Senator Langerholc E-Newsletter

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In this Update:

 

  • Celebrating 160 Years at the Clearfield County Fair
  • Bedford Open House on Tuesday
  • Bike Lanes Debut in Cambria County
  • PA CareerLink Day in Clearfield County
  • Clearfield County Farm Bureau Legislative Tour
  • Virtual PA CareerLink Event
  • Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Distribution Returns to Johnstown 
  • Clearfield County Charitable Foundation Accepting Grant Applications
  • Discounted Tickets Available for Johnstown Attractions
  • Langerholc Announces $100,000 in Grants for 35th District Improvements
  • ID.ME REMINDER!
  • AAABA Tournament Returns to Johnstown
  • DCNR Now Accepting Grant Applications
  • Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program Accepting Applications
  • August 11 Reminds Us All to “Call Before You Dig”
  • Legislative Review: Strengthening Health Care
  • Annual PennDOT Highway Safety Survey
  • August is ABLE to Save Month
  • Saturday is Purple Heart Day

Celebrating 160 Years at the Clearfield County Fair

It was great to stop by the Clearfield County Fair after the cancellation of last year’s event. I presented a Senate Citation in honor of their 160th fair. The fair ends tomorrow and you can find a full list of events here: https://clearfieldcountyfair.com/fair/2021-daily-schedule/

Bedford Open House on Tuesday

My Bedford office relocated to 129 E. Penn Street.  Please join me Tuesday, August 10, from 11 am to 1 pm.  We will be available to answer specific state government questions or explain the many legislative services we can offer. I look forward to seeing residents of Bedford County on Tuesday!

Bike Lanes Debut in Cambria County

Bicycling transforms communities by generating disposable income, creating low-cost recreational activities for families and improving the overall quality of life. I was proud to host an event this week to unveil new bike lanes in Cambria County with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Deputy Secretary Jennie Granger, PennDOT District 9 Executive Tom Prestash, Jarrod Bunk who owns Hope Cyclery in Johnstown and various community leaders to commemorate 4.2 miles of new bike lanes.

PA CareerLink Day in Clearfield County

Thursday, August 12, is PA CareerLink Day across the North Central PA Region.

Employers and staff will be on hand at the PA CareerLink office located at 1125 Linden St., Clearfield from 10 am to 1 pm, to discuss job openings and job training opportunities.

For those near Dubois: PA CareerLink Day will be held outside at 602 W. DuBois Ave., Unit 1, DuBois, PA 15801. Local employers will be in attendance to meet with you from 1 pm to 3 pm.

Clearfield County Farm Bureau Legislative Tour

This week I had the opportunity to speak with local farmers the Clearfield County Farm Bureau Legislative Tour held at Hick’s Dairy Farm in DuBois. It was a great opportunity to listen about their needs and what we can do in Harrisburg to assist our dedicated farmers.

Virtual PA CareerLink Event

PA CareerLink will be hosting a virtual workshop August 24th-26th from 9 am – 11 am daily. This event will assist individuals in learning more about their individual skillsets as well as exploring the current jobs available to see if a job is right for them.

Sign up now: https://ecs.page.link/haFEt or call (814) 534-2500.

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Distribution Returns to Johnstown

Save the date! Register for Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s drive-up distribution on Wednesday, August 11 from 12 -2 pm at Johnstown Galleria, 500 Galleria Drive. You must make a reservation here in advance of the event.

Clearfield County Charitable Foundation Accepting Grant Applications

The Clearfield County Charitable Foundation is ready to accept applications for the 2021 CCCF Grant Program.

Application forms can be downloaded from the website at http://clearfieldcharitablefoundation.org/forms-downloads or can be requested by email at cccfexecdir@outlook.com.

The deadline for submission of the completed applications is Friday, Sept. 24. After the applications are submitted, the CCCF Grant Committee will review and score the applications, then make recommendations to the CCCF Board of Directors who will award the grants during their October board meeting.

Discounted Tickets Available for Johnstown Attractions

An online museum ticketing platform made possible by a grant from Visit Johnstown, Pennsylvania, allows individuals to save on tickets to Johnstown area attractions. You can get a combo pass to the Johnstown Flood Museum, Heritage Discovery Center/Johnstown Children’s Museum, Wagner-Ritter House & Garden, and Center for Metal Arts at a 20% discount, as well as tickets to individual attractions.

Langerholc Announces $100,000 in Grants for 35th District Improvements


The Keystone Communities Program awarded $100,000 in grants for downtown Bedford’s and the City of Johnstown’s Façade Programs, according to state Senator Wayne Langerholc, Jr. (R-35). Both cities will receive $50,000.

“These grants will help attract both employers and residents to both Bedford and Johnstown. The flexibility in utilizing these will also serve to help tailor the approach for maximized efficiency. I am pleased to help showcase what we already know – the 35th District is a great place to work, live and raise a family,” Senator Langerholc said.

The Keystone Communities Program is designed to encourage the creation of partnerships between the public and private sectors that jointly support local initiatives such as the growth and stability of neighborhoods and communities; social and economic diversity; and a strong and secure quality of life. The program allows communities to tailor the assistance to meet the needs of their specific revitalization efforts.

For more information or to apply for a grant, click here.

ID.ME REMINDER!

