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In this Update:
Robinson: $4 Million State Grant for Local Technical SchoolSenator Robinson was joined by State Rep. Nick Pisciottano and a bipartisan group of local elected officials to announce a $4 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant for the Steel Center for Career and Technical Education. The Steel Center provides career and technical education to residents from 11 school districts in the Mon Valley and South Hills areas of Allegheny County. Robinson: Funding for Bridgeville Borough Law Enforcement AgencySenator Robinson has announced that Bridgeville Borough was awarded more than $35,000 for the local law enforcement agency to purchase in-car camera equipment. Earlier this session, Robinson sponsored the PCCD Local Law Enforcement Support Grant Program, which was enacted as part of the 2022-23 state budget and this week approved grants to 197 law enforcement agencies totaling $135 million statewide. Program funding can be used for many different projects or purchases to enhance public safety, such as communications system upgrades, body-work or in-car cameras, recruitment and retention, training, surveillance cameras, automated license plate readers and more. Measures Taken to Prevent Tax Hikes and Create JobsIn the 2021-22 legislative session, the General Assembly enacted measures that shielded Pennsylvanians from tax hikes and reduced the burden on job creators to bring good-paying and family-sustaining jobs to our commonwealth. We cut the Corporate Net Income Tax to attract employers to Pennsylvania, modernized expense deductions allowing small business owners more flexibility and tax planning opportunities, and provided tax incentives for small businesses to grow and invest in Pennsylvania. Other steps taken to expand job growth included establishing the Pennsylvania Economic Development for a Growing Economy (PA EDGE) tax credit program and other targeted initiatives directly linked to creating jobs for Pennsylvanians. I’ll continue to work in the 2023-24 legislative session to ease the tax burden on Pennsylvania families and enact measures that promote job growth. Appropriations Monthly Update Highlights Five-Year Budget Outlook, InflationEach month, the Senate Appropriations Committee provides an update on the state’s current revenue performance, as well as information on issues of financial importance for Pennsylvania in the months and years to come. These reports help inform the decisions we make in Harrisburg, while providing a critical layer of transparency for you to know how your tax dollars are being utilized. This month’s edition highlights the state’s five-year budget outlook, as well as the impacts of inflation, the state’s new revenue reporting system, and more. Monthly Report Reports Outline Natural Gas Costs and Readiness this WinterThe Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has released its 2022 Winter Readiness Overviews covering the reliability and expected cost of natural gas service this winter. According to the Readiness Report from the Energy Association of Pennsylvania, home heating costs are expected to rise significantly over the winter, driven by an estimated 5% increase in consumption (for households that use natural gas as their primary heating fuel), along with a 28% rise in natural gas prices compared to last winter. Additionally, all of Pennsylvania’s major natural gas distribution companies indicated that they have sufficient supplies and procedures in place to ensure reliable natural gas service this winter. You can find details and local utility reports here. Making the Holidays Brighter for Military Families and VeteransPlease consider making the holidays brighter for veterans, service members and their families with a tax-deductible donation to any of these support programs run by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Military Family Relief Assistance Program provides financial assistance, in the form of grants, to eligible Pennsylvania service members and their eligible family members who have an immediate financial need based on circumstances beyond their control. Veterans’ Trust Fund issues grants to statewide charitable organizations that assist veterans, veterans service organizations and county directors of veterans affairs to help veterans in need of shelter and necessities of living. You can also give to Residents’ Welfare Funds at any of the DMVA’s six veterans homes to keep our residents active, healthy and engaged. You can donate online or by mail to: DMVA Office for Veterans Affairs, Bldg. 0-47, Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA 17003-5002. Celebrating and Protecting Our Bill of RightsThe right to free speech, the right to bear arms and eight other amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up our Bill of Rights. This week, we celebrate its Dec. 15, 1791 ratification and pledge to defend these rights forever. Happy Hanukkah
To everyone observing Hanukkah, I hope these eight days bring you joy and a sense of rededication. Out and About in the 37thLast week I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Army POW Jessica Lynch after almost twenty years since our paths last crossed in Nasiriyah, Iraq. Thank you to the Steelers and Peoples Gas for facilitating that meeting. Congratulations to Bethel Park High School for being selected as a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education! Bethel Park is just the 37th high school in Pennsylvania to receive this distinction. I had a great evening at the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce holiday reception. I look forward to continuing our work together in 2023! |
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