Mon Valley Moment: You’re Invited
August 10, 2018
| Legislative Report | ||||
| The latest news from the State Capitol | ||||
| Mon Valley Moment: You’re Invited
This week’s Mon Valley Moment is my personal invitation for Charleroi Area School District residents and all other concerned citizens to join me on Thursday, Aug. 16, for our next Town Hall Meeting. Beginning at 6 p.m., this informational forum will be held in the Charleroi High School Conference Room. Comprehensive planning for the future, economic development and Local Share Account (LSA) funding are just some of the featured issues we will be discussing at this fifth in a series of town hall meetings I am proud to be hosting across the 49th District in 2018. As always, come on out and learn about what’s going on at the local level and throughout our state, ask questions, share ideas and leave with answers! Interested individuals should register for this FREE event as soon as possible by calling my Bentleyville district office at (724) 669-2242. I hope to see everyone there on Aug. 16, so be sure to tell your friends and neighbors!
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| Rainy Summer Causes Concern for West Nile
The disease, which has infected more than 150 people in the past six years, is on track to pose a higher than normal risk this year and is widespread throughout the Commonwealth, having already been found in 51 Pennsylvania counties as of Aug. 1. DEP and county partners throughout the state also conduct routine, localized spraying events to control infected adult populations of mosquitoes. These operations are conducted when and where deemed necessary based on recent population survey results, but they are not a substitute for preventive measures like eliminating standing, stagnant water. As part of the state budget, a $140,000 increase was added to the mosquito surveillance program. Symptoms of West Nile virus in humans are typically like those of a mild flu, but the virus can lead to a more serious condition that includes swelling of the brain, muscle convulsions, coma, paralysis and death. Since DEP first began monitoring for the virus in 2000, 33 fatal cases have been reported in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania residents are urged to take commonsense precautions to protect themselves from mosquitoes. By eliminating places for mosquitoes to lay eggs, using insect repellant and other protective measures, and targeted use of pesticides, we can all make sure Pennsylvanians are protected. For more information about West Nile virus, click here. |
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| Protecting Our Communities Cook Supported State Budget Invests in Community Protection
It includes funding to train three new state police cadet classes, which will add another 285 troopers to the statewide complement. In a win for rural areas, the budget also prevented a $25 per capita fee from being charged to local communities to pay for state police protection. The budget also gives a boost to ambulance companies, which would see a needed increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates for an additional $4 million in state funds and nearly $8 million in federal matching funds, beginning Jan. 1. Specifically, reimbursements for Advanced Life Support (ALS) services will be increased from $200 to not less than $300, and Basic Life Support (BLS) services will be increased from $120 to $180. Current rates are more than 200 percent below reimbursements provided by Medicare and commercial insurance. Reimbursements will also be raised for air ambulance services. New Law to Maximize Law Enforcement Resources
Act 57 of 2018 (formerly House Bill 1738) expands the types of officers who can act outside their jurisdictional boundaries in certain urgent situations. This will help facilitate more cooperation among different types of police departments and agencies, ultimately improving public safety for everyone. Under previous law, municipal police officers have been authorized to act beyond their jurisdictional boundaries under the following conditions: where an officer is in hot pursuit of a traffic violator or criminal suspect, when requested to lend assistance to another department, when executing a court order or if an officer witnesses a crime being committed while in another jurisdiction on official business. However, the law only applies to those police officers employed by a municipality. As part of the new law, the types of officers authorized to operate outside their jurisdiction would be expanded to include non-municipal officers who must receive training and be certified under Act 120, the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Act. This may include officers serving with airport authority, college and university or certain other police departments, as well as agents in the Office of Attorney General. Sex Offenders Now Prohibited from ARD
The ARD program is designed to give a first-time offender a second chance by avoiding the consequences of being convicted of a crime. Under the ARD program, if a defendant successfully completes a period of supervision and follows the requirements imposed by the court, the case is dismissed. Though most Pennsylvania prosecutors judiciously reserve ARD for those who are truly deserving, the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure currently have allowed prosecutors complete discretion to recommend any defendant for placement into the program regardless of the crime. Act 50 of 2018 will help ensure that predators who sexually assault children will never avoid prosecution. New Law to Better Protect Care-Dependent Individuals
This addition to the Crimes Code includes neglect to provide care which causes a serious injury or death. This stems from a Bucks County case in which an elderly man was neglected so badly by four family caregivers his starvation led to septic shock. The new law also adds abuse of a care-dependent person as a punishable offense – with the former law focusing only on neglect investigations – and expands the definition of a caretaker to include family members who should be held responsible. This law was necessary because some care-dependent people, who are among the most vulnerable groups of people in the state, were left without direct protections from the abuse and neglect by their caretakers. The law allows the departments of Aging, Health and Human Services to report suspected abuse or neglect to district attorneys or the attorney general’s office. Penalties vary from a first-degree felony for death of a care-dependent person to a second-degree misdemeanor if a caretaker knowingly endangers a care-dependent person by failing to provide for his or her needs. |
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