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In this Update:
Pittsburgh Airport Announces New Destinations, Unveils New TechnologyPittsburgh International Airport (PIT) recently announced four new destinations with Frontier Airlines: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Raleigh-Durham. I am pleased to see more direct routes become available to Pittsburghers and look forward to the positive economic impact these routes will have on our region. PIT also unveiled its newest identify verification technology, CLEAR, which verifies identity with eyes and fingerprints, providing travelers with a friction-free security experience. I was glad to attend the ribbon cutting to unveil this new technology and give it a test! Congratulations to everyone involved in these projects! Community HighlightsTroop 215 has five new Eagle Scouts! Congratulations Paul, Bryce, Nathan, Edward, and Gavin on your incredible accomplishments! It was an honor to participate in their ceremony. I was glad to stop by Moon Area High School on Sunday to support their band and orchestra. They cooked a delicious pancake breakfast and sent me home with a box of cookies, too! I also stopped by Presto Volunteer Fire Department’s Annual Holiday Breakfast. It was wonderful to chat with some of their firefighters – thank you for your dedication to our community. On Sunday I attended Bridgeville’s annual Christmas toy giveaway, where families lined up around the block in the December rain. Thank you to Chief Chad King, Bridgeville Police Department, Jess King, Chief Ray Costain, Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Department, Mayor Betty Copeland, The Grinch, Buddy the Elf, Sasquatch, and Santa for making this holiday season special for so many children. Wreaths Across America in Bethel ParkI was honored to speak at Bethel Park’s Wreaths Across America Ceremony. Thank you to all the volunteers who organize this amazing event and to everyone who took the time to honor our fallen Veterans. Bill to Combat Package Thefts Signed into LawThe Senate passed legislation to combat porch pirating – the theft of packages delivered to people’s homes – and it was recently signed into law. Senate Bill 527, now Act 41 of 2023, implements specific penalties for theft of mail, which includes a package, bag or letter. In Pennsylvania, theft of mail is currently charged based solely on the value of the item taken. According to Forbes, Americans spent $1.7 trillion shopping online since 2020 and nearly eight in 10 Americans have had a package stolen in 2022. Pennsylvania now joins eight other states that have already made porch pirating a felony. New Law Gives Young Adults Strong Financial Literacy FoundationLegislation to provide students with basic money management skills was recently signed into law. Specifically, it requires completion of a half-credit personal finance course to graduate high school. Recent estimates calculate there are more than 350 million American-owned credit card accounts, and, on average, credit card owners have about four cards apiece. Families in the United States are approaching approximately $1 trillion dollars in credit card debt and more than $15 trillion dollars in debt overall. The course will give high school students the understanding they need about topics like credit and credit scores; savings and investments; college, home and auto loans; and planning for postsecondary education and retirement. Sharing the Holiday Spirit with PA VeteransIf you would like to support our veterans and military families this holiday season, making a monetary donation goes a long way toward helping the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs provide members, veterans and their families with essential programs and services that would not be available otherwise. Donations can be made by mail or online. They are tax-deductible, and gifts of any amount are appreciated. Learn more about making a donation. Driving Safely During Inclement WeatherPennsylvania has nearly 40,000 miles of roads – which translates to 96,000 snow-lane miles – that must be maintained during inclement weather so people can travel safely. The approximately 2,200 PennDOT-owned and rented plow trucks have in-truck technology that logs and shares data in real time so the public can monitor the routes of their interstate and expressway travels on www.511PA.com. Of course, drivers should avoid the roads until they have been cleared, if possible. Anyone who must travel is urged to use extra caution by slowing down, increasing their following distance and avoiding distractions. Read more winter driving tips here. Merry Christmas to You and YoursThis holiday season, I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. May you enjoy the real gifts of love, peace and happiness. My district office hours may be limited due to the holidays. Please call ahead to be sure my offices are open. Also, PennDOT Driver License Centers will be closed on Dec. 23 and 25 for Christmas, and on Dec. 30 and Jan. 1 for New Year’s. Customers may still obtain a variety of driver and vehicle products and services online through PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website.
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