capitol, PO Box 202049, Harrisburg PA 17120-2049 | (717) 783-8655 / 3-8655 |
| Email Address: BCook@pahousegop.com |
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