State Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Your District 38
Update

*

*2023 Events Review!**

This week we look back at our
events in Pittsburgh's Larimer neighborhood!

[image =
[link removed]]
[link 1]

*2023 Community Baby Shower *

We held our 4th annual
Community Baby Shower [link 2] on September 28, 2023 at the
intersection of Pittsburgh's Larimer and East Liberty neighborhoods in
beautiful Liberty Green Park.

This unique event is a "shower," or
resource fair, for parents, grandparents, foster/kinship families,
guardians, or anyone looking to start a family. We like holding the
event in neighborhood parks so that families can easily stop by on
their way home from work or school and pick up information from
organizations they might not know about.

This year we had an
unanticipated rain shower, but we all managed to have a great time.
The Pittsburgh Fire Fighters and Coats for Kids & Families [link 3]
came to distribute winter coats, children had fun getting their faces
painted by Beanie Paints LLC Pittsburgh Face Painter [link 4],
Russellton Palmer Pharmacy [link 5] was on hand for free flu shots,
and everyone benefited from the amazing selection of vendors from
across Allegheny County.

Hope to see you at our next Community Baby
Shower in the fall of 2024!

[image =
[link removed]]

*Clean
Slate and Expungement Clinics*

We partnered with the Allegheny
County Bar Foundation (ACBF) Pro Bono Center [link 6] and the Duquesne
Law School Tribone Center for Clinical Legal Education [link 7] to
hold an evening Clean Slate & Expungement Clinic this year on March 14
at Larimer's Kingsley Association [link 8].

This event was designed
to help individuals with past criminal records get the information
they need to potentially get their records expunged, convictions
removed, or obtain a pardon. With clear records, people can move
forward and get a fresh start with employment, education, or any other
area in their lives. The event was incredibly helpful for the
attendees who got to hear about their options and what steps are
necessary to complete the process. Afterward, participants met
one-on-one with volunteers who looked at their individual situations
and gave tailored advice.

We had such a strong turnout for our
Clean Slate event in Larimer that we were happy to co-host a June
Clean Slate Workshop in Sharpsburg with Pennsylvanians for Modern
Courts [link 9], District Judge Matt Rudzki [link 10], Rep. Mandy
Steele [link 11], and attorney Max Cotton from the Allegheny County
Public Defender Office [link 12]. We had a good turnout in Sharpsburg
as well, underscoring the need for this information in our
region.

If you couldn't make either event or have questions about
your situation, we're happy to put you in touch with the Pro Bono
Center or Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. Call 412-364-0469 (Ross)
or 724-224-2131 (Harrison) or email us at
[email protected] [link 13].

[image =
[link removed]]
[link 14]

*Investing in Women Event*

In September,
Representative La'Tasha Mayes [link 15] and I also hosted an Investing
in Women event in Larimer. This PA Department of Banking and
Securities [link 16] program was designed to help everyone, but women
in particular, feel comfortable with the basics of banking, credit
cards, investing, and protecting themselves from fraud. We all learned
something from our excellent PA Department of Banking and Securities
presenter, and we're looking forward to having more events like this.
If you were unable to attend Investing in Women, you can watch the
presentation by clicking on the graphic above or going to Investing in
Women Financial Seminar - Senator Lindsey Williams [link 17].

If
you have any questions about what you heard do not hesitate to reach
out to our office! Call us at 412-364-0469 (Ross) or 724-224-2131
(Harrison) or email us at [email protected] [link
18].

[image =
[link removed]]

*

*Good
News**

[image =
[link removed]]

*Visit
to Pittsburgh Public Theater*

Thank you to the Pittsburgh Public
Theater [link 19] for a great tour last week! We heard an amazing
vocal performance and learned more about their programming. We also
talked about CREATE PA: Pittsburgh Film and Theater Works, a new
partnership with the Pittsburgh Film Office [link 20] to attract,
develop, and retain crew talent in film and theater that will support
the growing arts industry of Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania
by supporting rising professionals and emerging youth through job
training.

[image =
[link removed]]

*Garfield
Highlands Development Open House*

Last week my staff attended an
open house for one of the beautiful homes in Bloomfield-Garfield
Corporation (BGC) [link 21]'s new Garfield Highlands development.
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of BGC, the Bloomfield-Garfield
neighborhoods will have 25 new affordable housing units!

The
development is near completion and will have 14 - 3-bedroom rental
homes and 11 - 2-bedroom rental homes for income-qualifying tenants
with a future option to purchase! The leasing process is already
underway and as you can see, all units are nearly finished.

