Upcoming Events
Township of Hampton Community
Day!
Monday, July
3 1:00 PM – Fireworks
3101 McCully Road, Allison Park, PA
15101
The Township
of Hampton is hosting its annual Community Day at the Hampton
Community Center Soccer Fields again this year. Bring the family to
enjoy the inflatables, community and food vendors, and three music
groups performing live. Stop by our table to pick up information on
state resources and say hello! Hope to see you there!
Good News
Justice for Janitors 32BJ SEIU Event
Thank you so much to the 32BJ
SEIU members for inviting me to their recent Justice for Janitors
event to learn about the history of the movement here in Pittsburgh,
from the 1985 lockouts through today. We stand with our union brothers
and sisters as they recommit and gather strength from this history and
recommit to the work ahead-- to fight for a contract that reflects the
dignity and respect that all workers deserve.
New West
Deer Municipal Complex
On June 15, I joined West
Deer Township Supervisors and staff, PA
State Rep. Rob Mercuri, Allegheny County Executive Rich
Fitzgerald, Councilwoman Anita Prizio, and so many members of the West
Deer Community for a groundbreaking ceremony for the new West Deer
Municipal Complex!
Groundbreakings are always a fun step
forward in a project, but the staff and Board of Supervisors in West
Deer have done an amazing job of securing grant funding and budgeting
to make this new project a reality. I'm incredibly proud to have
supported them in securing $2.5 million in state funding toward this
project. This new municipal complex will be an amazing asset for the
entire community!
https://triblive.com/.../west-deer-breaks-ground-on-new.../
Visit From
Our 2022 Intern!
I was thrilled to welcome my
former intern, Alex Hodge, to Harrisburg last Tuesday. Alex was an
incredible help to my district office last summer and was always
willing to tag in wherever he was needed. Since his internship ended
in my office, Alex has continued his public service across Allegheny
County. I'm excited to see where his career will take him next-- I
have no doubt he will have a lasting impact wherever life takes
him!
Student
Journalism Advocates
Thank you to Hannah,
Maya, and Kohan from New
Voices of Pennsylvania for meeting with me last Wednesday to talk
about the importance of protecting student journalism in our schools.
I appreciate their advocacy to strengthen protections for students,
teachers, and schools, all while promoting quality ethical journalism
education at the highest standards!
Celebrating
Tom Wiley’s 100th Birthday
Last week, my
office was fortunate to join family, friends, and loved ones to
celebrate Tom Wiley's 100th Birthday and present him with a citation
from the Pennsylvania Senate. Mr. Wiley served in World War II, where
he flew 50 missions as a B-17 bomber pilot. After the War, he returned
home to Pittsburgh, where he lived for most of his life and raised a
family.
It was wonderful to share time with Mr. Wiley and his
family-- including great grandchildren from across the country-- and
friends celebrating his life and accomplishments! Thank you to the
staff at Atria
McCandless for helping organize the party!
Supporting
the Childcare Workforce
Thank you to Start
Strong PA and Trying
Together for helping bring childcare workers and child care
facility owners like Lesely Crawford of ABK Learning & Development
Center to Harrisburg today to meet with me and other lawmakers!
Without quality, affordable childcare options, our workforce and
our families can't thrive-- that's why I support the workforce behind
the workforce!
A Legacy of
Pride
The 1696 Stonewall Riots in New York
represented a breaking point, when the LGBTQ+ community and their
neighbors organized and began to fight back against the systemic
oppression and open violence. The people of Stonewall fought that
summer so that they could live freely, love freely, and be who they
were without fear of persecution. They laid the groundwork so that we
could celebrate an entire month of Pride. But their work continues. It
is in their memory and in their footsteps that we continue that work
today, in our homes, our neighborhoods, and on the steps of the
Capitol, fighting for legislation like the PA Fairness Act, that will
guarantee housing and employment protection for ALL Pennsylvanians. We
see you, we acknowledge you, and we will fight for you. Stonewall was
a riot—a rebellion, an uprising. Let’s rise up and meet
this moment, just as they did.
