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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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America250PA Visits Moon Township Elementary School
“One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one nation evermore!” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
We can’t celebrate enough what our country has accomplished in the past, is doing currently, and has in store for the future. We should all be excited and proud to live in the United States.
The America250PA campaign visited J.H. Brooks Elementary School in Moon Township. Many local mascots and an historical reenactor of Bishop Richard Allen joined the campaign to celebrate the upcoming Semiquincentennial anniversary of the United States. America250PA is hoping to make history fun for students by reading “K is for Keystone: A Pennsylvania Alphabet” by Kristen Kane and Laura Knorr.
The kids’ faces told the story. They were very enthusiastic to have guest readers in their classrooms. Thank you to all the volunteers who read. The best part of the day was seeing the kids’ excitement for the Pirate Parrot. We were also joined by Ace, the Community College of Allegheny County - Allegheny Campus Wild Cat; the Washington Wild Things mascot (Wild Thing); and Carlow University’s Shammy.
Pictured with the mascots and me is Trooper Melinda Bondarenko.
It was my honor to be appointed as the House Republican Caucus designee for the Pennsylvania Commission for the Unted States Semiquincentennial (America250PA). In addition, I was chosen to be a member of the Fundraising and Historical Preservation committees.
Click here to capture the sights and sounds of the event.
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Good Dental Care is Essential
Good dental care is good health care! Legislation for which I’m a primary co-sponsor, House Bill 1417, was recently advanced unanimously by the House Health Committee and now moves on to the full House of Representatives for consideration.
The bill would restore dental coverage for Medical Assistance recipients. The bill would ensure that Medical Assistance provides a dental benefit package that includes those coverages that existed before cuts were made in 2011 without removing any existing dental coverage. The cuts prevented many low-income Pennsylvanians from receiving the oral health care they need.
I explained to the committee why this legislation is so vital. Click below to watch my remarks.
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Clawback Act in PA Should be Declawed!
On Tuesday, the House considered House Bill 842, or the Clawback Act. The sponsor of the bill says it would require all new state grant and loan programs to include language to address the misuse of monies should entities not meet program guidelines and metrics. However, contracts with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development already require this.
Furthermore, an amendment by the sponsor to his own bill is taking an existing policy of enforcement and allowing the department to make it optional.
That is unacceptable. All contract holders must be held to the same standards. The department should not be able to pick and choose who has to comply with the rules and who does not.
Watch my questioning to the bill’s sponsor during a House Commerce Committee meeting earlier this month.
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Happy Anniversary!
Recently, at the North Fayette Township meeting, I helped to commemorate the 50th anniversary of North Fayette Township Volunteer Fire Department by presenting the members a House of Representatives citation. We were joined by two lifelong members at this special occasion. Ray Petrick and Jim Malesky (former chief for 14 years) have been with Station 209 since its charter.
North Fayette Township Volunteer Fire Department responds to more than 400 calls a year with a growing force of almost 50 members. Thank you for all your hard work to keep our community safe!
Pictured with me (left) are Ray Petrick, life member; Jacob Quick, firefighter; Brandon Wharton, assistant chief; Donald Quick, firefighter; Rob Toth, treasurer; Cory Russi, vice president; Mike Saville, president; and Jim Malesky, life member.
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A Visit to DePaul School for Hearing
I had the pleasure of spending time with students and teachers at DePaul School for Hearing and Speech. DePaul School's mission is to instruct each child who is deaf or hard of hearing to listen, speak and learn with confidence.
DePaul is the only school in the Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio region dedicated to teaching students to understand spoken language and to speak clearly.
The school is also one of only two schools in the country to provide Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) education above kindergarten.
With free tuition, children learn to advocate for themselves in a hearing world at an early age.
Pictured with me is Dr. Ruth Auld, executive director of the DePaul School for Hearing and Speech.
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‘Witching’ You a Magical Trunk-or-Treat!
I had a great time participating at Findlay Township Administration’s Trunk or Treat event by passing out candy. It was nice to see all the decorated cars and dressed up kids! This is what community is all about, neighbors gathering to put on a family event and spending quality time together.
Thank you to the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department for bringing out the big rig for the kids and thank you to Findlay Township for hosting!
Pictured with me are (back row, from left) Victoria Hatton-Bozic (Lion), Michelle Holler (Wicked Witch), Virginia Sanderson (Scarecrow), and Melissa Haggerty (Glinda), and (front row, left) Lori Tautkas (Dorothy) and Diana Work (Tin Man).
