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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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House Actions Guide State Toward Safe Reopening
While we maneuver our way through these turbulent times, it is important to make ourselves a resource to our neighbors and friends. I got to spend some time last weekend volunteering at Crescent Township Volunteer Fire Department, serving meals to local families in need.
I was lucky enough to have my own protective face mask, which a constituent made with a 3-D printer. A special thanks to Ryan Walker for providing me with a fantastic mask!
In other news this week, the House was back in session as lawmakers continued our push to reopen businesses safely so people can return to work and provide for their families.
From the moment the governor abruptly announced his statewide business closure order in mid-March, the House has been fighting for openness, transparency and logic in the process of getting our state back on its feet.
We have subsequently taken action on bills to reopen construction (which is now slated to happen this Friday, May 1), golf courses (also slated to reopen May 1, along with privately owned campgrounds, marinas and guided fishing trips), as well as real estate, garden centers, pet groomers and more. In fact, while we were debating legislation in the House to reopen the real estate business safely, the governor’s office issued new guidance to allow certain transactions to proceed. Read the updated guidance here.
While this piecemeal approach is not ideal, it is helping to move us forward by bringing the governor’s attention to businesses that are clearly capable of operating in a manner that abides by guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to keep both workers and customers safe.
Thank you for sharing your questions and concerns with us; we hear you, and it is making a difference. Keep helping your neighbors and looking out for others in our community.
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Sincerely,
Valerie Gaydos |
In this edition:
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This Week’s Session Update |
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Serving Families at Crescent Township VFD |
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Questions Abound Regarding State’s Reopening |
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Construction Industry Back to Work on May 1 |
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PennDOT Offering Limited CDL Services |
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DOH to Allow “Elective” Procedures to Resume |
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Outdoor Recreation to Reopen May 1 |
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Protecting Supply Chain Workers |
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New Critical Supplies Donation Portal Available |
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This Week’s Session Update
It was a busy week in Harrisburg! Here’s this week’s legislative summary.
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To help our communities and first responders, House Bill 2413 would invest up to $40 million in grants for fire and emergency medical services companies. |
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To help save taxpayer dollars, House Bill 2418 would require a comprehensive review of all Commonwealth debt to identify opportunities to take advantage of refinancing at lower interest rates. House Bill 2392 would require the Independent Fiscal Office to include critical risk factors in its assessment of the Commonwealth’s fiscal condition to help lawmakers better plan and budget within our means. |
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To address regulations, House Bill 2415 would require the Office of the Governor to notify legislative leaders in writing by electronic means when a specific statute or regulation is suspended, modified or waived under the authority of the emergency order. |
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To ensure intergovernmental cooperation throughout the disaster and recovery period, House Bill 2419 would establish the COVID-19 inter-branch Cost and Recovery Task Force. |
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Serving Families at Crescent Township VFD
I had a great time volunteering at Crescent Township Fire Department on Sunday, providing meals for the community. I was joined by some wonderful volunteers and together we made a difference, serving spaghetti and meatballs to local families in need. Afterwards, we donated leftover meals to benefit the Allegheny County Emergency Service unit in Moon.
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House Bill Creates Recovery Task Force
One of the bills we passed this week, House Bill 2419, would create a Cost and Recovery Task Force for Pennsylvania, consisting of members of all three branches of our state’s government. This task force will facilitate better communication and put us in a better place moving forward during this health crisis.
This Legislation will be essential in helping the branches of our government talk to one another.
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Questions Abound Regarding State’s Reopening
Not unlike the governor’s business closure orders, his announcement last week of a phased plan to reopen the Commonwealth has generated more questions than answers. The initial explanation indicated decisions to reopen would be based on case counts and other data in long-established Department of Health regions. The governor has now indicated he is changing course and will be considering data on a county-by-county basis. The exact nature of the data is mostly unknown.
