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| Mehaffie Message |
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The latest news from the State Capitol |
In this Edition:
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House Passes Worker Safety Bill |
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House Supports Pension COLA |
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Expanded Call Center Hours for Late-Season Tax Filers |
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Heating Assistance Program Extended Through April 18 |
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PennDOT Invites Pennsylvanians to Share Feedback on Winter Services |
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Celebrating 30-Plus Years of Service |
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House Passes Worker Safety Bill
Rep. Patrick Harkins (D-Erie) and I have spent years working on a bill to provide workplace protections for public-sector employees. House Bill 308 generated quite a bit of discussion in Harrisburg this week, but thankfully, it passed the House on a 111-92 vote.
Rep. Harkins and I named this bill for Jake Schwab, who died of injuries suffered when working as a mechanic for the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority.
The Jake Schwab Worker Safety Bill would create Occupational Health and Safety Administration-type protections for the public sector. It would help to keep our police officers, firefighters, corrections officers, road maintenance crews and their colleagues safer.
Please consider calling your senator to tell him/her you support the Jake Schwab Worker Safety Bill.
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House Supports Pension COLA
The House, on a 131-72 vote, approved legislation that would give a cost-of-living adjustment to 60,000 retirees in the SERS and PSERS systems. This would affect those who retired before 2001. I voted yes.
State and public school retirees should know this bill faces an uphill challenge in the Senate. However, I personally felt it was important to provide an adjustment for these dedicated Pennsylvanians who haven’t received one in more than 20 years.
The legislation is House Bill 411 (introduced by Rep. Steven Malagari [D-Montgomery]) if you want to read more about it.
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Expanded Call Center Hours for Late-Season Tax Filers
As the deadline for filing 2024 Pennsylvania personal income tax returns nears, the Department of Revenue is extending customer service hours in its call center to provide additional phone assistance to taxpayers. The deadline is April 15.
Taxpayers can call 717-787-8201 to connect with the Department of Revenue's Customer Experience Center (CEC). Extended hours will be:
• Friday, April 11: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Saturday, April 12: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Monday and Tuesday, April 14-15: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Assistance is also available through the department's Online Customer Service Center and through the department’s district offices.
The department is also reminding taxpayers of free filing resources, including myPATH and Direct File.
For more information, visit the Department of Revenue online.
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Heating Assistance Program Extended Through
April 18
Residents who are struggling with their home heating bills are reminded they can still apply for assistance from the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) through next Friday, April 18.
LIHEAP is a federally funded program that helps individuals and families pay their heating bills through home heating energy assistance grants. It also provides crisis grants to help in the event of an emergency or if a resident is in danger of losing his or her heat due to broken equipment, lack of fuel or termination of utility service.
The income eligibility guidelines for LIHEAP are set at 150% of the federal poverty income level. For example, the gross income limit for an individual is $22,590 and for a family of four it is $46,800.
Residents may apply for LIHEAP online at www.compass.state.pa.us, by phone at 1-866-550-4355 or by contacting the County Assistance Office in their county of residence.
Click here for additional information.
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PennDOT Invites Pennsylvanians to Share Feedback on Winter Services
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is seeking the public’s feedback on winter services through an online survey.
The survey is available now through April 28 and should take about five minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous.
The 16-question survey asks respondents about their timeline expectations for safe and passable roadways, how they rank snow-removal priorities and how they rate PennDOT’s winter services.
Click here to take the survey.
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Celebrating 30-Plus Years of Service
The House this week recognized Londonderry Township resident and all-star legislative assistant Pamela Albert on her upcoming retirement after 36 years of distinguished service. We’ll miss you, Pam!
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