Senator Phillips-Hill E-Newsletter

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In this update:

  • Survey responses show strong support for several proposed constitutional amendments
  • One year after Dept. of State failed victims, my bill would hold your government more accountable
  • First Responders Association of York County reorganization meeting
  • Congratulations to Southern York School District Warrior Band on first place finish
  • Schools have new tool to ease substitute teacher shortage after legislature approves my amendment
  • Help for students to acquire skills in high demand by employers
  • Welcoming Ore Valley Elementary School students
  • Bringing transparency to YOUR state government: Senate committee activity is streamed and stored online
  • 2022 trout stocking schedule now online
  • Local job openings
  • On deck

Survey responses show strong support for several proposed constitutional amendments

 

The results are in on my latest legislative survey! Thank you to the 689 individuals across the 28th District for taking my latest legislative survey.

My survey asked for your feedback on a proposal working its way through the General Assembly. Senate Bill 106 contains five different proposed state constitutional amendments. Should this legislation be approved, the General Assembly would need to approve of the same bill next session before it would appear on the ballot for voters to ultimately decide.

Senate Bill 106 contains five proposed constitutional amendments, and I asked about your stance on each provision of the legislation –

Do you support allowing gubernatorial candidates to pick their running mates for Lt. Governor?

  • Yes         450         65.3%
  • No          123         17.9%
  • Undecided          116         16.8%

Do you support allowing the legislature to stop a proposed regulation without the governor’s approval?

  • Yes          430                62.4%
  • No          190         27.6%
  • Undecided          69           10%

Do you support ending executive orders or proclamations that have the effect of law within 21 days, unless extended by the legislature?

  • Yes         498         72.3%
  • No          171         24.8%
  • Undecided          20           2.9%

Do you support a voter identification requirement when voting?

  • Yes         528         76.6%
  • No          137         19.9%
  • Undecided          24           3.5%

Do you support annual audits of our elections process, including voter rolls and the administration of the election, by the state’s Auditor General?

  • Yes         518         75.2%
  • No          123         17.9%
  • Undecided          48           7%

As always, thank you to our neighbors who participated in my latest legislative survey! 

One year after Dept. of State failed victims, my bill would hold your government more accountable

 

I spoke with ABC27’s Dennis Owens about the failure of the Wolf Administration and the Department of State to advertise a proposed constitutional amendment that would have provided justice for sex abuse survivors. This week marked the one-year anniversary of the botched constitutional amendment.

Watch my interview here.

By way of background: The Department of State failed to advertise this proposed constitutional amendment. When I met with the Acting Secretary of State after the fall out, I asked if changes had been established to ensure that victims or any individual counting on a proposed constitutional amendment are not failed by their government.

I was told the department established new paperwork and policies. That was not sufficient.

My Constitutional Amendment Accountability Act will allow you and every other individual to see the constitutional amendment process in real-time, including:

  • A copy of the notice and constitutionally required deadline.
  • A listing of every newspaper in which the constitutional amendment notice was published and the date of said publication.
  • The earliest possible Election Day it may be considered by voters.

You can read more here.

First Responders Association of York County reorganization meeting

 

I was honored to join the First Responders Association of York County for their annual reorganization meeting to swear in the officers and directors.

Our community is extremely grateful to the members of the association that serve as fire police protecting the firefighters, helping the police, and serving the community. 

Thank you! 

Congratulations to Southern York School District Warrior Band on first place finish

It is clear that the Warrior Band, led by director Mr. Christian Poole, has a dynasty with yet another first place finish at the Cavalcade Championships in Hershey.

The Warrior Band has taken home the top prize in 2007, 2016, 2017, 2018 and again last year. It was an honor to join Rep. Kate Klunk to present the Warrior Band and Mr. Poole with a congratulatory citation from the Senate of Pennsylvania and state House of Representatives.

You can view more photos from the event here.

