State Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Your District 38
Update

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*Upcoming Events**

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*Fall Senior Fair*

*Ross Municipal Building, Thursday,
October 26, 2023, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM*

Come meet Rep. Emily Kinkead
[link 2] and Senator Lindsey Williams at their fall Senior Resource
Fair. It will be held at the Ross Municipal Building on Thursday,
October 26th from 10 am - 12 pm.

This FREE event includes a vaccine
clinic, expired and unused medication disposal drop off, information
on benefits and services for seniors and caregivers, light
refreshments, and much more! Staff from our offices will also be
available to process Port Authority Senior ConnectCards and help with
Pennsylvania Treasury Unclaimed Property searches. Hope to see you
there!

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*Good
News**

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*Primanti
Bros. Opens in Ross*

It was great to celebrate the new Ross Township
Primanti Bros. [link 3] pre-opening party on September 26th. The new
location is in McIntyre Square - 45 McIntyre Square Dr., Pittsburgh,
PA 15237. We are so happy to have another Primanti Bros. location in
Senate District 38!

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*Natrona
Riverfront Opens Mosaic Trail*

On September 26th we joined Friends of
the Riverfront [link 4] to celebrate the progress on the Natrona
riverfront, including the new mosaic river front connection on River
Road and the repaving of Veteran's Way! The Mosaic Trail is not only a
visual treat, but provides much-needed access to the Allegheny River
for walkers, bikers and anglers.

Read more at Grand opening of
mosaic trail, riverfront access celebrated in Natrona | TribLIVE.com
[link 5].

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*Community Baby Shower in Larimer*

Thank you to everyone
who came out to last week's Community Baby Shower! Even though the
weather decided to join in and shower us with rain, we had a great
time with a winter coat distribution from the Pittsburgh Fire Fighters
[link 7] and Coats for Kids & Families [link 8], face painting by
Beanie Paints LLC Pittsburgh Face Painter [link 9], flu shots from
Russellton Palmer Pharmacy [link 10], and amazing vendors from across
Allegheny County!

If you missed out on this amazing event but are
still in need of a free winter coat, save the date for the Coats for
Kids & Families distribution with the Pittsburgh Fire Fighters,
Duquesne Light, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and MSA on *November 19 from
10 AM - 2 PM*!

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*Legislative
Update **

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*SB
755 - The **Pennsylvania Energy and Water Efficiency Standards
Act*

October 4 was Energy Efficiency Day, when we celebrate the ways
that we can save our planet and our pocketbooks by turning to energy
efficient solutions in our homes and businesses. One way that we can
do that is by passing my bill,
SB 755 [link 12], which will improve
appliance energy efficiency and water conservation standards. Because
the cheapest, cleanest form of energy is the energy that we don't
produce at all.

This legislation would:

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Save PA consumers $294
million per year on their utility bills!

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Reduce global warming
carbon emissions in PA by 384,000 metric tons every year!

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Save 9.6
billion gallons of water annually!

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Conserve 610 gigawatt hours of
electricity per year!

Read more about this legislation and how you
can support it:

Guest commentary: New appliance standards can pay big
dividends for Pennsylvania (readingeagle.com) [link 13]

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[link 14]*

*PA Senate Sexual Harassment Protections*

This week, I
spoke on the Senate Floor because I agree with the statements that my
colleagues have made recently about the need for better workplace
protections for state employees.

Once again sexual harassment in
Harrisburg is in the news this week. We can and should stand with
victims, but we shouldn't throw stones in glass houses. We do not
currently have adequate protections here in the Senate.

In January,
Senator Katie Muth and I proposed Senate Resolution 5, which would
establish sexual harassment protections in the Senate that mirror the
protections that already exist in the House. They would extend to ALL
individuals working with Members, Officers, or employees of the
Senate, including outside contractors, lobbyists, and visitors.

The
passage of SR 5 would mean that ANYONE working with the Senate in ANY
capacity will be protected--it shouldn't matter where your paycheck
comes from or which side of the building you're on.

SR 5 didn't get a
vote in January. Instead it was referred to the Rules Committee, where
it hasn't had a discussion, a hearing, or a vote for 9 months. No
member of the Committee has had a conversation with me about how we
could get this done. No alternative rules have been proposed.

I stand
by ready and willing to have a discussion about how we finally pass
rules to help protect victims of sexual harassment here in the
Senate.

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*Automatic
Voter Registration in Pennsylvania!*

Governor Shapiro implemented
Pennsylvania automatic voter registration [link 15] on September 19,
2023! Now Commonwealth residents who obtain new or renewed driver
licenses and ID cards and are eligible to vote [link 16] will
automatically be taken through the voter registration application
process with an option to opt out. Previously, eligible voters were
required to opt into the voter registration process. Instructions for
the process will also now include 30 additional
languages.

Pennsylvania joins 22 other states - including Delaware,
Mayland, New Jersey, Georgia, Virginia, and West Virginia - whose
leaders from both parties took this step to promote election security,
save taxpayers time and money, and increase voter turnout.