Legislative Update
Opposing the Privatization of Our
Public Schools
Last night, the Senate passed
HB 479, legislation that creates a new program that sends public
taxpayer dollars to private and religious schools.
We cannot
allow the first action this legislature takes in response to the
Commonwealth Court’s decision declaring our public education
funding system unconstitutional to be the creation of a program that
sends $103.7 million public tax dollars to unaccountable private
institutions.
HB 479 is a part of the long-term plan to
defund, destabilize, and destroy public education. Voucher programs
only came about after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of
Education decision so that white families could attend segregated
private schools and avoid integration, all on the taxpayer’s
dime. Rebranded as “school choice” in the 1990s, current
data in states with voucher programs show that these programs only
exacerbate racial segregation.
The “Pennsylvania
Award for Student Success Scholarship Program” creates another
system of education that holds one set of schools to a different set
of standards. PRIVATE schools aren’t required to hire certified
teachers, nor are they required to evaluate those teachers. For
private schools, accreditation is optional. Private schools
don’t have democratically elected school boards that are
accountable to the public. Only our PUBLIC schools continue to be
subject to these necessary accountability measures.
This
legislation does not require the Auditor General to audit this
program. In states where voucher programs like this have been enacted,
we see rampant fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. The
Auditor General has already made it clear that their office does not
have the time or interest to perform routine, required school audits.
How will they find the time to perform optional audits on these
individual family accounts? The answer is, they won’t. There
won’t be any oversight over how this money is spent.
Regardless of what you call this bill, it is what it is: a brand new
program that takes $103.7 million public taxpayer dollars and diverts
it to unaccountable private schools. And it is only a foot in the
door. In other states that have created voucher programs, they have
started small and then over a short number of years have grown between
300 to 800 times the starting amount. We have seen the same thing here
in Pennsylvania with EITC - a program that started at $25 million has
ballooned to $340 million.
I’m disappointed that this
bill passed the Senate by a vote of 29-21. I hope my House colleagues
continue to hold the line and vote down this legislation if it comes
up for a vote.
Sen.
Lindsey Williams Releases Statement Criticizing Senate Passage of
School Privatization Bill
Pa.
public school advocates are furious at Gov. Josh Shapiro for
supporting school choice vouchers
Mumin
confirmed as Pa. education secretary despite criticism from both sides
- pennlive.com
School
choice overtakes Pa. education secretary confirmation
(audacy.com)
Free
Summer Meal Locator
We know that many families
rely on free and reduced meals at school to help feed their families,
but what happens when school is out? Luckily, there are neighborhood
summer meal programs across the area that are able to help. No kid
should go hungry!
East
End Farmers Market in Larimer
Did you know
there is a weekly farmers market in the East End? You can shop fresh
and local every Monday at the East End Farmers Market in Liberty
Green Park located at 100 Larimer Ave, in the heart of
Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood.
Register for the LAMP Summer Reading
Program
On June 26th, the Library
of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians (LAMP) started its All
Together Now! Lets Read! Summer Reading Program, which runs
through August 11. There is a program for youth patrons 0 - 21 years
and one for adults 21 years and older. To take part, contact LAMP by
phone at 800-242-0586 or email [email protected]
to register.
The LAMP Program circulates over 1.5 million
titles to partner libraries throughout the state to serve people who
cannot access the printed word. LAMP provides accessible formats like
digital, digital download, Braille, print/Braille, large-print and
audio described DVDs. If standard print has become difficult to read
for you, a friend, or a family member, you may be eligible for this
service. Learn more at How
LAMP Works | LAMP (mylamp.org).
Cheers for
D38 Grads!
Congratulations to the Class of
2023 Graduates from across Senate District 38! We're incredibly proud
of your hard work and your accomplishments. Wherever life takes you
next, we know you're going to do great things!
In honor of the 4th of July holiday, my offices
will be closed to walk-ins on Monday, July 3 and closed on Tuesday,
July 4th. I wish you and your families a safe and Happy 4th!
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
