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Click here to find the latest information on coronavirus from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 Updates

Pennsylvania voters returned a Republican majority to the state Senate in the recent General Election, re-electing all Republican incumbents and sending five new Republican senators to Harrisburg.  Senate Republicans will hold a 28-22 majority in the 2023-24 legislative session.

PennDOT is announcing the next round of the Green Light-Go Program. Prior to application submission, applicants must complete and submit a Pre-Application Scoping Form in accordance with the Green Light-Go Program Guidelines. Pre-Application scoping forms will be accepted via email (GLG@pa.gov) until December 23, 2022.

Deployments present military families with a number of challenges.  A loophole preventing spouses from collecting unemployment is no longer one of them, as a result of a new law.

The way hunters apply for Pennsylvania antlerless deer licenses is about to change for the first time in decades.  Senate Bill 431, which would allow hunters to buy antlerless licenses through the HuntFishPA automated licensing service, has been signed into law.

Congratulations to New and Returning State Reps

Congratulations to my new and returning colleagues in the House of Representatives from Bradford, Lycoming Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties, all elected with a strong bipartisan vote, winning with overwhelming margins on Election Day.

The House Chamber will welcome Rep.-Elect Jamie Flick in January who will take over for retiring Rep. Jeff Wheeland (R-83) and represent Armstrong, Brady, Clinton, Gregg, Loyalsock, Susquehanna, Washington and White Deer Townships, as well as DuBoistown, Montgomery and South Williamsport Borough’s and the City of Williamsport.

In addition, incumbent Rep.  Stephanie Borowicz (R-76), who currently serves Clinton County and part of Centre County will represent a large portion of Union County, with the exception of East Buffalo and Union Townships that will be represented by incumbent Rep. David Rowe (R-85) and Gregg and White Deer Townships represented by Rep.-Elect Flick.  In addition to serving a large portion of Lycoming County, Rep. Joe Hamm (R-84) will also now be serving all of Sullivan County.  Incumbents Clint Owlett (R-68) will continue to serve all of Tioga and the western half of Bradford County and Rep. Tina Pickett (R-110) will serve the eastern half.   

Because the makeup of the General Assembly will look very different for the coming two years, with many new faces, it will be more important ever to work together to get things done for Pennsylvania. I believe our delegation is prepared to meet this challenge head on.

GTMA Appreciation Event Held

I was happy to celebrate the accomplishments of the Gregg Township Municipal Authority last week during an event in Allenwood.  The event recognized the many partnerships for the GTMA plant and equipment upgrades that have taken place over the years.

Veterans Family Presented with Purple Heart from WWI Service

During a special ceremony at the Sayre VFW Post 1536, I joined Congressman Fred Keller and Rep. Tina Pickett to honor the late Raymond Varner for his service and sacrifice during World War I.  Raymond’s service records were lost in a fire nearly 50 years ago, but thanks to Congressman Keller his military medals were presented to his son, Robert (center), including the Purple Heart and World War I Victory Medal. Private Varner was one of only 12 soldiers in his company to come out of the Battle of Argonne alive.

Funding Secured for New Berlin Police Department Radio System

I was happy to announce a $25,000 state investment last week for the Borough of New Berlin, Union County.  The grant was used to upgrade the radios for the Borough’s Police Department.  This state investment will assist New Berlin in meeting the public safety needs of the community. It’s an instrumental component of their emergency response efforts, and I was happy to advocate on their behalf.

LIHEAP Home Energy Assistance Applications Being Accepted

Applications are being accepted for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for the 2022-23 winter heating season. 

LIHEAP helps families living on low incomes pay their heating bills in the form of a cash grant. Households in immediate danger of being without heat can also qualify for crisis grants. The cash grant is a one-time payment sent directly to the utility company or fuel provider. Grants range from $300 to $1,000 based on household size, income and fuel type.

There are two ways to apply for LIHEAP:

• Online using COMPASS, the online tool for Pennsylvanians to apply for health and human service programs and manage benefit information.
• Download a paper application, fill it out and return it to your local county assistance office. 

Public Comment Wanted on New Housing Program

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency is accepting public comment on the new Housing Options Grant Program, a pilot program that was included in the 2022-23 state budget.

The budget allocated $100 million in federal funds for the development of affordable housing units, including building new units, rehabbing existing properties to make them affordable housing units or preserving existing affordable units.

Citizens, local government officials and others can review draft guidelines for the program and send comments to the email address listed here by Dec. 2 at 2 p.m.

Grants Available to Strengthen PA Livestock Research

The Pennsylvania Center for Poultry & Livestock Excellence is accepting applications for livestock research grants.

The center invites research proposals that focus on poultry, swine, sheep and goat production, including projects that: advance biosecurity protections, build Pennsylvania’s animal agriculture infrastructure, strengthen the state’s supply chain and use applied research to address emerging diseases or explore regenerative animal production.

Proposals can be submitted online no later than 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 14. Complete research guidelines as well as research underway and an archive of funded projects can be found on the center’s website.

2022 Thanksgiving Click It or Ticket

Kimberly A. Smith | Safety Press Officer
PA Department of Transportation
Engineering District 3-0

This Thanksgiving, state and local police are partnering with PennDOT and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to share an important lifesaving reminder: Click It or Ticket.

Make this Thanksgiving different from years past.

• During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2020 (6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25, to 5:59 a.m. on Monday, November 30), there were 333 passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes across the nation. More than half (52%) were unrestrained.
• No matter the time of day, driving without a seat belt is deadly. During the 2020 Thanksgiving weekend, 51% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes at night were unbuckled, compared to 55% during the day.
• Younger people continue to be overrepresented in fatal crashes and seat belt non-use. Among young adults 18 to 34 killed while riding in passenger vehicles in 2020, more than half (60%) were completely unrestrained — one of the highest percentages for all age groups.
• Males account for the majority of those killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. In 2020, 67% of the 23,824 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed were male. Males also wear their seat belts at a lower rate than females do — 55% of males killed in crashes were unrestrained, compared to 43% of females killed in crashes.
• If you’re ejected from a vehicle during a crash, odds are that you will not survive. In 2020, 8 out of 10 (82%) passenger vehicle occupants ejected from vehicles in crashes were killed. Wearing your seat belt is the most effective way to prevent ejection; in 2020, only 1% of passenger vehicle occupants wearing seat belts were ejected in fatal crashes, compared to 26% of those who were unrestrained.

Surviving your Thanksgiving drive this year — and making it to next Thanksgiving — can be as simple as buckling up. In the last decade, seat belts saved the lives of more than 100,000 people in the United States.

Those people are thankful they wore their seat belts. Won’t you wear yours? Click It or Ticket.

Drive safely this Thanksgiving. For more information, click here.

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