Automatic
voter registration is particularly beneficial to military families who
move frequently. Automatic updates to their voter registration during
PennDOT visits ensure these families are able to participate in US
elections no matter where they are stationed.

For local election
officials, receiving automatic updates when residents obtain new
identification - which residents usually do when they change their
name or address - enhances their ongoing efforts to maintain accurate
voter rolls and distributes their workload evenly over the four-year
election cycle. Electronic registrations recorded at drivers license
centers are also more secure and take a fraction of the time compared
to processing paper applications.

Automatic voter registration
should increase voter participation in Pennsylvania which, as of
December 2022, had 1.6 million eligible residents who were not
registered to vote. Multiple studies, like a 2019 Brennan Center for
Justice Study [link 17] and a
[link 18]2021 study by the Public Policy
Institute of California [link 19], show the states that implement
automatic registration see marked increases in the number of eligible
voters added to the voter rolls and appreciable increases in voter
turnout.

Pennsylvanians will still be able to register to vote or
update their information online, with a paper application or at a
county election office in addition to automatic voter registration at
PennDOT license centers.

For more information about Pennsylvania
voter registration go to How to Register to Vote (pa.gov) [link 20].
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*Plan your Leaf Peeping Trip Now!
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Did you know
Pennsylvania has a longer and more varied fall foliage season than any
other state in the nation -- or anywhere in the world? There are only
three regions of the world that support deciduous forests that display
fall autumn color - Eastern North America, The British Isles and parts
of northwestern Europe, and Northeastern China and northern Japan -
and PA offers the longest window to enjoy those brilliant
colors!

Foliage began turning this week and it takes some planning to
be sure you don't miss the October color peak in your favorite spot.
To time your upcoming "leaf peeping" trip use the Pennsylvania
Department of Natural Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) Weekly
Fall Foliage Reports (pa.gov) [link 22] and their interactive fall
foliage story map [link 23] of prime fall leaf locations. The first
DCNR fall foliage report came out this week (see above) and will be
updated every week throughout the month.

To add a hike to your fall
plans there are over 1200 miles of Pennsylvania trails listed at
ExplorePaTrails [link 24].

To add a fall festival or experience to
your plans, go to visitPA.com [link 25].

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[link 26]

*AARP Volunteers Needed for the 2024 Tax Season!*

The AARP
Foundation Tax-Aide program [link 27] is looking for individuals to
volunteer virtually or in person in a variety of roles to provide help
to taxpayers. Volunteers come from a variety of industries & span from
retirees to college students. AARP provides the training, support, and
volunteers gain new skills while helping those in need!

Volunteers
can participate in-person or virtually for the following roles:

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Client Facilitator

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Tax Counselor

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Technology Coordinator

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Leadership & Administrative Volunteer

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Communications
Coordinator

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Bilingual Interpreter

Learn more about volunteering
online [link 28] or call 1-888-AARP-NOW (1-888-227-7669).

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*The All of Us Research Program Needs You!*

The *All of
Us* Research Program [link 31] is a National Institutes of Health
funded research program that is building the most diverse health
database in history! The program hopes to include one million people
across the U.S. from all backgrounds. Researchers will use the data to
learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health and
help find ways to treat and prevent disease. Volunteers receive a $25
gift card after enrolling in the program.

To learn more and enroll
go to All of Us Research Program | National Institutes of Health (NIH)
[link 32].

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*October
14 & 21 Clean ups in McCandless!*

If you don't like seeing litter in
our communities, be a part of the solution and join the Town of
McCandless' Environmental Advisory Committee [link 33] for their
spring roadside cleanup dates on October 14th and 21st starting at
8:30 a.m.

Roadside beautification builds community spirit, protects
receiving waters (especially Pine Creek), increases property values,
and makes McCandless an example of a community that cares.

Safety
vests, gloves and bags will be available for participants.
Participants will meet in the Powers Room in Town Hall (9955 Grubbs
Road) at 8:30 a.m. for a continental breakfast before heading
out.

Sign up for one or both cleanup dates at Activities ?
McCandless, PA ? CivicEngage (townofmccandless.org) [link 34].

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As
always, please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have
by phone at 412-364-0469 [link 35] (Ross Office), 724-224-2131 [link
36] (Harrison Office) or by email at
[email protected] [link 37]. My staff will return
your call/email within 24 hours (Monday-Friday).

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Senator
Lindsey Williams


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mailto:[email protected]

Contact
Information:

Website: [link removed]

Office
Location:
District Office
5000 McKnight Road
Suite 405
Pittsburgh, PA
15237
Phone: 412-364-0469
Fax: 412-364-0928

Harrison Office
1826
Union Avenue
Natrona Heights, PA 15065
Phone: 724-224-2131
Fax:
724-224-2145

Harrisburg Office
366 Capitol Building
Senate Box
203038
Harrisburg, PA 17120-3038
Phone: 717-787-6538
Fax:
717-787-8625

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