No one from ID.me will ever ask you for your credit card information! Some people have reported finding a phone number online for ID.me assistance. THIS IS FRAUD! The best way to get help with ID.me is to request help directly from their website. DO NOT GIVE ANYONE YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION!

AAABA Tournament Returns to Johnstown

It was great to be in attendance for opening night of the 2021 AAABA Tournament in Johnstown. Best of luck to all teams participating this weekend!

DCNR Now Accepting Grant Applications

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is now accepting electronic applications for grants aiding snowmobile- and all-terrain vehicle-related projects.

No match is required for this funding; however, applications providing matching funding will be given additional consideration. Here is a link to DCNR’s application process, which is open until Sept. 30:

https://apps.dcnr.pa.gov/grants/

Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program Accepting Applications

The Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside program is open and accepting applications! The program will fund projects and activities defined as transportation alternatives, including on-and-off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities, and environmental mitigation, trails that serve a transportation purpose, and safe routes to school projects. Projects may be funded at 100% of the construction cost and awards will be between $50,000 and $1,000,000.

The Transportation Alternatives Set-Asides website offers greater detail on the program specifics and guidelines, including project and sponsor eligibility criteria. An important deadline is coming up soon! Project sponsors must submit a pre-application by August 16, 2021 by 4:00 p.m.

The Pre-Application will collect project sponsor information, project details, and the proposed project alignment/location, which will be used for screening of the project. Submission of this pre-application will initiate a workflow with PennDOT District 9 and the Planning Partner (either the Southern Alleghenies RPO or the Cambria or Blair MPO). Once eligibility has been determined, the project sponsor will be notified if they may proceed with their application.

For questions or assistance with the TA Set-Asides program, please contact Brandon Peters, Southern Alleghenies Transportation Program Manager, at (814) 949-6543 or bpeters@sapdc.org

August 11 Reminds Us All to “Call Before You Dig”

August 11 – “811 Day” – is another opportunity to remind homeowners and contractors to always make the call to 811 at least three business days in advance of any digging project to have underground utility lines marked.

Every digging project, no  matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811 as the depth of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons such as erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surfaces.

Legislative Review: Strengthening Health Care

The pandemic underscored how fragile good health can be, and how important access to high-quality care is for Pennsylvania communities. The Senate passed several measures aimed at strengthening health care, including:

Act 11 of 2021 creating the Living Donor Protection Act.

Act 23 of 2021 giving individuals renewing either their vehicle registration or driver’s license an option to donate to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.

Act 56 of 2021 dedicating additional Medicaid funding for ventilator and tracheostomy services.

Act 60 of 2021 recognizing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists under Pennsylvania statute to prevent them from leaving Pennsylvania because of designation issues.

Act 68 of 2021 authorizing Pennsylvania to join the Nurse Licensure Compact recognizing mutual agreement in the requirements for nurse licensing and providing easier transfer of licenses.

Senate Bill 74 allowing companies to apply for a tax credit after donating to a Pennsylvania pediatric cancer research hospital. 

Senate Bill 323 extending the moratorium on increases in income due to a Social Security COLA for PACE and PACENET enrollees for two additional years until Dec. 31, 2023, benefitting 17,800 seniors.

Senate Bill 397 & Senate Bill 398 modernizing state law to encourage more physician assistants to stay and practice in the Commonwealth, resulting in a wider range of medical professionals across the health care delivery system.

You can find a full list of bills of note passed by the Senate in 2021 here.

Annual PennDOT Highway Safety Survey

 

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is seeking motorists’ input on traffic safety and driving behaviors through its annual online Highway Safety Survey. The survey is available through August 23 and should take about five minutes to complete. All responses, including the “comments” fields, are anonymous.

Nearly 8,000 people responded to last year’s survey, answering questions about safety habits such as seat belt use, impaired driving, speeding and distracted driving. Notably, nearly 91% of respondents said they always wear a seat belt and approximately 88% said they never drive while impaired. When asked how often they choose to exceed the posted speed limit, nearly 84% said they speed at least some of the time. 

August is ABLE to Save Month

Thanks to the federal Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 and the Pennsylvania ABLE Act of 2016, Pennsylvanians with disabilities and their families now have the tools they need to save for the future without losing critical benefits they rely on like Supplemental Security Income or medical assistance.

PA ABLE offers various savings options including an interest-bearing checking account with an accompanying debit card. All of the options come with generous tax benefits including no federal or state income tax on savings growth or withdrawals for qualified expenses, state income tax deductions for contributions up to $15,000, and exemption from state inheritance tax.

Pennsylvanians with disabilities and their families have opened more than 5,000 accounts and saved nearly $60 million since the program opened in 2017. Pennsylvanians with disabilities can save for costly expenses such as assistive technology or modified vehicles – or for necessary day-to-day needs like groceries and housing. Families can also use PA ABLE to save for their loved one’s future care.

For more information about eligibility for PA ABLE, qualified expenses and savings options, visit paable.gov or call 855-529-2253.

Saturday is Purple Heart Day

The Purple Heart, awarded to those killed or wounded while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, is the oldest military award still given to U.S. military members.

To shed blood for one’s country is a price few would pay, and to die on behalf of fellow citizens is the ultimate sacrifice. On August 7, please think of those killed and wounded in defense of this great and decent nation.

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