Openness and transparency are vital to building public trust in important decisions about our health, safety and the economy. I will continue to urge the governor to share this information as soon as possible.
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Construction Industry Back to Work May 1
Six weeks after being ordered to shut down by the Wolf administration due to coronavirus concerns, all business in the Commonwealth’s construction industry is permitted to resume in-person operations Friday, May 1. This would not have happened without so many of you speaking up about the importance of going back to work and the ability to do so safely.
All businesses and employees in the construction industry must adhere to the secretary of Health’s order providing for business safety measures, which requires that every person present at a work site wear masks/face coverings unless they are unable for medical or safety reasons, and requires that businesses establish protocols upon discovery that the business has been exposed to a person who is a probable or confirmed case of COVID-19. All construction projects also must maintain proper social distancing and provide handwashing and sanitizing stations for workers, as well as cleaning and sanitizing protocols for high-risk transmission areas.
Read more about the guidelines for construction to resume here.
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PennDOT Offering Limited CDL Services
With the construction industry back to work as of Friday, May 1, PennDOT is reopening a limited number of driver license centers to provide Commercial Driver Licensing (CDL) services by appointment only. Available services for commercial drivers at these locations will include CDL knowledge and skills testing, hazmat renewals and security threat assessments.
These locations will reopen for CDL services ONLY:
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Lehigh Valley: 1710 Hoover Ave., Allentown. |
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Somerset: 5593 Glades Pike, Somerset. |
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Lewistown: 13217 Ferguson Valley Road, Yeagertown. |
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Selinsgrove: 1015 U.S. 522, Selinsgrove. |
Please note that Lehigh Valley only tests Class B and C. All other sites listed test Class A, B and C. Appointments will be scheduled based on demand and schedule availability. Individuals -seeking CDL testing may call PennDOT’s Call Center at 717-412-5300 or email cdlappointmentrequest@pa.gov to request an appointment. When a request is received, PennDOT staff will contact you within one business day to schedule an appointment. New safety measures must be followed when arriving for a CDL appointment; details of the requirements will be supplied when the customer is scheduled.
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DOH Allows “Elective” Procedures to Resume
Last week, several lawmakers and I sent a letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Health urging them to reauthorize hospitals to perform non-emergency medical procedures like cancer screenings, mammograms and hip replacements.
The Department recently announced new guidance that will allow hospitals and surgical centers to perform these “elective” procedures, as long as the facilities remain prepared should they need to respond to COVID-19 cases. Elective procedures had been put on hold to help reserve resources and space due to the pandemic. Click here for more information.
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Outdoor Recreation to Reopen May 1
The governor also announced the reopening of golf courses, marinas, guided fishing trips and privately-owned campgrounds this Friday. Campgrounds in state parks will remain closed through Thursday, May 14. People who choose to participate in these activities will have to follow various guidelines to protect against the spread of COVID-19. Read more here.
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Protecting Supply Chain Workers
Just over a week after House Republicans asked the Wolf administration to address a number of food supply chain concerns, the state Department of Agriculture announced last weekend it would provide priority testing for workers supporting that supply chain in areas of eastern Pennsylvania with higher rates of confirmed COVID-19. Testing will be available at the Montgomery County mass testing site or the federally funded testing site at Mohegan Sun in Luzerne County. This is an important step toward preventing food waste and ensuring food remains available in our grocery stores, though more needs to be done. Read more about the administration’s announcement here.
Read more about the House call to action on this issue here.
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New Critical Supplies Donation Portal Available
The administration has launched an online portal for individuals, corporations and community organizations to outline any critical medical supplies available for donation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Supplies needed most include surgical/procedure masks; form-fitting respirators (ex. N95/N99); face masks with integrated shield; medical grade alcohol-based hand sanitizer; aprons; protective gloves; protective goggles; isolation gowns; protective suits; and sanitizing wipes. Details and specifications required for any donated materials are available here from the Department of Health.
To visit the new critical supply donation portal, click here.
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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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