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In this Update:
Measure Preserving Community Energy Choice Passed by Senate
Legislation ensuring that state residents have options when it comes to fuel availability was approved by the Senate. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration. Senate Bill 143, known as Energy Choice legislation, would prevent municipal entities from banning a specific type of fuel source for appliances and heating homes or businesses. The bill was developed as cities across the nation have already taken steps to ban fuels, such as natural gas and heating oil, in newly constructed buildings. I don’t believe the government has any place telling you how to live your life, especially when it’s something as simple as how you’d like to heat your home. Erie County typically has pretty bad winters and I can tell you, from personal experience, when the power goes out, I’m still able to heat my home because it’s heated with natural gas. In some of those winter situations, my pipes would have frozen if I had not been able to heat my home. Forcing people to only use electricity to heat their homes is also worse for the environment, as converting natural gas to electricity involves a 60% conversion loss that you don’t get when you directly heat with natural gas. Eliminating energy choices will also further burden our electricity grid which is already stretched to the max.” This legislation is an important component of a sound energy policy for Pennsylvania that’s inclusive of all energy options residents may want or need to access. Governor’s Budget Proposal Includes Significant Areas of Concern
Gov. Josh Shapiro started the 2023-24 state budget process this week with the introduction of his spending plan, which contains some significant areas of concern. There are components of the governor’s proposal that could garner Senate Republican support, but he gave a list of non-starters for him. The same could be said for our side of the aisle. That’s fine, everybody has an opinion. I think some of the areas we can agree on include funding for mental health issues, some of the education funding issues – though I might have a slightly different opinion on how that should be unpacked, but both Republicans and Democrats want to educate their children/ There’s certainly room to work in areas such as those. I’m also interested in working with the governor to address orphaned and abandoned wells, getting those oil and gas wells plugged faster to help Pennsylvania’s environment. Although the governor voiced support for Senate Republican priorities such as workforce development, infrastructure advancement, safe communities and mental/behavioral health are appreciated, his proposed budget still boosts state government spending to unsustainable levels. Shapiro’s $45.8 billion plan seeks to boost state spending by more than $1.3 billion above the current year’s budget, including hundreds of millions of dollars that replace federal funding that was cut by the Biden Administration at the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Although my Senate Republican colleagues and I fought to build up the Rainy Day Fund over the past two years to roughly $5 billion, the fund’s reserves still remain below the national average. The governor’s spending plan would also nearly erase Rainy Day reserves by the end of his first term in office, which would mean the state would face higher borrowing costs and be in a much worse position to weather any potential downturns in the economy. In addition to the many spending proposals that are cause for concern, the budget includes no indication the governor will remove Pennsylvania from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which will burden all Pennsylvanians with an annual tax on electricity of nearly $670 million. The Senate Appropriations Committee will begin a series of public hearings about the governor’s proposed 2023-24 budget on March 20. Morning Star Tour
Earlier this week, I toured Morning Star Pregnancy Services with my colleague Senator Judy Ward. Morning Star provides services to pregnant women and new mothers and fathers at no cost to the family. I want to thank Morning Star for taking the time to educate me on specific needs in our communities. This is an excellent example of an organization empowering the lives of families in Pennsylvania. This Week’s Hot Jobs in Erie County
Check out Erie County 𝐇𝐨𝐭 𝐉𝐨𝐛 listings at PA CareerLink. For more information on the postings below, type in the job number at: https://www.pacareerlink.pa.gov/jponline/ New Erie VA Medical Center Oncology Clinic
Congratulations to the Erie VA Medical Center on opening its new oncology clinic. A great addition to a fantastic facility. Historic Breast Cancer Screening Bill Unanimously Passes Senate
The Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 8, a comprehensive breast cancer screening and genetic testing bill. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration. The bill eliminates out-of-pocket costs associated with BRCA-related genetic testing and counseling, as well as supplemental screening such as breast MRIs and ultrasound for women at high-risk. High-risk conditions covered by the bill include dense breast tissue, a personal or family history of breast cancer, genetic predisposition and prior radiation therapy. The legislation expands on Act 52 of 2020, which required insurers to cover breast MRIs and ultrasounds for women with high-risk factors. Senate Bill 8 is step two, eliminating costs including co-pays, deductibles or co-insurance for those screenings and BRCA-related genetic testing and counseling. Senate Acts to Protect Citizen Data with State Employee TikTok Ban
The Senate approved legislation to shield citizen data from unauthorized access by prohibiting state-owned devices and networks from downloading and using TikTok. The bill now advances to the House of Representatives for consideration. Pennsylvania state government holds sensitive information in the form of birth certificates, driver’s licenses, occupation certificates, taxes and more. Senate Bill 379 would mandate that all state agencies, departments and commissions remove the application from state networks. It would also require that policies are put in place to block application installation, as well as network-based restrictions to prevent its use and access. Across the nation, both Democrats and Republicans have voiced growing concerns about the security and potential manipulation of the popular social media app TikTok. At least 29 states have addressed the risk to government systems posed by TikTok, and Congress prohibited its use across a wide array of federal agencies and departments. Measure Preserving Community Energy Choice Passed by Senate
Legislation ensuring that state residents have options when it comes to fuel availability was approved by the Senate. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration. Senate Bill 143, known as Energy Choice legislation, would prevent municipal entities from banning a specific type of fuel source for appliances and heating homes or businesses. The measure was developed after cities across the nation took steps to ban fuels, such as natural gas and heating oil, in newly constructed buildings. The legislation is an important component of a sound energy policy for Pennsylvania that’s inclusive of all energy options residents may want or need to access. Senate Approves Legislation to Increase PA National Guard Health Care Providers
The Senate approved legislation that would allow more health professionals to participate in the Medical Officer Health Incentive Program, helping to ease the shortage of medical specialists in the Pennsylvania National Guard. The Medical Officer or Health Officer Incentive Program was created in 2014 to provide a tuition reimbursement incentive to those who qualified through their time in the armed services. Even though the program was successful in attracting health care providers into National Guard service, some health professionals, like dentists and physician assistants, were inadvertently left out of the program. Senate Bill 162, which fixes that oversight, now heads to the state House of Representatives for consideration. Senate Honors 20th Anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom
The Senate marked the upcoming 20th anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom with a resolution this week. In 2003, the United States and coalition forces began the mission to liberate Iraq from dictator Saddam Hussein and extend freedom and democracy throughout the region. On March 20, 2003, the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom was marked with airstrikes on Saddam Hussein’s presidential palace. Operation Iraqi Freedom ended on Dec. 15, 2011. Daylight Saving Time Begins This Weekend
Reminder: Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 12, at 2 a.m. While cell phone and computer clocks usually change automatically, most people move their standard clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night. It’s also a good time to check smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. If the devices are older than 10 years, experts suggest upgrading to 10-year, sealed battery alarms. They don’t require any battery replacement throughout their lifetime. Regardless, it’s still a good idea to press the test button on the alarms at least once every month. |
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