Upcoming
Events
Monthly Office Hours at the
Kingsley Center
Friday, May 5, 2023 from 10:00 AM - 3:00
PM
My office will be holding Community Office
Hours again at the Kingsley Association on Friday, May 5, 2023!
We are there the first Friday of every month to bring the assistance
we offer in our district offices into the community. Stop by our table
between 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM for help with PennDOT disability
parking placards, unclaimed property searches, a senior bus pass, or
questions about Medicaid renewals.
Library
Days with Lindsey!
Northland Public Library, Wednesday May 15,
2023, 10 am - 2 pm
Join us for Library Days
with Lindsey at Northland
Public Library next month. This is an opportunity for you to
share what is important to you with Senator Williams.
Appointments fill up fast and are strongly encouraged. Call to
schedule your appointment at 412-364-0469 (Ross) or 724-224-2131
(Harrison) or email us at [email protected].
Small
Business Resource Fair Postponed
Our upcoming
Small Business Resource Fair has been postponed! Look for a new date
soon!
Unsafe
Railroad Industry Practices Policy Hearing
Pittsburgh Federation of
Teachers Local 400 Building, Friday, May 19, 2023, at 11
AM
Join Senator
Katie Muth, Senator
Wayne Fontana, and me for our next policy hearing on railroad
safety at 10 S. 19th Street in Pittsburgh’s South Side Flats
neighborhood. The hearing will focus on highlighting overall unsafe
railroad industry practices and will feature a discussion of what
authority the legislature and state agencies like the Pennsylvania
Emergency Management Agency, the Pennsylvania
Public Utility Commission, and the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection have over the railroad
sector.
Register to attend the hearing virtually or in person
at SenatorMuth.com/Policy.
You can also watch the hearing live on my Facebook page at Facebook.com/SenWilliamsPA.com.
Read about the importance of railroad safety to our region at Derailments
pose a major risk to the region's rivers, Pitt report says | 90.5
WESA.
Free
Shredding Event!
Ross Department of Public Works, Saturday, May
20, 2023, 10 am - 12 pm
Protect your identity
by shredding your sensitive paper documents at the free shredding
event Representative
Emily Kinkead and I are hosting! We will be at the Ross
Township Department of Public Works, 225 Cemetery Lane,
Pittsburgh, PA 15237, on Saturday, May 20th from 10 am – 12 pm
(or until the truck is full). Shredding will be performed on site and
is limited to 2 boxes per car. This is paper only shredding –
please remove all metal fasteners other than staples. No books or
binders, please!
Good
News
Senior Fair
at the Mt. Ararat Community Activity Center
We
had a wonderful day last week for my Spring Senior Fair! Thank you
to Rep.
La'Tasha D. Mayes and all of the vendors who came out to
share resources and information with the attendees. A very special
thank you to Mount
Ararat Community Activity Center for hosting us and to
Tanya's Catering for the delicious breakfast!
If you missed
the senior fair but would like to be connected with resources, please
call my office at 412-364-0469 (Ross) or 724-224-2131 (Natrona
Heights) or email us at [email protected].
Medicaid
and CHIP Renewal Discussion
I would like to
remind constituents that as of April 1, all Medicaid and CHIP
recipients will be required to complete annual renewals to retain
their medical coverage. The most important thing you can do to protect
your coverage is to update your contact information at dhs.pa.gov/COMPASS or
on the MyCOMPASS App!
You WILL NOT lose coverage without an
opportunity to renew-- and you'll be notified a few months before your
individual renewal date. You can check on your personal renewal date
on the MyCOMPASS App.
Even if you think you might not
requalify for Medicaid, reapply! If you don’t qualify, you may
be eligible for free or reduced cost health insurance through Pennie,
Pennsylvania’s own healthcare exchange marketplace. You will
automatically be sent information about Pennie if you don’t
requalify for Medicaid– so there’s no downside to
reapplying.
Last week I joined Pennsylvania
Department of Human Services Acting Secretary Dr. Val
Arkoosh, Rep.
La'Tasha D. Mayes,Office
of the Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, and
representatives from Pennie,
the East
Liberty Family Health Care Center, and the East
End Cooperative Ministry (EECM)to discuss these changes. Thank you
to EECM for hosting us and for the tour of your facility!
