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| The Latest News from Your State Representative |
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| Please do not reply to this e-mail, as I am unable to respond to messages sent to this address. You can contact me directly at vgaydos@pahousegop.com or here. |
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During these unprecedented times, we are relying on the internet and electronic transactions now more than ever. This week, the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee advanced legislation that I am co-sponsoring with Rep. Craig Williams (R-Chester/Delaware) to allow the Commonwealth to use the Pennsylvania National Guard to combat cyber-crimes and criminals more effectively and efficiently.
Our state is home to two military cybersecurity teams: The Pennsylvania Army National Guard Defensive Cyber Operations and the Pennsylvania Air National Guard 112th Cyberspace Operations Squadron. House Bill 2412 would give the Pennsylvania National Guard the authority to provide functional support for cybersecurity needs across the Commonwealth. It would allow trained military cybersecurity experts to support requests from state agencies in need of immediate assistance or training. In addition, the bill will allow the guard to receive requests and provide support to non-government entities with cybersecurity education and training exercise assistance as needed.
House Bill 2412 now moves to the full House for consideration.
I was given the opportunity to speak to the committee about this legislation. Click here to view my thoughts.
As founder and co-chair of the House Cybersecurity Caucus, I will do everything in my power to see that this legislation crosses the finish line and is signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf.
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Sincerely,
Valerie Gaydos |
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Measures to Divest from Russia, Invest in Freedom Head to PA Senate
In response to Russia’s unprovoked and atrocious acts toward the people of Ukraine, as well as its continued attempts to expand its geopolitical influence, I was pleased to join my colleagues in voting for a series of bills to divest from Russia and invest in freedom through a boost in PA energy production.
House Bill 2447 would not only divest the Commonwealth from Russian and Belarusian financial assets but also prohibit future investment of Commonwealth funds in financial assets of those countries. The bill passed unanimously.
Rep. Gaydos was also proud to support several bills that would help expand domestic energy production to work toward energy independence. This is so important when you consider 40% of the Russian government’s budget comes from its oil and gas industry, meaning the more petroleum products Russia exports, the more it can wage war and finance its pursuit of regional and global influence.
Currently, the world buys between $5 billion and $7 billion worth of Russian oil and gas per week. While the United States has banned the import of Russian petroleum products, European countries—currently receiving over 40% of their natural gas from Russia—have been unable to do so. Pennsylvania is in a position to help.
Measures adopted by the House this week would establish a permitting framework at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to ensure that decisions on permits are rendered reliably and in a timely manner (House Bill 604); amend the Delaware River Basin Compact to make clear it does not have the authority to ban fracking (House Bills 2450 and 2451);and end a Wolf administration moratorium and require the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to establish a program to lease the subsurface rights under state lands for oil and gas development (House Bill 2461).
The bills now go to the Senate for consideration.
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Placing Taxpayer-Funded Vehicles for Lawmakers in the Rearview Mirror
State lawmakers would no longer be able to use state-owned or state-leased vehicles under legislation approved in the House this week.
The use of such vehicles has declined significantly over the years, but a handful of legislators still rely upon them. A full prohibition on the use of state-owned or state-leased vehicles is long overdue.
Rep. Gaydos does not use a state-owned vehicle, nor has she ever used a state-owned vehicle for any purpose.
House Bill 746 now goes to the Senate for consideration.
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Touring KTA-Tator
Recently, Rep. Gaydos took a tour of the new facilities at KTA-Tator in Findlay Township. The company is an industry leader in coatings evaluation, testing and inspection. The company provides facility owners, architects, engineers, contractors, fabricators and manufacturers peace of mind that the integrity of steel and concrete structures, and other assets, are properly assessed and protected.
KTA-Tator is one of the area’s largest employee-owned companies in the region. Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) allow employees to own shares in the company. ESOPs serve the dual purpose of delivering retirement savings and stock ownership for employees, as well as the potential of a tax-free exit strategy to keep businesses in Pennsylvania.
Currently, Gaydos is a member of Pittsburgh’s citywide task force on employee ownership. It is made up of 23 members, including policymakers from city council, the mayor and governor’s office, the Pennsylvania state Legislature, nonprofit organizations, representatives from employee-owned companies, and academia. You can read more on the task force here.
Gaydos is co-sponsoring legislation that would further enhance the many benefits and advantages that ESOPs have for the Commonwealth’s family-owned businesses, employees, communities and the economy. The mission of House Bill 285 is to increase the incentive for family-owned businesses and other employers to sell their business to an ESOP rather than have outsiders whose intentions and the fate of current employees are nearly always unknown.
Pictured with Gaydos (from left) are Kimmer Cline, business unit manager of coatings; Chaz Sztroin, director of marketing; Kevin DeLuca, director of information technology; Wendy Dameron, chief officer of human resources; Bill Worms, president and chief executive officer; Bill Corbett, chief operating officer; John Konopka, chief financial officer; Dave McFayden, chief executive officer elect; and Ken Timber, former president and board chair.
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Fairness in Women’s Sports Act Earns House Approval
In a measure to protect 50 years of women’s rights in competitive sports, the House approved the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. House Bill 972 would ensure women are not forced to compete against biological males playing on women’s sports teams.
This legislation essentially puts a stop to President Joe Biden’s 2021 executive order which removed the power of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) to determine eligibility. While the president’s 2021 executive order might have been well intended to eliminate discrimination, it actually did the opposite. It was a direct assault on Title IX which was established in 1972 to create equal opportunities in sport for women.
I am not opposed to the PIAA Athletic Oversight Council issuing protocols for athletic eligibility. It should be based on sport or having the Oversight Council adopt specific policies as was done prior to President Biden’s mandate.
Passage of this bill will allow for cooler heads to prevail and will give everyone the opportunity to advance the ball forward for women’s, men’s and coed sports properly.