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Improved Transparency, Tuition Freeze for State-Related Universities Adopted by State House
Efforts of the House Republican Caucus over the last several months have secured sought-after transparency measures and a tuition freeze for students at Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities following a House vote to approve their funding request for the current fiscal year.
The funding, which is to be used to keep in-state tuition more affordable, had been held up this year after heads of three of the four state-related institutions – Penn State University, the University of Pittsburgh and Temple University – indicated tuition would be going up regardless of the level of state funding. Only Lincoln University initially committed to a tuition freeze.
Under House Bill 612, the universities collectively would receive $642.2 million in funding for the current fiscal year. The bill also requires a tuition freeze for the 2024-25 academic year.
To boost transparency, we also approved House Bill 1556 that would ensure the universities are fully subject to the state’s Right-to-Know Law.
Both measures are pending consideration in the Senate.
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Court Decision Voids Unlawful Energy Tax
On Wednesday, the Commonwealth Court voided Pennsylvania’s entrance into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multi-state energy tax program that would have increased the costs on Pennsylvanians to light and heat their homes.
The decision to enter Pennsylvania into RGGI was made exclusively and unilaterally by former Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration and was carried on by the administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro. The Pennsylvania Legislature, those who represent the taxpayers of Pennsylvania, were never involved in the decision that would greatly impact family energy bills and employment opportunities in the Commonwealth.
The decision by the Commonwealth Court is a positive step forward in ensuring RGGI will not add to increasing energy costs on Pennsylvania families.
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Taking a Stand Against Disastrous Energy Policies
Pennsylvania is an energy powerhouse with the potential to grow energy independence for the Commonwealth and the nation. Standing in the way of that potential are a series of anti-energy policies being pushed by House Democrats.
The House Republican Policy Committee convened a hearing Monday titled “Stopping Economic Disaster: The Democrats and their Green New Deal” to draw attention to efforts that would essentially shut down the energy industry, leading to higher energy bills, lost jobs, threats to national security and harm to the environment.
During the hearing, the committee took testimony from Jim Welty, vice president of government affairs for the Marcellus Shale Coalition; Michael Ford, secretary-treasurer of the PA Building and Construction Trades Council; and David Taylor, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association. The testifiers were united in their opposition to Democrat policies that fail to recognize the broad impacts of natural gas in people’s lives, from heating our homes and cooking our food to manufacturing an array of products we use every day.
Click here to view the hearing.
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Election Day This Tuesday
This Tuesday, Nov. 7, is Election Day! Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Click here to verify your polling place for in-person voting.
Voters who have chosen to vote by mail-in or civilian absentee ballot must have those ballots back to their county Board of Elections no later than 8 p.m. on election day.
More information about voting is available at www.vote.pa.gov.
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Honoring Our Veterans
This Saturday, Nov. 11, we celebrate Veterans Day by remembering the sacrifices these men and women made on behalf of our citizens and people around the world.
Veterans Day, originally known as Armistice Day, first marked the one-year anniversary of the end of World War I, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, and sought to honor the veterans of the World War – the only world war to have occurred at that time. Armistice Day was declared a national holiday in 1938 to acknowledge world peace, and then was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 to celebrate the contributions of veterans of all wars.
For more about the history of Veterans Day, click here.
For more information about programs and benefits to support our veterans in Pennsylvania, visit the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs here.
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Litter Hawk Youth Award Program Combines Fun, Prizes, Litter Awareness
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is announcing the Litter Hawk Youth Award Program, a recognition program for students in K-6 grade, who complete a project specific to their grade level. Kids can participate individually or as part of a lesson initiated by schools, home-schools, scout troops, 4-H clubs, environmental clubs or other organized groups.
The Litter Hawk Youth Award Program is a way for kids to share their hope, optimism and concerns about litter and inspire others to care for their communities through art, words or video.
In coordination of the release of the revision of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s popular Open your Eyes to Litter series of books for grades K through 6, the theme is: Open Your Eyes to Litter – Show Us What You See.
Click on the link for more information.
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Don’t Forget to ‘Fall Back’ Saturday Night
Daylight saving time will end at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5. Be sure to turn your clocks back one hour before going to bed on Saturday night.
It’s also a good time to check or change the batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms in your home. In addition to regular battery changes, experts say the alarm devices should be replaced every 10 years to better ensure your safety.
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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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