.jpg)
|
|
|
|
| |
| 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.
|
Barb’s Update
Even though the weather was extremely cold, my staff and I were able to get out and tour some of our local nonprofits and businesses in the area. We toured Carlisle’s Domestic Violence Services of Cumberland & Perry with Executive Director Sonya Brown to discuss how their operation has been streamlined and what their current urgent needs are. We then went to a location in Carlisle for the future Hope House, which is another nonprofit for transitional housing. We visited Crosswinds Winery to be introduced to new owners and discuss business opportunities for growth. We stepped next door and met with Blue Mountain Flower Shop owners who are gearing up for Valentine’s Day. I was honored to help present a check from America250PA to the Army Heritage Education Center for the SemiQuin Grant to host an event for the public commemorating the 250th birthday of our nation.
We continue to be very busy in our office with constituent services.
|
House Returns to Session Monday
The state House is scheduled for its first voting session day of the 2025-26 Legislative Session this Monday, Jan. 27. The current makeup of the chamber is 101 Republicans and 101 Democrats, due to the tragic passing of Rep. Matt Gergely of Allegheny County over the weekend. The special election in that district has been set for March 25.
The start of a new session means we must reintroduce any legislation we worked on during the last two years that did not make it to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
Most of the standing committees of the House will be meeting next week to organize, including the committees on which I serve:
• Aging and Older Adult Services
• Commerce
• Education (Chair of Basic Education Subcommittee)
• Labor and Industry
• Policy (Chair of Basic Education Subcommittee)
I will be traveling to Latrobe, Schyuykill County and Harrisburg for policy meetings next week on Energy-related policies.
Remember, all House sessions and committee meetings are streamed live at PAHouseGOP.com.
You can also keep up with the news from Harrisburg by visiting my website at RepGleim.com
|
New Permit Tracking Tool Available
On the heels of permitting reforms approved by the General Assembly last year, with my support, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience (CODE PA) have launched a new tool to track the progress of permit applications submitted to DEP.
The Permit Status Tracker can:
• Search by authorization ID or keyword.
• Filter by county, program area, permit type, application type, status and submission date.
• View application status, details and estimated processing time.
• Find contact information for your reviewer.
The tracking system was one of three initiatives aimed at improving the state’s permitting process adopted last year as part of the 2024-25 state budget. Act 54 of 2024 also allows applicants to use third-party entities approved by the state to expedite the review process for air, land and water permits issued by DEP and county conservation districts. It also holds DEP accountable for permit delays.
|
PGC Seeks Help for Winter Turkey Survey
The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) is asking for the public’s help finding turkey flocks to trap for ongoing projects. Pennsylvanians are encouraged to report the location of any turkey flocks they see across the state. Information is being collected online here through March 15.
Among other things, visitors to that webpage are asked to provide the date of the sighting, the location and the type of land (public, private or unknown) where birds are seen.
Trapping turkeys during winter is part of the commission's ongoing population monitoring, and it provides information for large-scale turkey studies.
Read more here.
|
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) is reminding older adults the annual Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs now through March 31. During this time, beneficiaries who currently have a Medicare Advantage plan can switch to a different plan or to original Medicare. Changes to their enrollment will take effect on the first of the month following the month in which they enroll.
Pennsylvania Medicare Education and Decision Insight (PA MEDI) – the Commonwealth’s Medicare counseling program – is available through the 52 local Area Agencies on Aging to help beneficiaries with Medicare questions. Older adults can receive unbiased, no-cost Medicare assistance from trained PA MEDI counselors who can walk them through their options to assist in making informed health insurance decisions that optimize their cost savings and access to health care and benefits.
Medicare Advantage is a Medicare-approved plan from a private company that offers an alternative to original Medicare for health and drug coverage. These “bundled” plans include Part A Hospital Insurance, Part B Medical Insurance and usually Part D Drug Coverage.
PA MEDI counselors do not sell Medicare insurance products, nor do they endorse any insurance company, product or agent. Counselors will not recommend policies, companies or insurance agents but will provide free, confidential and unbiased personalized assistance.
Contact your local Area Agency on Aging to schedule a personalized counseling session. For more information, call the toll-free PA MEDI Helpline at 1-800-783-7067 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
|
PA Office of Open Records Summer Internships Available
Interested in law, government, and freedom of speech? Consider interning at the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. The OOR provides an exciting opportunity for college students with an interest in law to learn about and assist with its mission to provide citizen access to government records.
The OOR was established in 2009 to create a free, simple method for citizens to appeal a public records’ denial by a local or state government agency. The OOR’s decision to grant or deny access to records is legally binding. Attorneys at the OOR review an agency’s legal reasonings for denying access to records and issue a legally binding decisions that either upholds the denial or grants access.
The OOR’s decisions have an enormous impact with ripple effects that can lead to seismic changes across all levels of government in Pennsylvania and even impact national events. This is underscored by OOR decisions involving records related to local and state governments’ decisions during and after the COVID pandemic, use of medical marijuana, and voting records related to the 2020 presidential election and the recent midterm elections.
This paid internship is designed for undergraduate students or recent graduates with an interest in law to gain experience in the legal work completed by the Office of Open Records. The intern will learn the basics of the Right-to-Know Law (RTKL), which governs record access in Pennsylvania, and directly observe the OOR’s process of drafting and finalizing appeal decisions. The intern will also be assigned special projects, including updating a 2023 review of agencies’ compliance with posting required information about the Right-to-Know Law on their website.
Click here for more information.
|
Keystone Contractors Scholarship Opportunity
The Keystone Contractors Association Scholarship Program is committed to providing $40,000 in scholarships annually to Pennsylvania residents who are attending Pennsylvania colleges and who have aspirations to build the future of Pennsylvania.
This scholarship program is ideal for graduating high school seniors and current college students who seek a construction-related degree. Now in its fourth year, the KCA has received applications from students attending 17 higher education institutions from across the Commonwealth from places like Scranton University to Carnegie Mellon University to Erie Community College to Temple University and Pennsylvania State University (main campus and branches).
The deadline to apply for this year's scholarship program is March 1, 2025. Please feel free to share this information. For more information visit here.
|
SAVE THE DATES!
|
|
| Office Locations |
| District Office: 437 E North Street | Carlisle, PA 17013 | Phone: 717-249-1990 |
|
| 427 Irvis Office Building | House Box 202199 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2199 | 717-772-2280 |
|
|
|
|