Schools have new tool to ease substitute teacher shortage after legislature approves my amendment

 

The General Assembly recently passed Act 91, which included an amendment I sponsored, to help schools find substitute teachers to fill critical staffing shortages caused by the pandemic. The Pennsylvania Department of Education has released guidelines for schools to follow in taking advantage of the law.

Act 91 provides additional pathways for quality individuals to pursue and complete certifications and enter the educator workforce. Specifically, the law creates a new Classroom Monitor Permit for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. A classroom monitor may be employed to provide coverage and deliver preplanned assignments in classrooms. A classroom monitor may not plan lessons or create or grade student work.

An individual receiving a Classroom Monitor Permit must satisfy the following requirements as outlined in Act 91:

  • Has completed at least 60 semester hours or the equivalent of courses at a regionally accredited college or university located in Pennsylvania or have at least three years’ experience as a paraprofessional in a school entity and is currently employed as a paraprofessional.
  • Has met the pre-employment requirements for background clearances, citizenship and good moral character under the School Code and Child Protective Services Law.
  • Has completed training on classroom management provided by an intermediate unit (IU) and approved by PDE.
  • Is at least 25 years of age.

Additional consideration should be taken when determining if a classroom monitor should work with students with disabilities. Schools can find more information and resources about the changes under Act 91 are available on the department’s Certification Services website.

Help for students to acquire skills in high demand by employers

 

Financial assistance is available to help students learn skills in high demand by today’s employers in energy, health, advanced materials and diversified manufacturing, and agriculture and food production.

The PA Targeted Industry Program, created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2012, provides need-based awards up to $5,000. Approved veteran applicants may receive up to 100% of the student’s total educational costs or the max award, whichever is less. Awards can be used to cover tuition, books, fees, supplies and a $4,000 living expense allowance.

Students must have received a high school diploma, GED or recognized homeschool certificate. Students who have completed a bachelor’s or graduate degree are still eligible to apply for assistance.

Click here for more information.

Welcoming Ore Valley Elementary School students

On Thursday, elementary school students, parent chaperones, and teachers from Ore Valley Elementary School, part of the Dallastown Area School District, toured the state Capitol.

In addition to welcoming them to the Main Rotunda, I showed them the Senate chamber where I serve as their state senator.

You can view more pictures here.

If you or anyone you know is interested in a Capitol tour, please let me know. 

Bringing transparency to YOUR state government: Senate committee activity is streamed and stored online

 

Last year, the Senate held nearly 330 public meetings and hearings that were streamed live from the Capitol and locations across Pennsylvania. You can find them all, plus 2022’s committee activity, here.

The Senate’s 23 standing committees, ranging from Aging and Youth to Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness, are where legislation is vetted, debated and, if necessary, altered before being considered by the full Senate. Committee hearings bring citizens, experts, and other interested parties together for public presentations on various topics.

Committee pages are where you can find agendas, video, and written testimony. You can find the most recent committee action and upcoming livestreams here, and a full Senate committee schedule here.

2022 trout stocking schedule now online

 

The 2022 adult trout stocking schedule is now available from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

The trout stocking schedule is searchable by county, lists the waterways in alphabetical order, and indicates stocking dates, meeting locations for volunteers and the species of trout that will be stocked.

In 2022, Pennsylvania will return to a single, statewide Opening Day of Trout Season on the first Saturday in April, which is April 2.

A single, statewide Mentored Youth Trout Day will take place on Saturday, March 26. Under this change, which will result in a longer regular season for trout statewide, the practice of holding a separate regional opening day and mentored youth day for Pennsylvania’s 18 southeastern counties will no longer occur.

To accommodate the earlier statewide trout season, preseason trout stocking operations are set to begin the week of Feb. 21. 

Local job openings 

PA CareerLink shared with me its latest list of local job openings, which you can view below. You can also find job postings shared with the York County Economic Alliance here.

On deck

The Senate of Pennsylvania will reconvene on Monday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m.

In addition to session on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, Gov. Tom Wolf will unveil his eighth and final state budget on Tuesday before a joint legislative session on Tuesday, Feb. 8, at noon.

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