Author: Brigitte S.

HARRISBURG – Funds for providing high-speed broadband in unserved areas were awarded today through the Unserved High-Speed Broadband Funding Program (UHSB) according to Sen. Wayne Langerholc, Jr. (R-35).

The program was created as a result of Langerholc’s legislation, Senate Bill 835 which was signed into law as Act 132 of 2020. 

“Several years ago, we heard the concerns of those in this Commonwealth that were denied access to reliable broadband. The pandemic highlighted the need for this essential service for education, work and economic development,” said Langerholc. “I am pleased that our efforts have come to fruition to provide funding for these vital projects for my constituents. We will continue to work towards our goal of ensuring all Pennsylvanians have access to broadband.”

One grant of $449,103 will provide for the construction of wired infrastructure in Allegheny Township, Cambria County. This will include the installation of 25 miles of fiberoptic cable to serve 400 residential and 50 business properties with higher broadband speeds.

The second grant of $818,962 will expand high-speed broadband networks in East Providence Township, Bedford County and Brush Creek Township, Fulton County by installing 74 miles of fiberoptic cable to serve 225 residential and 17 business properties.

Over $10 million in grants were awarded today by the Commonwealth Financing Authority under the Unserved High-Speed Broadband Funding Program.

Contact: Gwenn Dando gdando@pasen.gov

Harrisburg –  Senator Wayne Langerholc, Jr. (R-35), Senator Joe Pittman (R-41) and Senator Gene Yaw (R-23) announced their intent to introduce a resolution urging President Biden to restart the Keystone XL pipeline.

 This week, oil prices soared over $100 per barrel and currently, the United States imports over 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Russia. The unprovoked invasion of Ukraine jeopardizes the availability of this supply and casts a long shadow of uncertainty on future prices. 

“This resolution demands that we reengage in the discussion of energy independence,” said Senator Langerholc. “We must use the abundant natural resources that we and our allies have within our reach to put us on a path towards energy independence. While the Keystone XL pipeline is but one piece of this puzzle it represents a tangible solution to the problem. We cannot continue to be held hostage to foreign entities and radical environmentalists. The time for energy independence is now as is evidenced by the events on the world stage.” 

“Unless we act now to ramp up domestic oil and gas production, there will be little other way to shield Americans from extraordinary price increases,” Yaw said. “Although shortsighted climate rhetoric has left our national security at risk, we can still pivot and limit the impacts of this geopolitical crisis.” 

“For too long we have been distracted from the pressing dangers throughout the world by voices whose policies have given a strategic advantage to autocrats who have no concern for human life, only their own collection of power and wealth,” said Sen. Pittman. “The United States should pursue an all-out energy production effort to not only give our country independence from Russian-generated energy or any other energy produced by those who don’t share America’s interests, but also provide our allies with a supply of energy that doesn’t come at the cost of the freedom of other sovereign nations. The Keystone XL pipeline is critical to our national energy infrastructure and it’s also very symbolic of a desire to secure our energy independence for not only economic interests but national security interests.” 

Contact:

Gwenn Dando (Langerholc)
Nick Troutman (Yaw)
Jeremy Dias (Pittman)

(HARRISBURG) – The House passed legislation sponsored by Sens. Wayne Langerholc, Jr. (R-35) and Pat Browne (R-16) that will assist students experiencing homelessness or those who transition between foster homes to stay on track to graduate high school.

Students experiencing homelessness or living in foster care may face additional graduation challenges because they changed schools before earning full credit or are unable to take a required course at their new school. Their new school also may not honor the credits they earned. Senate Bill 324 will remedy these roadblocks by requiring the school to designate a point person to review the student’s past transcripts and provide the essential support needed to aid the student to graduate in a timely manner.

“Far too often students in foster or juvenile systems don’t graduate on time – if at all,” Sen. Langerholc said. “Ensuring these young men and women do not fall through the cracks will provide the resources necessary for them to graduate on-time and be in a better position for success. ”

“The path to graduation isn’t about their hard work or determination in the classroom for many of the Commonwealth’s students, but instead the insurmountable roadblocks that delay or prevent them from completing their studies altogether,” Browne said. “I am proud to partner with Sen. Langerholc in authoring this legislation. It will help to remove these barriers, allowing for more young men and women to succeed and realize their potential.”

The bill would also provide students with other methods to demonstrate that their coursework has been satisfactorily completed so necessary credit can be awarded. If a student is ineligible to graduate from his or her new school, the new school may request a diploma be issued from the previous school, assuming the student met the previous school’s graduation requirements.

Senate Bill 324 now heads to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

CONTACT (Langerholc): Gwenn Dando, 717-787-5400
CONTACT (Browne): Matt Szuchyt     610-821-8468