If you
are interested in information on the development contact Rick Swartz
at 412-441-6950 x 111 or [email protected] [link 22].
[image =
[link removed]]

*Fair
Contract for PA University Coaches *

Join me in standing with our
Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties
[link 23]
coaches as they fight for a contract that respects their
work and our student-athletes. These coaches are asking for contract
language that will prevent arbitrary firings and tie evaluations to
contract renewals.

You can learn more about the coach negotiations
at
APSCUF coach negotiations update: Nov. 28, 2023 | APSCUF [link
24].

[image =
[link removed]]

*Allegheny
Shores Project Site Visit*

Last Thursday, I joined PennDOT
Secretary Mike Carroll, our local PennDOT District Director Jason
Zang, Sharpsburg Mayor Brittany Reno, and the Mosites Development team
to advocate for PennDOT's support of federal grants for the Allegheny
Shores project. This former Heinz tomato growing site turned
brownfield is slated to be turned into riverfront development that
includes affordable housing, commercial, and retail use.

Learn more
about the project here: Mosites breaks ground on Allegheny Shores,
'the Sharpsburg Riviera' | TribLIVE.com [link 25]

[image =
[link removed]]

*

*Legislative
Update**

*
[image =
[link removed]]*

*Protecting
Workers Against Wage Theft*

I applaud the Supreme Court opinion
that supports PennDOT's jurisdiction to enforce the Prevailing Wage
Act and to disqualify G.O. Hawbaker from state road work contracts.
Wage theft is a morally and financially abhorrent
practice.

Pennsylvanians deserve to know that the companies we
contract with are the best of the best and operate themselves
completely above board.

That's why I'm proud to sponsor legislation
like Senate Bill 987 [link 26], the Wage Theft Notification and
Protection Act, which requires employers to post educational materials
about wage theft in a central location. This will help employees
better understand what wage theft is and how to report it. This
legislation also includes anti-retaliation provisions to protect
workers who report these illegal practices.

Workers deserve the
support and protections that have been affirmed by both the PA Supreme
Court and PennDOT. We hope all companies take note of our fierce
commitment to workers and the wages they are justly owed.

PennDOT
may pursue disqualification of contractor in wage theft case, Pa.
Supreme Court rules - Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
[link 27]

Pennsylvania Senators Applaud Supreme Court's Support of
PennDOT in Wage Theft Case - MyChesCo [link 28]

Senate Democrats
Share Joint Statement on PA Supreme Court Wage Theft Decision
(senatorlindseywilliams.com) [link 29]

[image =
[link removed]]

*Basic
Education Funding Commission Update*

It's been a busy three months,
but the Basic Education Funding Commission will hold its final public
meeting of the year on Thursday, December 14th. We held 10 hearings
across the state and took testimony from experts on how the General
Assembly can meet its constitutional obligation to provide a thorough
and efficient system of public education here in Pennsylvania that is
fairly and fully funded.

If you missed any of these hearings or
want to read any of the written testimony, you can catch up at
SenatorLindseyWilliams.com/BEFC [link 30]. You can still submit public
comments for the record at Basic Education Funding Commission |
Contact [link 31].

The next step in this process is for the BEFC to
prepare a formal report of recommendations to the General Assembly.
This report is due January 11, 2024 and will be available to the
public once it is complete.

[image =
[link removed]]

[image
=
[link removed]]
[link 32]

*Pennie Open Enrollment Reminder!*

Pennie [link 33]'s
open enrollment period started November 1, 2023, and ends January 15,
2024! You still have plenty of time to sign up for high-quality,
affordable health insurance through Pennie, Pennsylvania's health
insurance marketplace. Enrolling is simple and approachable and there
are navigators available if you need individual help. Go to pennie.com
[link 34] to get the lowest costs on high-quality medical, dental, and
vision plans today!

-
*If you enroll by December 15th, you will
have a coverage effective date of January 1, 2024.*

-
*If you
enroll by January 15th, you will have a coverage effective date of
February 1, 2024. *

You must be a PA resident who is a citizen, a
U.S. national, or a person with qualified immigration status to use
Pennie. You can not have healthcare coverage through your employer or
another program like Medical Assistance (PA's Medicaid) [link
35].

If you've lost your Medicaid coverage, Pennie can
help!

Pennie and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
(DHS) [link 36] are working together to ensure that qualified
Pennsylvanians have access to health coverage either through Medical
Assistance [link 37], the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
[link 38], or the affordable, high-quality coverage available through
Pennie.

