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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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Demolition Begins at New Carlisle Community Cares Shelter
I met with Community Cares Executive Director Beth Kempf, as well as volunteers, pastors and other nonprofit organizations to tour the facility at 230 Spring Garden St., Carlisle, before it is renovated into a 24/7 shelter for men and women. Community Cares will be able to eliminate the transitional day and evening spaces and offer stability for the homeless around the clock. The timing couldn’t be better, as recent flooding swept through the current facility and limited outreach.
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How Can We Help You?
My district office serves as your local connection to state government. My team and I are happy to hear your questions or concerns about state-related issues. We are also available to assist you with an array of state programs and services, including:
• PennDOT paperwork, including driver’s license and vehicle registration applications and renewals.
• Information and applications for senior citizen benefit programs, including Property Tax/Rent Rebate and PACE/PACENET prescription drug programs.
• Information and applications for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
• Help with securing birth and death certificates (photo identification required).
• Information about legislation.
• Assistance with resolving matters relating to state agencies.
Please call my district office at (717) 249-1990 for an appointment. Help is also available through our website at RepGleim.com
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Ice Cream and Issues at North Middleton Park This Tuesday
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Austin Myers: Legislative and Summer Legal Intern (In His Own Words)
I have had the opportunity to assist Rep. Gleim as a legal intern this summer while dealing with a wide array of important issues. A significant issue that we are working on is reviewing, researching and ultimately replacing the current education funding formula.
The right to the best education available must be absolute for every child in Pennsylvania. Our state’s funding formula requires massive overhaul and updating to not only ensure proper distribution of funds to schools, but more importantly to ensure children have access to an education that best suits their individualized needs.
The development of a new education funding formula has been taking place over the course of the summer and will continue to be developed into the new year. This new formula will make funding allocations clear, organized and unbiased. It will also ensure that hard-earned taxpayer dollars disbursed across the state would follow the student, meaning that Pennsylvania K-12 students will always be funded no matter what school they are enrolled in.
With the current formula’s structure, burdensome hurdles have been formed by interwoven policies such as the hold-harmless guarantee, which nullifies the funding weights created specifically to support the students who are most in need of funding increases. The complicated nature of the current formula creates confusion and leads to Pennsylvania dollars being allocated without reasonable explanation and with little focus on the students themselves.
The new funding formula would create solutions for education in Pennsylvania and would give residents peace of mind that their tax dollars are providing children with the best education available. Providing students with the best available education is essential to securing a better future for all Pennsylvanians, and it starts with ensuring that the funding is disbursed responsibly and effectively.
As I finish out my last two weeks before heading back to school, I want to thank Rep. Gleim and the constituents of the 199th District for the great opportunity to serve.
Respectfully, Austin
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Overview of the Federal School Choice Tax Credit Program
This week I introduced House Bill 1763 - Supporting PA Participation in Federal Tax Credit for Scholarship Granting Organizations. As part of President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, states can opt into education tax credits from the Federal level that have a cap of $1700.
• The program is effective for taxable years, beginning on Jan. 1, 2027.
• It is voluntary for states to opt-in, which is executed by the governor, or an appropriate state agency designated under current law to make decisions related to federal tax benefits for the State.
• Once opted in, the state is responsible for approving Scholarship-Granting Organizations (SGOs) that meet federal standards within the state by Jan. 1 of each calendar year.
• Individuals receive a dollar-for-dollar federal income tax credit of up to $1,700 per year for their contributions to SGOs.
• The program has no cap, so there is no overall limit on the total federal tax credit amount. Any state-level tax credit claimed for the same donation reduces the federal credit dollar-for-dollar, unless SGOs create a separate line item in their companies, or change their bylaws.
• SGOs must be 501(c)(3) nonprofits, serve at least 10 students, and allocate at least 90% of donations to approved educational expenses.
• Students are eligible to receive scholarship funds if their household earnings are not more than 300% of the county’s median income and the student is eligible to attend public school.
• Scholarship funds can be used to cover a range of educational costs as defined in Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, which require enrollment at an eligible school. (e.g. private school tuition and fees, tutoring, books, supplies and computers, transportation, and special needs or other covered services.)
Overview of Updates to 529 and ABLE-related Provisions
Credentialing
• Tuition, fees, books, supplies and equipment required for a credential program are now considered qualified 529 expenses.
• Credential programs authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), credentials approved by a state or the federal government, military credentials, and credentials authorized by certain recognized providers are included in this expansion. Some examples of qualifying credentialing programs are HVAC and cosmetology certifications as well as attorney licenses.
• Also included as qualified expenses are costs associated with testing related to credentialing programs and associated preparation courses as well as costs related to maintaining the credential, e.g. continuing education.
• This provision took effect on July 4, 2025.
Expanding K-12 Limit and Qualified Expenses
Prior to the enactment of H.R. 1, the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) provided for qualified K-12 Education Expenses for 529 accounts.
