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The Weekly Roundup
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The latest news from the State Capitol
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Combating Blight in Carbon County
Lots of good information was presented last week at the blight seminar I co-hosted with the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation in Jim Thorpe. About 50 municipal officials from the area attended to learn more about the state and local resources available to combat blight in their communities.
There are an estimated 880,000 blighted structures in Pennsylvania, with most located in Philadelphia, which has about 80,000 of them.
The state has a variety of tools available to municipalities for addressing blight, such as the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program and Act 152, which established a fee to fund demolition. Land banks, which 20 communities statewide are now using to acquire abandoned properties for rehabilitation, can also be an effective way for municipalities to deal with blight. Learn more here.
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House Transportation Committee Goes on the Road
I’m a member of the House Transportation Committee, which spent two days in Pittsburgh this week to learn more about several major infrastructure projects.
We visited Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and were briefed on plans for its new, billion-dollar terminal. We also inspected the next phase of the Southern Beltway, which is under construction west of the city; and toured the new East Liberty Transit Station and surrounding development.
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Helping Victims of Sexual Abuse
Legislation that would strengthen criminal investigations into sexual abuse passed unanimously in the House recently. House Bill 1171 would specify that no past or future confidentiality agreements can prohibit an individual from communicating with law enforcement at any time.
The bill is derived from one of the recommendations of last year’s 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, which focused on clergy sex abuse in the Commonwealth. The grand jury found that Roman Catholic dioceses used confidentiality agreements to silence abuse victims from speaking publicly or cooperating with law enforcement.
A second proposal that would increase the penalties for failing to report ongoing child sex abuse was also passed by the House. House Bill 1051 would make it a third-degree felony for an “ongoing” failure to report continuing sexual abuse “while the person knows or has reasonable cause to believe the abuser is likely to commit additional acts of child abuse.”
This bill closes a loophole in the 2014 state law that mandates reporting of suspected child sex abuse by virtue of someone’s profession or position.
Both bills now move to the Senate for consideration. They were among a number of measures approved in the House as part of a month-long effort by the Republican Caucus to provide better protections for crime victims in Pennsylvania.
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Safely Dispose of Unused Prescriptions on Saturday
Residents have an opportunity to remove opioids and other unused medicines from homes this Saturday, April 27, as part of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
More than 18 tons of prescription drugs were disposed of across Pennsylvania in the Prescription Drug Take Back Day held last October. The initiative helps prevent unused medications ending up in the wrong hands.
Locations to safely dispose of unused drugs are listed here.
You can also find permanent disposal boxes in your community by clicking here.
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April is Autism Awareness Month
April is Autism Awareness Month in Pennsylvania. An estimated 30,000 Pennsylvanians live with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
To help families, providers and those with autism access services that meet their needs, Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Autism Services maintains a comprehensive online resource at PAautism.org.
The website connects people with autism and their supporters with autism resources and a community to help improve their lives.
The General Assembly further supports people with autism by dedicating funding to autism intervention and services in the annual state budget. In the current 2018-19 budget, funding totals more than $31 million, an increase of $3.6 million over the previous fiscal year’s spending.
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| Office Locations |
| 204B Bridge St., Weissport, PA 18235 | (610) 377-6363 |
| 2681 State Route 903, Unit 3, Albrightsville, PA 18210 | (570) 722-8700 |
| Room 420 Irvis Office Building, PO Box 202122, Harrisburg, PA 17120-2122 | (717) 260-6139 |
| Email: dheffley@pahousegop.com |
| TTY: 855-282-0614 |
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