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In this update:
Should vehicle registration stickers come back? Let me know in my latest survey!My latest survey asks about a bill that is moving through the Senate of Pennsylvania. Do you remember those registration stickers you would affix to your license plate when you registered your vehicle? Act 89 of 2014 did away with these stickers, and became effective in 2017. While I was not here when that law passed, I have heard mixed reaction to a proposal that would bring these stickers back.
I want to hear from you – where do you stand on this issue? Should the legislature bring the registration stickers back? Please let me know by taking my survey here. Investing in our next generation to learn the jobs of tomorrowWhen I think about my elementary school experience and think about what students today get to experience is truly humbling. Over this past summer and fall, I took the time to meet with every school district superintendent in the 28th District to learn how we can work together to help students and teachers achieve success. During my meeting with Dr. Deisley of Red Lion Area School District, he informed me of a collaboration his district was involved in with South Eastern, Southern York County and South Western School Districts to bring coding courses to students in kindergarten through third grade. The Computer Science for All consortium is opening doors for the next generation to the jobs of tomorrow. The consortium teaches students computer science and coding skills seen in advanced tech careers. I was able to present CS4ALL with a check for $5,000 earlier this week to help push the initiative into more classrooms and more grades. The funding came from an award I was presented with by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association in October. The award came with a $5,000 donation to an education foundation within the 28th District. This project is extremely valuable and I hope it is used as a model for other districts throughout York County and across the Commonwealth to introduce students to the growing field of IT.
You can read more about Thursday’s event here. Thanking York’s “Shining Stars” – teachers who are making a differenceThe York City School District honored several teachers who are deemed “Shining Stars” by their students. I was honored to participate in the ceremony honoring our hardworking educators who received this much-deserved accolade. In addition to providing a few remarks, where I told them the story of my fifth grade teacher and how he inspired me to enter into public service as a legislator, I told them their classrooms are launching pads for careers. They inspire their students and on Wednesday, we celebrated that recognition.
You can watch a short video posted to the York City School District Facebook Page here. Congratulations! Senate approves USMCA resolutionThe Senate approved a resolution I sponsored with Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) on Wednesday calling on the United States Congress to approve the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) – a new trade agreement between the neighboring nations that replaces the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). I urged my colleagues to support this measure on Wednesday, which you can watch below.
The most important piece of news coming out of Washington DC this week appears to be a bipartisan deal on USMCA, which will do great things for Pennsylvania’s economy. Over 9 million jobs in the United States rely on trade between Mexico and Canada. This agreement will support the kind of quality manufacturing jobs that Vice President Pence came to York County to highlight. USMCA will open markets for Pennsylvania dairy and poultry products, which are both large sectors of York County’s economy. I was pleased to see the U.S. House of Representatives approve this trade agreement during their session on Thursday. You can learn more about this initiative here.
Congratulations to Paul Lipinski, York’s newest Eagle ScoutIt was an honor to present Paul Lipinski with a congratulatory citation from the Senate of Pennsylvania and on behalf of the more than a quarter million residents I represent, for his tireless dedication to join the ranks as one of York County’s few Eagle Scouts. Paul and his parents, David and Laura, stopped by our local office on Thursday where I met with Paul to congratulate him on this milestone achievement. As part of his community service project, Paul constructed a tennis backboard wall for the Goodling Park to benefit not only the public, but the Tennis for Kids program in Loganville. Paul served as Troop 69’s Patrol Leader, Assistant Patrol Leader and Senior Patrol Leader. Congratulations to Paul and thank you to his family and Troop 69 for encouraging him every step of the way!
Fighting to bring transparency and oversight to opioid prescription abuseThe House of Representatives approved legislation I sponsored that will assist in the fight to end opioid abuse in Pennsylvania.
My Senate Bill 432 would allow for the Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) to have access to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), which was created in 2014. Providing this data to MCOs would help improve oversight and prevent fraud. This reform will save taxpayer money by identifying waste and prescription drug abuse within Medicaid and reduce the need for recipients to undergo drug treatment and rehabilitation. You can learn more about this legislation here.
South Eastern School District visits state CapitolThank you to the South Eastern School District middle school students and teachers for spending a few minutes with me during your visit to the state Capitol on Tuesday! As part of their visit, where they toured the state Capitol, I also had a conversation with the students in the Senate Majority Caucus Room about my job as their state senator.
Latest podcast episode comes out Monday – features update on workgroup addressing school property taxesThank you to Senator Dave Argall (R-Schuylkill/Berks), who was the latest guest on my podcast – Kristin’s Corner – for sitting down with me earlier this week to discuss an issue that is so important to many local residents. Senator Argall was the leader of a workgroup comprised of bipartisan legislators from both the state Senate and House of Representatives, as well as staff from the governor’s office tasked with reviewing all options to reform and/or eliminate our school property taxes. The workgroup put together five options, which I shared with you in last week’s email (you can find that here), and are currently counting votes. Our conversation discusses the intricacies of the workgroup and where Senator Argall thinks this issue is headed. Senator Argall was the sponsor of an amendment that was defeated in the Senate to eliminate school property taxes back in 2015. It was the closest the legislature has come to eliminating school property taxes. I took to the Senate floor to remind my colleagues that it has been four years since the Senate of Pennsylvania last voted on this measure. If you missed it, you can watch my comments here. The podcast episode will be released on Monday, December 23 and I will share it in my email update next week.
Office hours for next week and a little holiday cheerDue to the Christmas holiday next week, I want to inform you of our office hours. We will be open on Monday, December 23 and Friday, December 27. We will be closed on Tuesday, December 24; Wednesday, December 25; and Thursday, December 26. It is my hope that you have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and best wishes this holiday season. On a lighter note, I want to share this amazing video of two state representatives who set up two pianos in our Capitol Rotunda to play a Christmas classic. I was working in our Capitol office and thought I heard music coming from the Rotunda as they recorded this video. I hope you enjoy it and that it will bring a little holiday spirit to your home. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
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