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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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All Pennsylvanians deserve safe neighborhoods. One of my top goals as your state representative is to support our police and prosecutors while also getting to the root causes of crime and violence. The 2022-23 state budget continues significant investments in support of that goal.
After years of calls to defund the police and progressive prosecutors refusing to enforce Pennsylvania’s tough-on-crime laws, the Commonwealth’s major cities and rural communities have experienced dramatic increases in crime. I remain committed to ensuring our laws are fully enforced and reversing the trend of limiting law enforcement resources.
This budget will allow the Pennsylvania State Police to train two new cadet classes, which will add up to an additional 200 troopers to protect communities throughout the state. To reduce the trend of increasing crime and diminishing local law enforcement capacity, local police and law enforcement will also benefit from $135 million in one-time federal relief funds for local law enforcement support grants.
With gun violence on the rise, we allocate $50 million in federal relief funds for gun violence investigation and prosecution grants.
To improve access to mental health care in Pennsylvania, the budget allocates $100 million in one-time federal relief funds for a collaborative care mental health initiative.
To further ensure access to health care, the budget increases Medicaid reimbursement rates to emergency medical services providers to help them continue their life-saving work.
Recognizing the ongoing costs related to COVID-19 and workforce struggles, this budget allocates $250 million in federal relief funds to help long-term care providers, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, personal care homes, and home and community-based services, as they strive to provide compassionate care to their patients. The budget also provides a $35/day increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates in nursing homes and increases the state supplemental grant for personal care home and domiciliary care residents by $200 a month, the first increase since 2006.
To help recruit more health care providers, the budget allocates an additional $35 million in federal relief funds to support the nurse loan forgiveness program, and increases the primary care loan repayment program by $1.3 million to provide 50 additional awards for physicians practicing primary care in medically underserved areas, which includes some of our rural communities.
You may also read more at www.PAHouseGOP.com/statebudget.
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Sincerely,
Valerie Gaydos |
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GOP Economic Policies Moving PA in Right Direction
Pennsylvania has moved from 23rd to 17th place in CNBC’s rankings for America’s Top States for Business in 2022.
Rep. Gaydos is pleased to report this great news and reinforces the value of the pro-jobs approach to governing the Commonwealth. That includes improving our technology and infrastructure, cutting taxes, investing in our education and workforce development systems, keeping state spending in check and planning for the future.
Gaydos and her House colleagues continue working to get government out of the way of employers to advance regulatory reform and relief efforts. The House also passed legislation to give voters a voice in successfully amending our state constitution to reassure Pennsylvanians and Pennsylvania businesses they cannot be unilaterally shuttered indefinitely.
Gaydos admits that more work needs to be done; however, this report is proof Pennsylvania has rallied due to policies that welcome businesses and the jobs they create.
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Fighting for Transparency in Education
Earlier this year, the governor vetoed legislation (House Bill 1332) that would have required ALL government-run public schools in the Commonwealth to post their curriculum online where parents could easily review it, ahead of the school year.
If this transparency-driven legislation had been enacted, parents could easily see, among other things, if their school was adding gender identity, critical race theory or other similar lessons to its curriculum.
When schools decide to deviate from traditional lessons regarding English, math, geography, history, etc., parents should be informed, which is why House Republicans will continue to fight for transparency in our schools.
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Vocational Rehabilitation Services Waitlist Eliminated
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) announced this week it has terminated the waitlist for vocational rehabilitation services for significantly disabled (SD) and non-significantly disabled (NSD) individuals.
L&I’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) assists Pennsylvanians with disabilities in obtaining and retaining employment while keeping their independence. Since 2016, nearly 370,000 individuals have received services from OVR, including vocational counseling, evaluations, medical diagnostic services, medical restoration services, employment training, placement services and career support services.
In eliminating the waitlist, OVR is lifting what is called OOS, or order of selection. When funds are limited OOS is invoked, and services are available based on levels of severity of the disability. For the last 28 years, only those individuals labeled as having a “most significant disability” were receiving services, while those labeled as having a “significant” or “non-significant” disability were placed on a waitlist.
Due to the decrease in economic activity during the pandemic, OVR has a surplus of federal funding available to remove the waitlist and use those unspent resources to serve more Pennsylvanians.
For more information on OVR services, visit your local OVR office or apply for OVR services online via PA CareerLink.
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One-Time Boost to Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program
Eligible senior citizens and people with disabilities will see enhanced rebates through this year’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate program thanks to a one-time infusion of additional funds in the 2022-23 state budget.
The additional funding brings the maximum standard rebate to $1,105 for both homeowners and renters, up from the usual $650. People who already received their checks this year will not need to take any further action; the Department of Revenue will automatically send a check for the additional funds starting in early September. For additional information about the bonus rebates, click here.
For those who qualify but have not yet applied, the deadline to do so for rebates on rent and property taxes paid in 2021 has been extended to Dec. 31. Claimants are encouraged to file their rebate applications online by visiting www.mypath.pa.gov though paper applications are also available at www.revenue.pa.gov or by contacting my office. We will also provide free assistance with filing the forms.
The Property Tax/Rent Rebate program benefits Pennsylvanians age 65 and older; widows and widowers age 50 and older; and people with disabilities age 18 and older. The income limit is $35,000 annually for homeowners and $15,000 annually for renters, and half of Social Security income is excluded.
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New Law Ensures Fairness in Financial Aid
A new state law ends the practice of “scholarship displacement” for students pursuing a higher education.
Scholarship displacement occurs when a student goes above and beyond to earn private scholarships to supplement their financial aid, only to have their school deduct the amount of that scholarship from their financial aid package. In essence, the students were doing extra work but not receiving any additional benefit.
Act 55 of 2022 prohibits public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth from reducing their aid package for an enrolled student who receives a private scholarship.
The law would not apply if a student’s total financial aid from all sources exceeds the cost of attendance. Also, if the student is an athlete financial aid may be reduced to comply with rules and restrictions of the school or athletic association.
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Hollow Oak Land to Issue Permits for Hunting on Conservation Areas
The Hollow Oak Land Trust located in Coraopolis is now issuing permits for deer hunting in conservation areas.
Only deer hunting is allowed on Hollow Oak Land Trust properties. Hunters must receive written permission prior to hunting.
Here are the criteria hunters must follow:
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You must have a current Hollow Oak hunting permit. |
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Hunting is permitted on Hollow Oak lands only on Sept. 1 and Jan. 31, in accordance with the Pennsylvania Game Commission. |
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Camping and overnight access are not permitted. |
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There is no Sunday hunting on any Hollow Oak properties. |
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Tree stands are allowed on Hollow Oak property. |
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Tree stands must have coverings to protect the trees being used. |
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Hunters are asked to protect other wildlife and vegetation and to report any problems they may see when visiting the conservation area. |
Click here to apply for a permit.
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Congratulations to the Indians Baseball Team
This week, it was my pleasure to present a House of Representatives citation to West Allegheny baseball coach Bryan Cornell on a fantastic season. The Indians captured the WPIAL Class 5A championship with a victory over Peters Township.
The title was the fifth overall for West Allegheny and the first since 2014. Congratulations to the entire team. Hail to the champions!
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Save the Date!
Circle the date on your calendar! Please join me for a Sportsman and Gun Safety Expo on Thursday, Sept. 29, from 6-8:30 p.m. The event will take place at the Findlay Township Activity Center located at 310 Main St. in Imperial.
You must register for the expo here.
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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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