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| Legislative Report |
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The latest news from the State Capitol |
| Watch This Week’s Episode of the Mon Valley Moment! |
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This week's Mon Valley Moment is all about the Port Authority Senior ConnectCard!
Registration is now available for the ConnectCard at my district offices.
Residents can stop by my satellite office at the Center in the Woods, located at 130 Woodland Court in Brownsville every Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ConnectCard registration will also be available Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at my district office in Belle Vernon, located at 10 Main St.
The Senior Citizen ConnectCard permits adults age 65 or older to ride for free on Port Authority vehicles, including buses, light rail and inclines, during all hours of operation. The ConnectCard is also accepted by other statewide transit agencies.
The new plastic ConnectCard is personalized with the holder’s name and photo to protect against fraud and to help sustain the free ride program. Registration for the ConnectCard is also free. The card will expire four years from the date of the applicant’s next birthday but can be renewed.
If residents wish to register for the card, they will need to bring valid proof-of-age documentation with them to my district office. My offices can accept a photo driver’s license, PA ID card, passport, PACE ID card, armed forces discharge/separation papers or a birth certificate.
For more information or questions, residents are encouraged to call my district office at 724-929-2660.
Find out more by watching the Mon Valley Moment here:
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| Happy 100th Birthday, Agnes! |
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I recently had the great opportunity to celebrate a very special occasion with Agnes “Aunt” Popovich and her family. Agnes is celebrating her 100th birthday! I presented her with an official PA House of Representatives citation. It was an honor to be invited to celebrate her on her special day.
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| Mark Your Calendars for My Upcoming Events! |
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Concealed Carry Seminar at the Monongahela Fire Department
Thursday, March 12
6-9 p.m.
451 W. Main St., Monongahela
Featuring speaker Kim Stolfer, president of Firearms Owners Against Crime
Concealed Carry Seminar at the Smock Fire Hall
Thursday, April 2
6-9 p.m.
124 Shaffer Ave., Smock
Featuring Reps. Ryan Warner and Matt Dowling and president of Firearms Owners Against Crime Kim Stolfer! After-hours registration/renewal will be available.
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| Budget Hearings Focus on Spending, Mismanagement |
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Citing concerns with overspending and mismanagement in the current year’s budget, members of the House Appropriations Committee kicked off this year’s budget hearings by grilling administration officials about their actual funding needs for the upcoming 2020-21 fiscal year.
Earlier this month, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed a $36 billion budget, which represents a spending increase of more than $2 billion over the current year’s enacted budget. Nearly $1 billion of that increase is the result of the administration’s overspending in this year’s budget. The committee met with officials from the departments of Revenue, Aging, State, Military and Veterans Affairs, Corrections, and Labor and Industry.
Several major state agencies are on next week’s agenda, beginning with the Department of Environmental Protection at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 24. Other state agencies scheduled to appear include the departments of Conservation and Natural Resources, Transportation, Agriculture, Health, and Community and Economic Development. For a full schedule of these and other remaining hearings, or to watch live streams or archived video of the hearings, click here.
Additional information about the 2020-21 state budget proposal may be found here.
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| HealthierPA Initiatives Signed into Law |
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Two measures advanced by the House earlier this year as part of our HealthierPA Initiative are now law.
Act 6 of 2020 will help improve cancer treatment options for patients with Stage IV metastatic cancer by requiring insurance companies to cover the medication and treatments prescribed by the patient’s doctor, regardless of what their insurance plan typically covers.
The law recognizes time is of the essence for patients fighting cancer. They should not have to get sicker and sicker before being allowed to try something their doctor is recommending that could extend the length and quality of their lives.
Act 7 of 2020 will help protect infants who receive donated breast milk through milk banks. Banked donor milk is used in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and by outpatients with medical issues. When a mother’s own milk is unavailable in the NICU, the use of banked donor milk has been shown to decrease mortality rates and the incidence of serious complications.
The new law will require the state Department of Health to regulate milk banks, which are entities that gather, process and distribute mothers’ milk for medically fragile newborns. Milk banks would be required to medically screen donors and to contact the health care provider of the donor’s baby to verify adequate growth. The donor milk must be processed to inactivate pathogens (pasteurized), and post-processing bacterial cultures must be performed. The law does not regulate breast milk donors or affect informal milk sharing that may occur.
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| Committee Discusses Bill to Better Coordinate Fire, EMS Services |
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Continuing the commitment to supporting the state’s fire and emergency services system, the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee held a public hearing this week on a proposal to create a Pennsylvania State Fire Commission to better coordinate resources and services.
The bill is based on a recommendation offered by the Senate Resolution 6 Commission to ensure fire and EMS coverage, which is provided by volunteers in the majority of the state’s communities, remains available across the state.
Testifiers at the hearing included Bruce Trego, state fire commissioner; Dylan Ferguson of the Department of Health’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Services; David Chiaramonte and Adam Perreault of the PA Professional Firefighters Association; Charles McGarvey Sr. and Jay Delaney of the PA Career Fire Chiefs Association; and Steve Bair of the PA Fire and Emergency Services Institute.
Last fall, as part of our “Helpers and Heroes” initiative, the House passed a series of bills designed to improve recruitment and retention of volunteers for fire and ambulance companies, boost access to training and increase funding options. Most of the measures are now awaiting action in the Senate. Late last year, Act 106 was signed into law, making online training more readily available to current and prospective first responders.
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| Deadline Nears for 2020 PA House Scholarship Applications |
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High school seniors interested in receiving financial assistance to help pay for college have until Sunday, March 1, to apply for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Scholarship.
Each year the program awards a four-year scholarship to two students preparing for post-secondary education. It is open to graduating high school seniors who are Pennsylvania residents with plans to attend a Pennsylvania college, university or career school as a full-time student.
To qualify, students must have attained a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average in high school. Other factors taken into consideration for the awards are a student’s commitment to community, leadership qualities, extracurricular activities and financial need.
The scholarship program is administered through the Foundation for Enhancing Communities. The application is available through the foundation’s web site here. The scholarship is privately funded by individual and corporate donors; no tax or other public funds are used.
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| PLCB Offers Grants to Help Cut Underage, Dangerous Drinking |
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The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) is now accepting applications for grants to fund programs that discourage and reduce underage and dangerous drinking and promote a message of responsible alcohol consumption by those of legal drinking age.
Eligible grant applicants include Pennsylvania school districts and institutions of higher education (including technical, trade and post-secondary establishments), community organizations, municipal police departments, municipal officials/representatives, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
The grant cycle is for two years, from July 2020 through June 2022. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis with a maximum award of $20,000 per year and cumulative award of no more than $40,000 per two-year grant cycle, per eligible applicant. Applications will be evaluated by the PLCB’s Bureau of Alcohol Education, with awards made subject to availability of funds.
The deadline to apply for grants is noon Friday, March 20. The grant application link and guidelines for submission are available on the grants page of the PLCB website.
The PLCB has awarded nearly $15 million in alcohol education grants since inception of the grants program in 1999.
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| Sign Up to Continue Receiving My Email Updates |
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If you would like to continue receiving my legislative updates throughout the 60-day blackout period that limits what I can send you before an election, click here and simply enter your email. This will guarantee that you keep receiving my updates. Please know that your information will not be shared with any third party.
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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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