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| The Barb Wire |
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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
It’s been a busy start to the New Year! Tuesday, I was sworn into office for the 2025-26 session. I want to thank all constituents of the 199th Legislative District for having the confidence in me to take their voice to Harrisburg and work on their behalf.
For the new session, I have been appointed to serve on the following committees:
• Aging and Older Adult Services
• Commerce
• Education
• Labor and Industry
• Policy (chair of Basic Education Subcommittee)
While we have much to do in the district office for our constituents, and I have been meeting daily with local groups, we will be having our first session days at the end of this month and House Appropriations Committee budget meetings have been scheduled. From an organizational perspective, things are much better this session compared to the last one. During this time, I will also re-introduce legislation I authored in the previous session that did not make it to the governor’s desk.
Here are the House rule changes which were agreed to on swearing-in day:
1. Committees.
a. New ratio is 14 majority, 12 minority.
b. House Republicans add one member to each standing committee.
2. Motions to table.
a. Limited to individual amendments instead of batches of multiple amendments without impacting the underlying bill.
3. Motion to move the previous question.
a. Now limited to after 10 p.m. or two hours of debate, whichever comes sooner.
4. Discharge resolutions.
a. Reverting to the old rule across the board, including the simpler requirement that any 25 members can sign.
5. Definition of majority party removed from House rules.
6. Order of business modified to allow prayers or invocations, to accommodate Quaker invocations or those not associated with an established religion.
7. Debate on simple resolutions is limited to 3 minutes.
8. The time for voting bills on concurrence and bills on third consideration is changed to 3 hours from when amendatory language was available (similar to conference committee reports).
9. Changing the time frame for fiscal note information from five years to two years.
10. Changing the process for fiscal notes to focus on third consideration or amendments after a bill is reported from appropriations with a fiscal note (fiscal notes for amendments on second consideration not automatic).
11. Changing the name to the Tourism and Economic and Recreational
Development Committee and adding three new committees:
• Communications and Technology
• Energy
• Intergovernmental Affairs and Operations
12. Adding a House Local Government Committee subcommittee for cities.
13. Cleaning up inconsistent language relating to the ability of chairs to call public hearings.
I look forward to working with my committee members and the Senate to make Pennsylvania more efficient and transparent for its people. If you have any questions about the reorganization of session, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the office at 717-249-1990.
To keep up to date with all the latest news from the Capitol and here at home, be sure to follow me on Facebook and watch for my weekly Barb Wire email updates.
All voting sessions of the House, as well as committee meetings, are streamed live at PAHouseGOP.com.
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Interview with Dept. of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding
On Thursday, I had the opportunity to interview Secretary Redding at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. You can view my interview here.
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Farm Show Concludes Saturday
Time is running out to visit the Pennsylvania Farm Show this year, as it draws to a close this Saturday, Jan. 11.
Admission to the show is free, but parking is $15 per vehicle. Shuttle service is provided.
For all the latest news about the Farm Show, follow it on Facebook or click here.
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Fair Housing Public Meeting
The Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment authorities and Carlisle Borough officials will host a public meeting to discuss fair housing on Wednesday, Jan. 15, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Cumberland County Planning Office, 310 Allen Road, Carlisle.
Officials will present the draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice for both the county and borough.
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December Financial Brief
General Fund collections of $3.77 billion in December were below the official monthly estimate by $87.2 million. Through the first six months of the fiscal year, year-to-date (YTD) General Fund collections of $20.17 billion are less than estimate by $97.1 billion, or 0.5%; however, collections exceed those of the prior fiscal YTD by $329.7 million, or 1.7%.
In December, only Corporate Net Income Tax ($869.9 million) exceeded the official monthly estimate while the other members of the “Big 3” (Sales and Use and Personal Income) were less than their respective monthly estimates. While Sales and Use Tax (SUT) fell short of estimate, SUT motor vehicle collections ($125.3 million) were exceptionally strong and exceeded the official monthly estimate by $24.4 million, or 24.2%.
On the expenditure side, the Commonwealth has spent $26.69 billion out of the $47.67 billion budget to date. The Rainy Day Fund currently has a balance of $7.23 billion, which would fund the Commonwealth for approximately 55 days.
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Get Ready for REAL ID
The deadline for enforcement of the federal REAL ID Act is fast approaching.
As of May 7, you will have to present a federally accepted form of identification to board a commercial domestic flight or visit a secure federal building that requires ID at the door. Federally accepted forms of identification include a Pennsylvania REAL ID driver’s license or ID card, a U.S. passport or passport card, or a military ID.
While all Pennsylvanians must comply with the new law, obtaining a state-issued REAL ID is not mandatory. PennDOT will continue to offer standard-issue driver’s licenses and photo IDs.
Full enforcement of the law has been delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has hindering efforts to process REAL ID applications across the country, which is why I introduced a House Resolution calling on Congress to end the Real ID effort. We have been trying to implement this for almost 20 years, and I believe the entire effort is unconstitutional. We should not restrict or impede peoples’ ability to move about the country.
Also, the rules for women attempting to obtain a Real ID are different than those for men, which could be construed as discriminatory. While I fight this repeated deadline, the law is still intact and people attempting to fly should investigate their options.
To learn more about REAL ID and how to obtain one, visit penndot.gov/REALID.
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Local Grants Awarded
New Hope Ministries Awarded Grant to Help Fight Homelessness
To help combat the ongoing housing crisis, Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger has announced more than $5.5 million in new Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) awards for municipalities and nonprofit organizations that help homeless individuals and families find housing. This funding was approved for 14 municipal grantees and seven nonprofits in 45 counties, as well as funding for one statewide project.
One of them is New Hope Ministries, which will receive $125,000 to provide homelessness prevention activities for a regional project serving Adams, Cumberland and York counties. Funding will support rental assistance, financial assistance and services which include two full-time housing and homeless service coordinators, a full-time bilingual intake coordinator, and a housing locator position.
The federal ESG grant program funding can be used to help homeless individuals quickly find new housing, prevent homelessness, provide services to those living on the streets, make emergency shelters available, collect secure data to better understand the needs of our homeless community and administer services.
PA Grants Awarded to Combat Campus Sexual Assault
The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently announced that 44 colleges, universities and other postsecondary institutions in Pennsylvania received more than $1.6 million in It’s On Us PA grants to help combat sexual assault on campus.
It’s On Us PA is a statewide campaign that invites education leaders and all Pennsylvanians to be part of the solution to protect students from sexual violence.
Eligible institutions and schools with 10,000 or fewer students were able to request up to $40,000; those with more than 10,000 students were able to apply for up to $60,000. Private licensed career schools that do not offer specialized associate degrees could request up to $10,000.
Congratulations to the following institutions in Cumberland County that received It’s On Us PA grants:
• Dickinson College - $40,000
• Shippensburg University - $40,000
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Blood Donation Saves Lives
Did you know that every two seconds in America, someone urgently needs blood? January is National Blood Donor Month, an opportunity to both honor voluntary blood donors and encourage new donors to help save lives. National Blood Donor Month was first designated by proclamation of President Richard Nixon on Dec. 31, 1969.
The start of the new year is one of the most challenging times to collect blood products as the threat of winter weather builds and can often lead to widespread blood drive cancellations. In addition to winter weather, an active cold and flu season may prevent people from keeping donation appointments as they rest and recover from illness.
Only 3% of eligible Americans currently donate blood, despite 65% of the population being eligible to do so. Learn more about blood donation and where to donate here.
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Save the Dates!
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Monday, Jan. 20
All offices closed.
District Office Open House
Thursday, Feb. 13
3-6 p.m.
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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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