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January 2020

Dear Friend,

I am pleased to present my electronic newsletter. These e-newsletters enable me to provide information about issues, events and activities in Harrisburg and around the 49^th Senatorial District to you in a timely manner while saving postage costs.

If you find this e-newsletter useful, I invite you to visit my website www.senatorlaughlin.com for more information about your state government. If you do not wish to receive these e-newsletters, please click the “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of the page.

Sincerely,

Dan

Collecting Steelhead at Trout Run Nursery

I recently had the unique opportunity to join the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in collecting hundreds of adult steelhead from the Trout Run nursery waters in Fairview.

Applications Now Accepted for State Recreation, Conservation Grants

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is now accepting applications from counties, municipalities and municipal agencies, pre-qualified land trusts, non-profits and other eligible organizations for conservation, recreation, trail, and riparian buffer grants.

An application webinar will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 29. Participants will learn about eligible project activities, funding sources, matching requirements and strategies on how to create a competitive grant application. To sign up, applicants may visit DCNR’s ‘Calendar of Events’ page on its website: https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/.

The grant program is funded with a variety of state and federal funding sources. Applications will be accepted through April 22. For additional information on the grant program, visit https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/Communities/Grants/Pages/default.aspx.

State Police Report Holiday Statistics

The Pennsylvania State Police responded to 376 crashes and made 179 arrests for driving under the influence during the three-day Christmas holiday from Dec. 24 through Dec. 26, 2019. Troopers did not investigate a single fatal collision over the midweek holiday – a welcome change from last year’s four-day Christmas enforcement period, which saw six people killed in five separate crashes investigated by state police.

In addition to DUI enforcement, troopers issued 1,885 speeding citations, 181 seatbelt citations, and 17 child safety seat citations.

The State Police investigated 460 crashes over the New Year’s holiday enforcement period from Dec. 31, 2019 through Jan. 2, 2020. Of the collisions investigated, 30 involved alcohol, 87 people were injured, and one person was killed.

Troopers also arrested 279 people for driving under the influence during the three-day holiday enforcement campaign. The total is a decrease from the 406 DUI arrests made over the holiday period last year, which spanned four days. In addition to DUI enforcement, troopers issued 6,410 speeding citations, 476 seat belt citations, and 66 child safety seat citations.

Crash and enforcement data by troop is available here. These statistics cover only incidents investigated by State Police and do not include statistics on incidents to which other law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania responded.

LIHEAP Heating Assistance Program Now Open

Pennsylvania’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2019-20 heating season.

LIHEAP helps families living on low incomes pay their heating bills in the form of a cash grant ranging from $200 to $1,000 based on household size, income, and fuel type. The grant is sent directly to the utility company/fuel provider to be credited on the family’s bill.

Under the income guidelines for the 2019-20 season, a family of four qualifies for LIHEAP assistance if they earn $38,625 or under, a family of two $25,365, and a single person $18,735.

Households experiencing a heating crisis may be eligible for additional benefits through the LIHEAP crisis program. Emergency situations include:

• Broken heating equipment or leaking lines that must be fixed or replaced.
• Lack of fuel.
• The main heating source or second heating source (a source that is used to operate the main heating source or used if the main heating source is not working) has been completely shut-off.
• The danger of being without fuel (less than a 15-day supply).
• The danger of having utility service terminated (you’ve received a notice that service will be shut off within the next 60 days).

Anyone interested in applying for the LIHEAP program can apply online at https://www.dhs.pa.gov/Services/Assistance/Pages/LIHEAP.aspx.

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