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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 via RepGaydos.com. |
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Last week, members of the House Appropriations Committee heard testimony from a number of state agencies, seeking to determine the amount of funding necessary to operate the essential functions of their departments. These hearings continue this week, as the House reconciles Gov. Tom Wolf’s lofty budget proposal with our state’s actual funding capabilities.
Every Pennsylvania family must live within their means; our Commonwealth should be no exception. Our elected officials have a duty to act as responsible stewards of the hard-earned money collected in taxes. As always, I am watching closely to ensure your tax dollars are wisely spent. When it comes time to vote, I will only support a budget that makes sense for all Pennsylvanians.
I am extremely excited to speak with constituents this week during my Telephone Town Hall event. If you haven’t yet signed up for the event, I strongly encourage you to do so here.
This is also your final opportunity to sign up to continue receiving my weekly emails before the 60-day blackout period preceding April’s primary election. To ensure there is no interruption to your receiving these updates, click here and enter your email.
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Sincerely,
Valerie Gaydos |
In this edition:
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Join Me Tomorrow for a Telephone Town Hall! |
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Budget Hearings Focus on Spending, Mismanagement |
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HealthierPA Initiatives Signed into Law |
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Local Spotlight: Teaching Lifesaving Skills at CCAC |
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Committee Discusses Bill to Better Coordinate Fire, EMS Services |
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Deadline Nears for 2020 PA House Scholarship Applications |
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PLCB Offers Grants to Help Cut Underage, Dangerous Drinking |
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Join Me Tomorrow for a Telephone Town Hall!
Tomorrow evening at 7 p.m., I will host a telephone town hall event to talk directly with constituents like you about the issues that matter most in our community.
I would love to hear from you! Click here broadnetsignup to sign up to receive a call when we go live. From there, you can speak with me, ask questions or just listen in on the conversation.
You won’t want to miss it. I hope to hear from you tomorrow!
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Budget Hearings Focus on Spending, Mismanagement
The House Appropriations Committee kicked off this year’s budget hearings by grilling administration officials about their actual funding needs for the upcoming 2020-21 fiscal year, in the wake of an ambitious budget proposal from Gov. Tom Wolf earlier this month.
Last week, members of the committee heard testimony from officials representing the departments of Revenue, Aging, State, Military and Veterans Affairs, Corrections, and Labor and Industry. Several major state agencies are on this week’s agenda, beginning with the Department of Environmental Protection at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 24.
Other state agencies scheduled to appear include the departments of Conservation and Natural Resources, Transportation, Agriculture, Health, and Community and Economic Development.
For a full schedule of these and other remaining hearings, or to watch live streams or archived video of the hearings, click here.
Additional information about the 2020-21 state budget proposal may be found here.
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HealthierPA Initiatives Signed into Law
I’m very proud to report that two of the measures I supported in the House this year as part of our HealthierPA Initiative are now law.
Act 6 of 2020 will help improve cancer treatment options for patients with Stage IV metastatic cancer by expanding their right-to-try and requiring insurance companies to cover the medication and treatments prescribed by the patient’s doctor, regardless of what their insurance plan typically covers.
Act 7 of 2020 will help protect infants who receive donated breast milk through milk banks. Banked donor milk is used in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and by outpatients with medical issues. When a mother’s own milk is unavailable in the NICU, the use of banked donor milk has been shown to decrease mortality rates and the incidence of serious complications.
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Local Spotlight: Teaching Lifesaving Skills at CCAC
CPR saves lives! As a former EMT, I have seen firsthand the difference that CPR can make; often it is the difference between life and death.
That’s why I was so pleased to have recently had the chance to spend a day with teachers and administrators from Montour High School and more than 35 instructors from the CCAC Public Safety Institute as we offered CPR and AED training. It is so important for everyone to learn these lifesaving skills and to encourage others to do the same.
If you missed this class, be sure to visit CCAC’s website to schedule your lesson today!
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Committee Discusses Bill to Better Coordinate Fire, EMS Services
Last fall, as part of our “Helpers and Heroes” initiative, the House passed a series of bills designed to improve recruitment and retention of volunteers for fire and ambulance companies, boost access to training and increase funding options.
In continuing our commitment to supporting the state’s fire and emergency services system, the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee recently held a public hearing on a proposal to create a Pennsylvania State Fire Commission to better coordinate resources and services.
The bill is based on a recommendation offered by the Senate Resolution 6 Commission to ensure fire and EMS coverage, which is provided by volunteers in the majority of the state’s communities, remains available across the state.
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Deadline Nears for 2020 PA House Scholarship Applications
High school seniors interested in receiving financial assistance to help pay for college have until Sunday, March 1, to apply for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Scholarship.
Each year the program awards a four-year scholarship to two students preparing for post-secondary education. It is open to graduating high school seniors who are Pennsylvania residents with plans to attend a Pennsylvania college, university or career school as a full-time student.
The scholarship program is administered through the Foundation for Enhancing Communities. It is privately funded by individual and corporate donors; no tax or other public funds are used. The application is available through the foundation’s web site.
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PLCB Offers Grants to Help Cut Underage, Dangerous Drinking
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) is now accepting applications for grants to fund programs that discourage and reduce underage and dangerous drinking and promote a message of responsible alcohol consumption by those of legal drinking age.
Eligible grant applicants include Pennsylvania school districts and institutions of higher education (including technical, trade and post-secondary establishments), community organizations, municipal police departments, municipal officials/representatives, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
The grant cycle is for two years, from July 2020 through June 2022. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis with a maximum award of $20,000 per year and cumulative award of no more than $40,000 per two-year grant cycle, per eligible applicant. Applications will be evaluated by the PLCB’s Bureau of Alcohol Education, with awards made subject to availability of funds.
The deadline to apply for grants is noon Friday, March 20. The grant application link and guidelines for submission are available on the grants page of the PLCB website.
The PLCB has awarded nearly $15 million in alcohol education grants since inception of the grants program in 1999.
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| Office Locations |
| District Office: |
| 1009 Beaver Grade Road, Suite 220, Moon Township, PA 15108 | Phone: (412) 262-3780, Fax: (412) 262-3783 |
| Capitol Office: |
| Room 428, Irvis Office Building, PO Box 202044, Harrisburg PA 17120-2044 | Phone: (717) 787-6651 | |
| Email: vgaydos@pahousegop.com |
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