2023 Events
Review!
This week we look back at our events in
Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood!
2023
Community Baby Shower
We held our 4th
annual Community
Baby Shower 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 came to distribute winter coats,
children had fun getting their faces painted by Beanie
Paints LLC Pittsburgh Face Painter, Russellton
Palmer Pharmacy 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!
Clean Slate
and Expungement Clinics
We partnered with the
Allegheny
County Bar Foundation (ACBF) Pro Bono Center and the Duquesne
Law School Tribone Center for Clinical Legal Education to hold an
evening Clean Slate & Expungement Clinic this year on March 14 at
Larimer’s Kingsley
Association.
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, District
Judge Matt Rudzki, Rep.
Mandy Steele, and attorney Max Cotton from the Allegheny
County Public Defender Office. 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].
Investing in Women
Event
In September, Representative
La’Tasha Mayes and I also hosted an Investing in Women event
in Larimer. This PA
Department of Banking and Securities 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.
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].
Good News
Visit to
Pittsburgh Public Theater
Thank you to the Pittsburgh
Public Theater 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 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.
Garfield
Highlands Development Open House
Last week my
staff attended an open house for one of the beautiful homes in Bloomfield-Garfield
Corporation (BGC)’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].
Fair
Contract for PA University Coaches
Join
me in standing with our Association
of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties
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.
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
Legislative Update
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, 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)
Pennsylvania
Senators Applaud Supreme Court’s Support of PennDOT in Wage
Theft Case - MyChesCo
Senate
Democrats Share Joint Statement on PA Supreme Court Wage Theft
Decision (senatorlindseywilliams.com)
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.
You can still submit public comments for the record at Basic
Education Funding Commission | Contact.
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.
Pennie
Open Enrollment Reminder!
Pennie’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
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).
If you’ve lost
your Medicaid coverage, Pennie can help!
Pennie and the Pennsylvania
Department of Human Services (DHS) are working together to ensure
that qualified Pennsylvanians have access to health coverage either
through Medical
Assistance, the Children’s
Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or the affordable, high-quality
coverage available through Pennie.
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 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) at
412-661-1438. For more information about protecting yourself from
marketing violations, go to ShipHelp.org.
You can read more at Uncle
Sam wants you to help stop bogus sales tactics from Medicare Advantage
: Shots - Health News : NPR.
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. 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)
Get assistance: Pennsylvania
DOR Support Home (custhelp.com)
Check rebate
status: myPATH
- Property Tax/Rent Rebate Status
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 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
to shop for and choose your electric supplier and go to PAGasSwitch.com
to shop for and choose your gas supplier. Give yourself the gift of
energy savings for the holidays!
Just
Harvest Needs Your Input on SNAP
Just
Harvest is a non-profit organization that works to reduce hunger
by helping food insecure Pennsylvanians enroll in government programs
like Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) 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).
Volunteers Needed at the West View
Hub!
Looking for a volunteer opportunity this
weekend? Help the West
View Hub 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!
Holiday
Light Recycling & Food and Toy Drive in
O’Hara!
The Township
of O'Hara’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.
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!
'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:
“Seasoned with Solidarity
Cookbook:”
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. Learn more about the strike here.
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
