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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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Happy 250th Birthday, America!
This Saturday’s Independence Day is an extra special one as we mark our nation’s 250th birthday.
It is a time to reflect on the enduring spirit that has carried our nation through challenge, change and possibility. This milestone also invites us to celebrate the courage, creativity and resilience that generations have poured into building our country and making it what it is today.
While celebrating this weekend, please take a moment to honor where we’ve been and look forward with hope to what we can accomplish together in the years ahead!
Please view my personal message to the 199th District I am honored to serve.
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Supreme Court Upholds Laws Protecting Fairness in Women’s Sports
Great news for our girl athletes! The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 this week that states can limit participation in women’s sports to biological females. The decision specifically upheld laws from Idaho and West Virginia, determining that biological sex-based restrictions do not violate the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause or Title IX.
The ruling reaffirms it is time for House majority Democrats to stop playing games and run a bill that would ensure fairness in women’s sports in Pennsylvania once and for all. House Bills 158 and 1849, along with Senate Bill 9, have been shuffled from committee to committee over the last year as Democrat leaders have worked to avoid a vote on the issue.
The bills were moved on Thursday from the Judiciary Committee back to the Health Committee for the third time, a charade that our taxpayers do not appreciate. Girls in sports cannot wait for House Democrats to protect them as every day their Title IX rights are being violated.
Please click here to watch a video which demonstrates how leaders in Democrat majority claim this is a non-issue.
If that is the case, the Supreme Court would not have taken it up. It’s time to stop the political gamesmanship and vote on the bill.
Please click here to view my remarks on the Supreme Court decision and click here to hear from Rep. Clint Owlett (R-68) and I on the impacts of this ruling.
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Budget Update
Once again, very few budget bills moved through the House and went over to the Senate again. While social media may convince you that the Senate left for a holiday, the fact is they did not have the bills to vote on. We voted on House Bills 2412 and 2413, which included the state-related schools in the budget. The schools are again clumped together into one piece of legislation, which doesn’t allow the necessary 2/3 vote on each individual school, so I voted no.
The total appropriation was $615 million for Pitt, Penn State, Lincoln and Temple. Without knowing the final budget figure, and whether we can afford it, the vote was premature. It passed anyway and went to the Senate. We also voted on House Bill 2413, which was a single appropriation for Penn Vet, more than $31 million for veterinary activities, and nearly $1.8 million for the Center for Infectious Diseases. I voted yes.
House Bill 2359 was a data center transparency bill, and although I don’t like the government overreach in this bill, I agree there is a lack of transparency in the nondisclosure agreement process at the municipal level in some areas of our state. The vote was 171-31 and I voted yes.
The most controversial bill of the week was House Bill 1667, a bill that makes several changes to the tax code. This legislation is still being negotiated and could be a hold-up in the final passage of the budget. Gov. Shapiro’s budget requests more than $53.2 billion, a 6.2% increase from last year. Yet, we only bring in nearly $49 billion in revenue.
We can’t afford the governor’s budget without raising revenue in another area or cutting the budget down to an affordable reality. The House returns to session next week.
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Keep the Lights On, Costs Down
With a Maximum Generation Emergency warning issued this week amid extreme heat and a warning of mounting strain on the regional electric grid, House Republicans unveiled a comprehensive 10-bill legislative package designed to keep the lights on, lower electricity costs, expand reliable baseload generation and cement Pennsylvania’s role as America's energy leader.
The unveiling of this package of bills comes on the heels of the House of Representatives passing House Bill 2224, which is included in the package and would eliminate the Gross Receipts Tax on electric utility service.
Additional bills in the package would:
• Establish a one-year timeline for environmental permit appeals.
• Create a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Permit Ombudsman to assist applicants and improve permitting efficiency.
• Modernize Environmental Hearing Board appeals to focus on the administrative record developed during permitting.
• Eliminate the DEP regulatory petition process that allows outside organizations to initiate new regulations.
• Align state environmental permitting standards with applicable federal standards.
• Protect Pennsylvania ratepayers from subsidizing electric transmission costs driven by other states through a Pennsylvania-first grid reliability approach.
• Replace the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards with a Reliable Energy Portfolio Standard that prioritizes dependable, dispatchable generation.
• Protect consumer energy choice through a uniform statewide policy that preserves access to a variety of energy sources.
• Ensure projects with valid DEP permits are not unnecessarily stalled while permit appeals are pending.
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Fish for Free on Independence Day!
This Saturday, July 4, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) will host a Fish for Free day to allow anyone (resident or non-resident) to legally fish on all Pennsylvania waterways. No license is required, but all other fishing regulations apply.
This is a great way to expose the next generation of anglers to the outdoors! More information about fishing in Pennsylvania is available here.
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Middlesex Township Detective Celebrated
Congratulations to Det. Jeffrey Franks on his retirement from the Middlesex Township Police Department, marking the conclusion of an exceptional thirty eight year career in law enforcement.
Throughout his distinguished service, Det. Franks held numerous roles, including Cumberland County deputy sheriff, chief enforcement officer for Cumberland County Domestic Relations and detective/deputy commander within the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigation Division.
My staff had the honor of presenting Detective Franks with a House citation during his retirement party on Tuesday.
Congratulations to Det. Franks on an extraordinary career and thank you for your unwavering dedication and service to our community.
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Declaration of Independence Reading at The Hamilton
I had the honor of attending Thursday’s public reading of the Declaration of Independence at The Hamilton Restaurant in Carlisle, led by retired U.S. Army Col. Frank Hancock, a cousin-descendant of John Hancock.
This gathering served as a meaningful reaffirmation of our nation’s founding principles and the enduring spirit of liberty first declared in 1776, especially as we commemorate our nation’s 250th birthday.
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Office Closures for Independence Day
As we prepare to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, please note my legislative offices will be closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of the holiday.
Additionally, PennDOT driver license and photo centers will be closed on Saturday, July 4. Anyone planning to do business at PennDOT’s Riverfront Office Center in Harrisburg or the Pittsburgh Driver License Center should be aware they are closed on Friday, July 3.
PennDOT customers may still obtain a variety of driver and vehicle products and services, including all forms, publications and driver training manuals, online through PennDOT's Driver and Vehicle Services website, dmv.pa.gov.
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Use Caution with Fireworks
Many of us enjoy celebrating our nation’s independence by watching public displays of fireworks, or by setting off our own.
If you choose to set off your own fireworks, be smart, be careful and be considerate of your neighbors. For details about the state’s fireworks laws, click here.
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Ice Cream & Issues Event
You are invited to attend an Ice Cream and Issues discussion I’m hosting on Wednesday, July 15, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at North Newton Township Park, 528 Oakville Road, Shippensburg.
The event will provide brief updates from the state Capitol and an opportunity to discuss topics of concern to you. I hope you will join me for conversation and complimentary ice cream.
Please click here to register.
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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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