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| The Barb Wire |
| #Listrak\DateStampLong# |
The latest news from the State Capitol |
Please do not reply directly to this email, as it returns to an unmanned account.
You are welcome to contact me through this link.
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Barb’s Update
This week we received a host of committee meeting dates and bill suggestions. On Monday, I attended the Western Cumberland Council of Governments meeting and heard concerns about the expanded flood insurance maps and how municipalities are dealing with the unfunded mandate.
While attending the Carlisle Chamber 2025 Economic Forecast Breakfast, I found that tax and fiscal policy will be fluid this year until we know more about what the federal government plans to do. I met with the Arc of Cumberland and Perry Counties, hospice representatives, Army War College personnel, and a Cumberland/York area defense group. I was a guest reader to second graders at Moreland Elementary School for their Buck a Book program. Today, I will be touring New Visions, a personal care home in Newville, and meeting with Members 1st personnel about local issues. In Harrisburg, I continue to work on reintroducing legislation from last session, including calls with colleagues regarding the food processing residual bills that didn’t make it out of the Senate.
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2024 Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program Now Open
The application period for the state’s 2024 Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program is now open for eligible Pennsylvanians to begin claiming rebates on property taxes or rent paid last year.
Income limits increased again this year to $46,520 for both homeowners and renters. This is due to a 2023 law I supported that calls for adjusting the income limit based on annual increases in the Consumer Price Index. Remember to exclude 50% of Social Security when determining your income. The maximum rebate is $1,000.
The program is open to residents aged 65 years and older; widows and widowers 50 years and older; and people with disabilities 18 years and older.
Apply online at mypath.pa.gov or contact my office for forms and available free resources for application assistance. If you filed by mail last year, an application will be mailed to you.
Additional information about the program is available here.
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United Way Free Income Tax and Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PTRR) Preparation Services Available
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Additional PTRR Preparation Assistance Available
PA Department of Revenue
Pennsylvania Department of Revenue staff will be available at the locations listed below to help anyone who needs help filing their PTRR applications and/or Pennsylvania Personal Income tax returns (PA-40s).
This in-person assistance is being offered in part to help Pennsylvanians who are newly eligible for the PTRR program.
Harrisburg Revenue District Office
Strawberry Square Lobby
Harrisburg
Phone: 717-783-1405
Email: RA-RV-BET-HBG-TA-EM@pa.gov
Web
Hours:
Assistance is available at the Department of Revenue’s district offices from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Inclement weather may impact this schedule, and it could be subject to change. Customers are encouraged to call their preferred location ahead of time to verify availability and make an appointment.
Cumberland County Area Agency on Aging
Aging and Community Services
1100 Claremont Road, Carlisle
Phone: 717-240-6110
Fax: 717-240-6118
Email: aging@cumberlandcountypa.gov
Web
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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Congratulations America250PA Grant Award Winners
America250PA awarded $490,000 through the first round of Semiquincentennial Grants.
The recipients represent 33 communities and organizations from 18 different counties across the Commonwealth. These grants support educational, civic and celebratory events, and programming that elevates and enhances Pennsylvania’s celebration of our country’s 250th birthday in 2026.
America250PA will also award an additional $510,000 during the spring 2025 Semiquin Grant period that will be open from April 1 to May 15. Any Pennsylvania municipality, county or nonprofit is eligible to apply for projects and events, which support America250PA’s focus of education, preservation, innovation and celebration. Congratulations to these Cumberland County grant recipients:
Military Heritage Foundation $5,000
Pennsylvania Educational Communications System $20,000
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January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation. While many may not realize it, it is happening right here in the Commonwealth, not only in big cities but also in our suburban and rural communities.
In fact, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Pennsylvania consistently ranks among the top states in reported trafficking cases.
One of the most persistent myths about human trafficking is the assumption that it exclusively involves abduction or kidnapping. In reality, fewer than 10% of trafficking cases nationwide involve kidnapping. Instead, traffickers often groom their victims over time, exploiting vulnerabilities like age, poverty, substance abuse or unstable housing. Many victims know their trafficker, whether it’s a family member, romantic partner or someone embedded in the local community. These relationships of trust make trafficking more difficult to detect.
Children and adults of all ages and demographics can become victims. Through force, fraud and coercion, traffickers push their victims into demeaning forms of abuse, including domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation.
If you are a victim of human trafficking in need of help, or you suspect someone else is a victim:
• Call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
• Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
• Text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733) to reach the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.
Click here to learn more.
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Applications for 2025 Pennsylvania House Scholarship Available
High school seniors interested in receiving financial assistance to help pay for college can now apply for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Scholarship.
Each year the program awards a four-year scholarship to two students preparing for post-secondary education. It is open to graduating high school seniors who are Pennsylvania residents with plans to attend a Pennsylvania college, university or career school as a full-time student.
To qualify, students must have attained a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average in high school. Other factors taken into consideration for the awards are a student’s commitment to community, leadership qualities, extracurricular activities and financial need.
The scholarship program is administered through the Foundation for Enhancing Communities. Click here for more information and an application. The deadline to apply is April 15.
The scholarship is privately funded by individual and corporate donors; no tax or other public funds are used. Scholarships are awarded through an independent panel of judges chosen by the foundation.
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Attention Students: House Fellowship Program Taking Applications
The Pennsylvania House Legislative Fellowship Program is accepting applications for its summer 2025 semester.
The program is based at Pennsylvania’s Capitol Building in Harrisburg where fellows are assigned to work in House standing committees or leadership offices; are compensated for their work (which may also include college credit); and are provided the opportunities to draft and present their own legislation, attend meet-and-greets with various public officials and staff, and tour some of the Commonwealth’s historic public spaces, to name a few.
Qualified applicants must be undergraduate juniors and seniors, graduate students or law school students; enrolled in a Pennsylvania college/university or a Pennsylvania resident enrolled in an out-of-state institution; and students of any major with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
For more information or to apply, visit pahousefellowship.us. Applications can be submitted via email to pahousefellowship@pabmc.net. The deadline to apply is March 1
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PennDOT Driver License, Photo Centers Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
All PennDOT driver license and photo centers will be closed this Saturday, Jan. 18, through Monday, Jan. 20, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Customers may still obtain a variety of driver and vehicle products and services, including all forms, publications and driver training manuals, online through PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website, dmv.pa.gov.
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Offices Closed Monday in Honor of MLK, Jr. Day.
The Carlisle Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee will hold its 36th celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. King Jr. this weekend. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy”.
Join the worship service this Sunday, Jan. 19, beginning at 4 p.m. at The Meeting House, 1155 Walnut Bottom Road, Carlisle, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Marcellus Taylor, director of Health Equity at the Partnership for Better Health, Carlisle.
The annual commemorative march will take place this Monday, Jan. 20, beginning at 4 p.m., starting at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 409 W. Lincoln St., to Allison Hall on the campus of Dickinson College (College St.), where a short program will begin at 5 p.m. and include guest speakers and a performance, followed by dialogue and dinner in the community room.
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Save the date! Join us for some light refreshments and pick up your tax forms. No RSVP necessary.
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| Office Locations |
| District Office: 437 E North Street | Carlisle, PA 17013 | Phone: 717-249-1990 |
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| 427 Irvis Office Building | House Box 202199 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2199 | 717-772-2280 |
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