APSCUF
Awards Breakfast
Thank you to the members of
the Association
of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties for
naming me as their Distinguished Friend of Higher Education this year.
Supporting the hard work that APSCUF members do as educators and
coaches is one of my highest priorities, so I'm incredibly proud to
receive this honor.
The last few years have been incredibly
difficult for our Pennsylvania’s
State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) schools, but APSCUF
members have repeatedly risen to the occasion and fought for our
students and for one another. I promise to continue to ask the hard
questions and push for what we all know that our students need to be
successful.
I am absolutely honored to be named their
Distinguished Friend-- I can think of no better company to keep than
by the side of APSCUF members!
Teacher
Education Day in Harrisburg
Addressing teacher
education and preparation is a huge priority for me. I was proud to
get paid internships for mental health professionals into last year's
budget, and I'm excited to support an expansion to that program so
that all student teachers are paid for their work teaching our
students.
There's no simple solution to the teacher shortage
we're facing. One piece is changing the rhetoric coming out of
Harrisburg pitting teachers against parents. Another is fully finding
our PASSHE schools so that we can educate the next generation of
teachers here in Pennsylvania. We also need to create a robust
mentorship program to help new teachers feel supported and welcomed so
they stay past the 5-year mark. I'm excited to work with our educators
to get to work solving these problems-- it's what the next generation
of Pennsylvanians deserves!
You can watch my full remarks at Teacher Education Day at the Capitol -
Senator Lindsey Williams
Legislative News
Pennsylvania Needs Effective
Fraud-Fighting Legislation
This week, I
spoke on the Senate floor in support of the Commonwealth
Fraud Prevention Act, my legislation with co-sponsor Senator
Kristin Phillips-Hill, which creates a Pennsylvania False Claims
Act.
As many of you know, I previously worked for the National
Whistleblower Center, where I helped strengthen Federal policy
protecting employees who come forward to report government waste,
fraud, and abuse. When I took office, I wanted to bring those same
Federal protections and the ability to recover lost taxpayer money to
Pennsylvania.
Our addition to the Human Services Code would
give whistleblowers the protection and incentives that they need to
come forward and report waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer
dollars. Whistleblowers are key to identifying these kinds of
losses—and they always have been. We know from study after
study that most fraud is identified by tip. We also know that PA is
literally leaving millions of dollars per year of fraud recovery on
the table because we don’t have a state False Claims Act.
The absolute best way that we can protect taxpayer dollars is to
pass the Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Act—a truly powerful tool
for government accountability and transparency that Pennsylvania needs
NOW. Before we pass another budget.
We need to make sure
that if tax dollars are not being spent as intended, we can discover
it, we can recover those funds, and we can ensure it doesn’t
happen again.
2023
Municipal Primary Election Information
The
2023 Municipal Primary Election is a couple of weeks away on Tuesday,
May 16th. Take note of these important election deadlines!
- Mail-in ballot request deadline is next Tuesday, May 9 at
5:00 PM.Request your mail-in ballot at Ballot
Request Application (pa.gov). If you plan to vote by mail and
haven’t submitted your request yet, complete the online
application as soon as possible to ensure your ballot arrives in time
to complete and mail back to Allegheny County Elections Division by
May 16!
- Deadline for over the
counter mail-in ballot applications and voting is next Tuesday, May 9
at 4:30 PM. Voters may visit the lobby of the County Office
Building, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM through May 9
to apply and vote over-the-counter. Voters will receive an application
to complete which will be processed while they wait. They will then be
provided with their ballot and all materials to vote and may return it
while still on site or take it with them for return by the 8 PM
deadline on Election Day.
- Mail-in ballot
return deadline is Primary Election Day, Tuesday, May 16 at 8:00
PMat the Allegheny County Elections Division, 542 Forbes Ave.
Ste. 601, Pittsburgh PA 15219. Postmarks do not
count!
If you have more questions our office is here to
help! Call us at 412-364-0469 (Ross) or 724-224-2131 (Harrison)
or email us at [email protected].
LIHEAP Deadline Extended to May
12!