What’s new:
• The annual limit for K-12 expenses is increased from $10,000 to $20,000 per beneficiary per year.
• Additionally, the list of qualified K-12 expenses is expanded to include curriculum and curriculum materials, books or other instructional materials, costs associated with tutoring or other classes outside the home, fees for certain exams, and educational therapies for students with disabilities.
• The expanded list of qualified K-12 expenses took effect on July 4, 2025. However, the increased annual K-12 withdrawal limit does not take effect until Jan. 1, 2026.
Overview of Updates to Exclusion for Employer Payments of Student Loans
Set to expire at the conclusion of 2026, section 127 of the IRC allows employers to contribute up to $5,250 annually toward an employee’s student loan debt, tax free.
What’s new:
• H.R. 1 permanently extends the provision and indexes the maximum exclusion for inflation.
Overview of Trump Accounts
(Note: this is not in subsection B, but functions similarly to a 529 account)
• The BBB creates a new investment account (Trump Accounts) for children under the age of 18. The accounts operate like a traditional IRA and are effective for tax years beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Newborns that are born between 2026-28 will be granted $1,000 in funds into their account through a pilot program administered by the US Treasury.
• Parents can contribute up to $5,000 of post-tax money to the account.
• There are certain circumstances that permit the account holder to take the money out penalty-free, one of which being for higher education.
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Applications Open for Broadband Funding
The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) recently announced the $1.16 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program will accept its second and final round of applications through Aug. 1. BEAD is a federal grant program that provides states with funding to deploy broadband infrastructure and connect residents to the internet.
The goal is to expand broadband in unserved and underserved areas of the state to make sure high-speed internet is available to every resident by the end of the decade. It is estimated that over 100,000 Pennsylvanians in 42 counties currently have no service or struggle with poor service.
Eligible BEAD applicants include cooperative organizations; not-for-profit organizations; public-private partnerships; private companies; public or private utility companies; public utility districts; municipalities or units of local government; and internet service providers registered through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
For more information about the program, how funding can be used and how to apply, click here.
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New Law Extends Military Family Education Benefits
Recognizing the sacrifices made by National Guard members and their families, I recently joined in the unanimous support of legislation to allow family of Pennsylvania National Guard members to claim additional education benefits each time the Guard member reenlists or renews their service commitment.
Act 32 of 2025 (formerly House Bill 865) amends the state’s Military Family Education Program to clarify that the program’s education assistance is a renewable benefit each time a Guard member reenlists or renews their service obligation for an additional six-year term.
The bill also allows funds to be used for a wider range of educational programs, including remedial programs and advanced degrees, and provides for debt forgiveness when a member separates from the Guard for reasons beyond the member’s control.
The law takes effect in early September.
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Help Available for Veterans in Need
Veterans and their dependents facing financial hardship can apply for up to $1,600 per year to help with necessities such as food, shelter, fuel and clothing through the state’s Veterans Temporary Assistance Program.
To be eligible, a veteran must have served a period of active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States and received a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable. A veteran who suffered a service-connected disability, regardless the length or status of their service is also eligible, as well as the surviving dependents of an eligible veteran or those of a service member who died in line of duty or was killed in action.
Since its inception, the program, operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, has awarded more than $7.4 million to assist over 6,800 service members, veterans, and their families with emergent financial needs. Click here for more information. Applications are made to the County Veterans Affairs Department in the county of residence.
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Protect Your Vehicle from Theft
July is National Vehicle Theft Prevention Month, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is urging vehicle owners to take preventive steps to keep their vehicles safe.
Last year, more than 850,000 vehicles were stolen, approximately one every 37 seconds. Passenger cars make up most of the stolen vehicles, and summer months have the highest reported occurrences of vehicle thefts in the United States. NHTSA urges you to take the following steps to protect your vehicle:
• Park in well-lit areas.
• Close and lock all windows and doors when parked.
• Hide valuables.
• Do not leave keys in the vehicle.
• Do not leave the area while the vehicle is running.
• Consider purchasing extra layers of protection for a vehicle if the vehicle’s manufacturer does not provide an anti-theft system. These can easily be purchased online or in a store.
For more information on motor vehicle theft prevention, visit NHTSA.gov/theft.
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Cumberland County 2025 Tire Collection Event
Cumberland County Vector Control, Cumberland County Recycling and Waste, and Keep Cumberland County Beautiful will be hosting a tire drop-off event at the Cumberland County Recycling Center on Friday, Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants must register for an appointment in advance. All tires will be weighed, and the customer will be charged 15 cents per pound for disposal and recycling. Click HERE to pre-register online at SignUpGenius.
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Carlisle Cannons Soccer Team Brings Home National Title
The Carlisle Family YMCA’s Area Youth Soccer U18 girls team recently captured their first national title at the 2025 US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup in Florida. Way to represent ladies, congratulations!
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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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