(11/2023) Tuition, Loan Assistance Available for Volunteer First Responders

Working to help our communities recruit and retain vital first responders, the General Assembly last year established the Active Volunteer Tuition and Loan Assistance Program. Now accepting applications, the program is available to volunteers who reside in the Commonwealth and have been active volunteers in good standing for at least one year prior to applying. Applicants must also meet participation requirements and commit to serving as an active volunteer for at least five years after completing their education. The program provides up to $1,000 per academic year for fulltime students and $500 for part-time students.

Medicare Annual Open Enrollment

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging is reminding older adults that the annual open enrollment period for Medicare beneficiaries is open and ends Dec. 7. Any new coverage selected or changes to existing benefits will take effect Jan. 1.

During open enrollment, new Medicare beneficiaries can sign up for Medicare prescription drug coverage and health plans to complement Medicare, and current Medicare beneficiaries can review and join, switch or drop Medicare Advantage or prescription drug coverage so it better meets their needs.

To help Medicare beneficiaries understand their options, the department offers free, objective health benefits counseling through Pennsylvania Medicare Education and Decision Insight (PA MEDI). Available at Pennsylvania's 52 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), PA MEDI counselors can assist Medicare beneficiaries with plan comparisons, help with enrollment in a new plan, and evaluate eligibility for any of Pennsylvania’s Medicare cost-savings programs.

To learn more about PA MEDI assistance, click here. PA MEDI can also be reached at 1-800-783-7067 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Grants, Assistance Available to Senior Community Centers

Starting Nov. 1, qualified senior centers can apply for competitive grants to boost participation and programming at senior centers and enable the centers to provide a safe and healthy environment for participants. A total of $2 million is available for competitive grants and $1 million more is available for noncompetitive grants. Officials with Area Agencies on Aging and senior community centers are encouraged to participate. The webinar will be available here. The meeting number is 2535 629 1783, and the meeting password is "grant" (or 47268 from phones and video systems). To join by phone only, call 1-844-621-3956 and use the access code 2535 629 1783.

Apply Now for PennDOT Jobs

PennDOT is actively seeking over 700 temporary equipment operators statewide for the winter season to supplement the department's full-time staff. Details on minimum requirements, such as possession of a CDL, as well as application information, are available at employment.pa.gov. Through the same website, job seekers can apply for nearly 100 other non-operator winter positions such as diesel and construction equipment mechanics, welders, clerks and more.

Committee Examines Path to More Affordable Higher Education

The House Republican Policy Committee held a hearing at the state Capitol this week to examine the escalating expense of higher education and ways to eliminate obstacles to opportunity. Testifying at the hearing were Dr. Daniel Greenstein, chancellor, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education; Tom Foley, president, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania; and Dr. Quintin Bullock, president, Community College of Allegheny County, on behalf of Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges. They highlighted the importance of education access to the state’s economy and stressed that a trained and ready workforce is necessary to attract and retain family-sustaining jobs and careers in the Commonwealth. They also highlighted the importance of initiatives such as dual enrollment to save students money on tuition, as well as partnerships for purchasing necessary software, bond financing for capital projects and more

Agriculture Committee Advances Legislation

The House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, of which I am Republican chairman, voted to advance legislation to criminalize possession of Xylazine – a sedative used by veterinarians in the treatment of animals. House Bill 1661, which aims to prevent the drug from being used for illicit purposes, would provide exemptions for veterinarians. Other bills voted out of committee included House Bill 1540, which would change the annual reporting deadline of the Commission for Agricultural Education Excellence. I amended the bill to establish a form and process for filling vacancies on the commission. Recent changes to the National Fireworks Protection Act made some Pennsylvania laws moot and therefore no longer necessary for the state Department of Agriculture to enforce them. Senate Bill 694 would repeal the enforcement requirements.

House Advances Consumer Protections for Concertgoers

To help protect consumers looking to purchase tickets for concerts and other events, the state House adopted two bills aimed at stopping speculative ticketing and combating bots that create an artificial scarcity of tickets, driving up prices for consumers. House Bill 1658 would essentially prohibit ticket resellers from advertising or offering tickets they do not have. It also would prohibit a secondary ticket platform from using a domain or subdomain name of the specific rights holder, venue, performer, group or team unless authorized by that entity. House Bill 1378 would prevent scalpers from using software to purchase items in bulk over the internet for the purpose of resale and not personal use. This legislation would make it unlawful to circumvent a security measure, access control system, or other technological control that enforces posted purchasing limits online. The bills stem from incidents like last year’s pre-sale for the Taylor Swift Eras Tour that resulted in thousands of consumers filing complaints with the state attorney general’s office. Both measures go to the Senate for consideration.

Proposed Election Code Changes Would Bring Chaos

The House majority party this week tried to force through major changes to the state’s election system – changes that would have sent county election offices into chaos and do nothing to restore faith and confidence in our election system. Just before midnight Wednesday, the majority-led House Appropriations Committee adopted a comprehensive, never-before-seen amendment to an Election Code bill that would have, among other things, implemented permanent mail-in voting. The amendment provides that once a person applies for a mail-in ballot, he or she would automatically receive mail-in ballots each election cycle until they specified otherwise. Failure to do so could make it difficult to cast a ballot in person. Such changes further erode the security and integrity of our elections. Rather than make the proposals available to the public for review, members of the committee received the amendment just minutes prior to the vote. Our elections are far too important for substantial changes to be made to legislation near the midnight hour. It’s time to work together to improve election integrity for the people of this Commonwealth.