The Pennsylvania
Department of Human Services (DHS) has
extended the Low-Income
Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) season from April 28 to
May 12!
LIHEAP is a federal program administered by DHS that
helps low-income families pay their heating bills with a cash grant.
Households in immediate danger of being without heat can also qualify
for crisis grants.
A LIHEAP cash grant is a one-time
payment sent directly to the utility company/fuel provider to be
credited on your bill. These grants range from $300 to $1,000 and are
based on household size, income and fuel type. This year every
household that qualifies for a LIHEAP cash grant will also receive a
one-time $150 LIHEAP supplement approximately one to two months after
their initial LIHEAP cash grant is issued. Remember, these are grants
and do not have to be repaid.
The LIHEAP crisis grant, with a
maximum of $2,000, is a benefit for people who meet the LIHEAP income
eligibility limits and are in jeopardy of having their heating utility
service terminated, have already had their heating utility service
terminated, or who are out of or have less than two weeks’ worth
of deliverable fuel, such as fuel oil, propane, coal, or wood. The
LIHEAP crisis grant is also distributed directly to a
household’s utility company or home heating fuel provider in the
form of a grant.
To be eligible for LIHEAP:
- you must meet the 2022-2023 income guidelines below.
Family Size Gross Income
Limit
o 1
$20,385
o 2
$27,465
o 3
$34,545
o 4
$41,625
o 5
$48,705
o 6
$55,785
o 7
$62,865
o 8
$69,945
o 9
$77,025
o 10
$84,105
- you don't
have to be on public assistance.
- you don't need to have an
unpaid heating bill.
- you can rent or own your
home.
If you applied for LIHEAP and were
previously denied but have experienced a change in circumstances, you
are able to reapply!
Applications can be completed online
at www.compass.state.pa.us or
contact the Allegheny County LIHEAP Office at 412-562-0330 (cash) or
412-770-3677 (crisis).
West View Hub Youth Gardening
Workshop
West
View HUB is hosting a Youth Gardening Workshop on Saturday,
May 6 from 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM! Sign up today at West
View Hub Seedling Planting Workshop (google.com).
Learn more about West View Hub programming at Upcoming
Programs — West View Hub.
Jazzy Mother’s Day
Brunch
Etna’s Riverfront
Park,Sunday, May 14, 2023 10 AM - 1 PM, Rain Date,
May 20
Give mom a unique Mother’s Day
experience she won’t forget and be a part of the story of
building Etna’s new library! This brunch will be at Etna’s
Riverfront Park and Trail at 1 River Way and includes a Brazilian jazz
concert featuring the Lilly Abreu Quintet. You can even add an order
of flowers and chocolates! All ages and families are welcome. Proceeds
benefit the future Etna Library.
For more details and to
register go to Jazzy
Brunch at the Riverfront (etnacommunity.org).
Hampton
Recycle Rama Event
Hampton Community Park, Saturday, May
13, 2023, 9 AM- 12 PM
Reduce, reuse, recycle!
The Township
of Hampton is holding this year’s Recycle Rama event
again on May 13, 2023 from 9 AM - 12 PM in the Hampton Community Park
/ Community Center parking lot. For details on what items you can
bring go to Recycle
Rama | Hampton Township, PA - Official Website
(hampton-pa.org).
School
Lunch Hero Day!
Friday, May 5,
2023
School Cafeteria Workers are the heroes
of the lunchroom!
My Universal School Meals bill, which
provides free breakfast and lunch to all Pennsylvania students, takes
inspiration from cafeteria workers who have shared their heartbreaking
experiences with hungry students who can’t afford a school meal.
But through this legislation and their incredibly hard work, we can
make meals available to all students and ensure no child feels left
out in the lunchroom.
Help us help these heroes do what they
do best—get our kids fed and ready to learn every day by showing
your support here: School
Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania - Universal Meals for All
(snapa.org).
As always, please feel free to reach out with any
questions you may have by phone at 412-364-0469
(Ross Office), 724-224-2131
(Harrison Office) or by email at [email protected].
My staff will return your call/email within 24 hours
(Monday-Friday).
Senator Lindsey Williams