[image =
[link removed]]

*Help
Fight Deceptive Medicare Advantage Sales Tactics!*

Medicare's open
enrollment period ends Thursday, December 7, 2023, and for months the
airways have been flooded with ads for Medicare Advantage and drug
plans. You may have noticed some of these companies using misleading
and deceptive sales tactics. To help stop these deceptive practices,
the Biden Administration created new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) advertising rules [link 39] and is asking citizens to
help by reporting companies that violate them at *1-**800-MEDICARE
(1-800-633-4227).* TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. * *

You
should report any sales pitches that:

-
Suggest benefits are
available to all who sign up when only some individuals qualify.

-
Mention benefits that are not available in the service area where they
are advertised (unless unavoidable because the media outlet covers
multiple service areas).

-
Use superlatives like "most" or "best"
unless claims are backed up by data from the current or prior
year.

-
Claim unrealistic savings, such as $9,600 in drug
savings, which apply only in rare circumstances.

-
Market
coverage without naming the plan.

-
Display the official Medicare
name, membership card, or logo without approval of CMS, the federal
agency in charge of Medicare.

-
Contact you if you're an
Advantage or drug plan member and you told that plan not to notify you
about other health insurance products.

-
Pretend to be from the
government-run Medicare program, which does not make unsolicited sales
calls to beneficiaries.

The *800-MEDICARE (**1-800-633-4227)* is a
24-hour information hotline. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.

If
you believe you chose a plan based on inaccurate information and want
to change plans, contact CMS or Pennsylvania's Free Health Insurance
Assistance Program (PA MEDI) [link 40] at 412-661-1438. For more
information about protecting yourself from marketing violations, go to
ShipHelp.org [link 41].

You can read more at Uncle Sam wants you to
help stop bogus sales tactics from Medicare Advantage : Shots - Health
News : NPR [link 42].

[image =
[link removed]]
[link 43]

[image =
[link removed]]
[link 44]

*Property Tax/Rent Rebate Applications Due in 3
Weeks!*

The deadline for older and disabled Pennsylvanians to apply
for rebates on rent and property taxes paid in 2022 is Dec. 31,
2023!

Claimants of the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program are
encouraged to file their rebate applications online by visiting myPATH
- Home [link 45]. The Department of Revenue created this online option
to make it faster and easier for the Pennsylvanians who annually
benefit from the program to submit their applications and to receive
their refunds.

Apply online: Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program
(pa.gov) [link 46]

Get assistance: Pennsylvania DOR Support Home
(custhelp.com) [link 47]

Check rebate status: myPATH - Property
Tax/Rent Rebate Status [link 48]

[image =
[link removed]]
[link 49]

*Rate Change Alert!*

Utility energy prices for
electricity and natural gas in Pennsylvania were reset on December 1,
2023. The good news is that overall rates are substantially down from
this time last year, but with winter here, utility customers should
still shop for the best rates.

Go to PUC Reminds Consumers of
December 1 Energy Price Changes | PA PUC [link 50] to check the list
of electric and gas generation rate changes in Pennsylvania and learn
how those changes could impact your winter utility bills You can also
learn about ways to manage your energy usage on that page.

When you
are ready to make some decisions, go to PAPowerSwitch.com [link 51] to
shop for and choose your electric supplier and go to PAGasSwitch.com
[link 52] to shop for and choose your gas supplier. Give yourself the
gift of energy savings for the holidays!

[image =
[link removed]]

*Just
Harvest Needs Your Input on SNAP*

Just Harvest [link 53] is a
non-profit organization that works to reduce hunger by helping food
insecure Pennsylvanians enroll in government programs like
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) [link 54] and advocates for
food access policy solutions. Just Harvest is asking SNAP recipients
and applicants to complete a short survey to help them more
effectively advocate for and improve the SNAP experience.

If you or
your family applied for or used SNAP benefits, please take a few
moments to complete the survey at Barriers to SNAP Benefits Survey
(alchemer.com) [link 55].

[image =
[link removed]]
[link 56]

*Volunteers Needed at the West View Hub!*

Looking for
a volunteer opportunity this weekend? Help the West View Hub [link 57]
spread holiday cheer by assembling baskets for homebound seniors on
December 10, 2023, from 1-4 PM. Come to enjoy the holiday fun and meet
their special, extra jolly holiday guest!

[image =
[link removed]]

[image
=
[link removed]]

*Holiday
Light Recycling & Food and Toy Drive in O'Hara!*

The Township of
O'Hara [link 58]'s Holiday Light Recycling collection is back!
Any
holiday lights are eligible to be recycled. The bin is in the township
lobby (325 Fox Chapel Road) and accessible Monday-Friday 8 AM to 4:30
PM. Your old lights will be used to make new winter coats for the
Salvation Army's Project Bundle Up [link 59].