Click the video below to hear my remarks on the floor.
House Bill 972 now goes to Senate for consideration.
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Commonwealth Court Puts Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) on Hold
Gov. Tom Wolf’s unilateral effort to increase home heating costs and energy prices by enrolling Pennsylvania in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is being suspended by the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, which issued a stay in the matter Tuesday afternoon. The court’s announcement comes days before the rule was to be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, an act that would have officially entered the commonwealth into RGGI.
Enrollment in RGGI would have made Pennsylvania the only one of 12 states in the compact to join without legislative approval. The governor has vetoed prior attempts by the General Assembly to force RGGI to face a vote by the House and Senate.
Last month, House Bill 637, the Energy Sustainability and Investment Act, passed with bipartisan support. In addition to again requiring RGGI to face a vote by the General Assembly, the legislation would call for further exploration and diversification of Pennsylvania’s future energy needs while protecting jobs and acknowledging current sources of energy.
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‘Smart Justice’ to Keep PA Safer, Support Crime Victims
Continuing our commitment to protecting public safety in communities of all shapes and sizes, the House Judiciary Committee this week advanced a “Smart Justice” package of bills. The proposals offer changes to better support crime victims and ensure proper enforcement of laws already on the books to address violent crime in the City of Philadelphia.
To support crime victims, House Bill 2464 would grant legal standing to assert and enforce a right granted to the crime victim by law in a trial or appellate court, or in another official body with jurisdiction over the victim’s case. House Bill 2525 would update the Criminal History Record Information Act (CHRIA) to create a procedure by which a crime victim may obtain criminal history investigative information for use in a civil action relating to the crime. This would give crime victims a stronger hand when attempting to recoup in civil court the costs of a criminal’s actions.
Additionally, House Bill 1123 would establish a fund within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to be used to offer up to $50,000 to individuals who provide information leading to the capture and arrest of a perpetrator of criminal homicide of a law enforcement officer.
The remaining two bills in the package aim to address skyrocketing crime rates in the City of Philadelphia, not by adding to criminal laws already on the books but by addressing a district attorney who refuses to prosecute serious crimes in the city. Despite crime rates spiking there, conviction rates in shooting cases have fallen steadily since 2015. Between 2016 and 2020, the fatal shooting conviction rate dropped from 96% to 80%. It dropped from 69% to 64%, in non-fatal shootings.
To address the failures of the current district attorney, House Bill 2238 would limit a person in the position to just two terms in office. Additionally, House Bill 2275 would reauthorize the state Office of Attorney General to prosecute gun-related crimes under the Uniform Firearms Act.
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Welcome to the Capitol Liam!
This week, Liam Welge was Rep. Gaydos’ guest page at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. He received an up close and personal look at a state representative in action.
Accompanied by his mother, Jodie, Liam is a distinguished honor roll freshman at Quaker Valley High School. He has been spearheading a district-wide food drive for the Sewickley Community Center’s food pantry and the Center of Hope in Ambridge.
Liam received the rank of Eagle from the Boy Scouts of America when he was 14 years old. In addition, he is cadet in the Civil Air Patrol, and a member of student council, Global Scholars Program, Best Buddies and French Club.
Liam loves to play hockey. He is a defenseman and center for the Quaker Valley Middle School and North Pittsburgh Wildcats. He also plays golf for Quaker Valley and Rugby for the West Pittsburgh Rugby Club.
To add icing to the cake, Liam soars glider planes with the Pittsburgh Soaring Association.
Liam was introduced to Gaydos’ colleagues on the House floor by Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler. Click on the link to watch.
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Great Season Quakers!
It was my pleasure to join the Quaker Valley High School Basketball team at the Edgeworth Club in Sewickley to present them with a House of Representatives citation for their accomplishments this season.
The Quakers captured the WPIAL District VII Class 4A title and advanced to the state championship in Hershey. Our boys came up short against Neumann-Goretti to finish in second place.
Even though the season didn’t end with a victory, Quaker Valley climbed the mountain that it hadn’t reached in more than two decades – getting to a PIAA championship game for the first time in 23 years and winning its first WPIAL title since 1997. The Quakers finished the season at 27-1.
Members of the team include Dominic Cox-Giles, Brandon Guss, Dana Kromah, Ben Minard, Braeden Swann, Joey Coyle, Zach Djedid, Izzy Emerson, Charlie Griffith, Daniel Bartels, Noah Jordan, Jackson Kerley, Troy Kozar, Luke Stephany, Curt Womeldorf, Wil Dunda, Markus Frank, Jack Gardinier, Adou Thiero, Antonio Randazzo. Coaching staff includes Mike Mastroianni, Sam Peduto, Jim Cortese.
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Running for a Great Cause!
Recently, Rep. Gaydos was the guest speaker to kick-off the 10th Annual Brave American Classic 5K running event in Sewickley.
More than 500 runners competed in the event with the proceeds going to the Boulder Crest Retreat for Military and Veteran Wellness. It also supports Retreat and PATHH Programs that assist wounded military service members and their families. During its first nine years, the race has raised more than $340,000 for Boulder Crest.
One of Gaydos’ top goals is to give back to our true heroes by helping those who have selflessly fought for our freedom. She spoke about the importance of assisting our veterans so they can be a viable part of our communities. We need to support our veterans every day.
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We Want to Meet You!
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| Office Locations |
| District Office: |
| 1005 Beaver Grade Road, Suite 106, Moon Township, PA 15108 | Phone: (412) 262-3780, Fax: (412) 262-3783 |
| Capitol Office: |
| Room 428, Irvis Office Building, House Box 202044, Harrisburg PA 17120-2044 | Phone: (717) 787-6651 | |
| Email: vgaydos@pahousegop.com |
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