O'Hara is also
hosting a SPREAD CHEER Food and Toy Drive on Saturday, December 16th
from 11am-3pm in the municipal building parking lot at 325 Fox Chapel
Road. Items can also be dropped off at the municipal building lobby,
Monday-Friday from 8am-4pm from now through Friday, December
15th.

The food bank has requested nonperishable items, paper
products, new toys, games, and sports items.

Thank you for helping
to spread some holiday cheer!

[image =
[link removed]]
[link 60]

*'Tis the Season for Solidarity: A Bake Sale and Cookbook
for the P-G Workers' Strike Fund *

Calling all bakers, volunteers,
and bake sale patrons! Help make the "pie" bigger for striking
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers by supporting their December 19, 2023,
bake sale. You can donate baked goods or come down to the United
Steelworkers (USW) lobby to purchase some the day of the sale. You can
also support strikers by contributing your favorite dessert recipes to
their "Seasoned with Solidarity Cookbook!"

*Bake Sale:*

-
*Where: *USW headquarters lobby, 60 Boulevard of the Allies,
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

-
*Date: *Tuesday, December 19th

*Time:
*12pm-6:00pm

-
*Sign up to bake or volunteer: *'Tis the season
for solidarity: a bake sale for the P-G workers' strike fund on
Tuesday, December 19. Baker and volunteer sign-up. (google.com) [link
61]

*"Seasoned with Solidarity Cookbook:" *

-
*Submit recipes
*here [link 62]*.*

The bake sale is sponsored by USW Local 3657
Fundraising and Organizing Committee and co-sponsored by USW District
10, Pittsburgh News Guild, CWA Local 14842, CWA Local 14827, Teamsters
Local 205/211, and GCC/IBT Local 24M/9N. All sales will be donated to
the P-G workers' strike fund [link 63]. Learn more about the strike
here [link 64].

[image =
[link removed]]

As
always, please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have
by phone at 412-364-0469 [link 65] (Ross Office), 724-224-2131 [link
66] (Harrison Office) or by email at
[email protected] [link 67]. My staff will return
your call/email within 24 hours (Monday-Friday).

[image =
[link removed]]

Senator
Lindsey Williams

[image =
[link removed]]


----------------------
footnotes
----------------------
[link 1]
[link removed]
[link 2]
[link removed]
[link 3]
[link removed]
[link 4] [link removed]
[link
5] [link removed]
[link 6]
[link removed]
[link 7]
[link removed]
[link
8] [link removed]
[link 9]
[link removed]
[link 10]
[link removed]
[link
11]
[link removed]
[link
12] [link removed]
[link
13] mailto:[email protected]
[link 14]
[link removed]
[link 15]
[link removed]
[link 16]
[link removed]
[link 17]
[link removed]
[link 18]
mailto:[email protected]
[link 19]
[link removed]
[link 20] [link removed]
[link
21] [link removed]
[link 22]
mailto:[email protected]
[link 23]
[link removed]
[link 24]
[link removed]
[link
25]
[link removed]
[link
26]
[link removed]
[link
27]
[link removed]
[link
28]
[link removed]
[link
29]
[link removed]
[link
30] [link removed]
[link 31]
[link removed]
[link 32]
[link removed]
[link 33] [link removed]
[link 34]
[link removed]
[link 35]
[link removed]
[link
36] [link removed]
[link 37]
[link removed]
[link
38] [link removed]
[link 39]
[link removed]
[link
40]
[link removed]
[link
41]
[link removed]
[link
42]
[link removed]
[link
43]
[link removed]
[link
44]
[link removed]
[link
45] [link removed]
[link 46]
[link removed]
[link
47] [link removed]
[link 48]
[link removed]
[link 49]
[link removed]
[link
50]
[link removed]
[link
51] [link removed]
[link 52]
[link removed]
[link 53]
[link removed]
[link 54]
[link removed]
[link 55]
[link removed]
[link
56] [link removed]
[link 57]
[link removed]
[link 58]
[link removed]
[link 59]
[link removed]
[link
60]
[link removed]
[link
61]
[link removed]
[link
62]
[link removed]
[link
63] [link removed]
[link 64]
[link removed]
[link 65]
tel:412-364-0469
[link 66] tel:724-224-2131
[link 67]
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
Monday ? Friday 9-5

Harrison
Office
1826 Union Avenue
Natrona Heights, PA 15065
Phone:
724-224-2131
Fax: 724-224-2145
Monday ? Thursday 9-5

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


Unsubscribe:
[link removed]
Privacy
Policy: [link removed]