State Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Your District 38 Update

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*Remembering
Etna Mayor Tom Rengers **

Last Thursday, Etna Borough suffered the
terrible loss of their mayor, Tom Rengers. Mayor Tom was a passionate
public servant who loved his community beyond measure. Not only was he
mayor for 19 years, but he was also a member of Etna Council for 11
years, wrote Etna's newsletter, and served on the committees and
associations that make Etna the dynamic and special community it is
today. I am grateful I had the opportunity to work with Mayor Tom over
the last few years. He will be dearly missed.

Read more [link 1]
about Tom Renger's lifetime of service.

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*2023
Events Review Series**

This year we were able to host two Senior
Fairs!

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*Spring
2023 Senior Fair in East Liberty*

We were excited this year to hold
our first Senior Fair in Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood at the
Mount Ararat Community Activity Center [link 2]!

Everyone had a great
time and took advantage of the wealth of information and resources
that the non-profit vendors provided. Thank you to my co-host Rep.
La'Tasha D. Mayes [link 3], the vendors who helped seniors and
caregivers with information and free health screenings, Tanya's
Catering for the delicious breakfast, and a very special thank you to
Mount Ararat Community Activity Center for hosting us!

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*Fall
2023 Senior Fair in Ross*

We co-hosted a Fall Senior Fair with Rep.
Emily Kinkead [link 4] at the Ross Township Community Center in the
North Hills again this year, and it was a phenomenal success with over
350 attendees!

As always, it was a great chance to talk one-on-one
with constituents and we were so grateful to the 54 vendors who came
to share information, to the Ross Township [link 5] Community Center
for being a wonderful host, Dunkin Donuts [link 6] in Etna and Eat 'n
Park [link 7] for delicious refreshments, Pittsburgh Regional Transit
[link 8] for issuing free senior bus passes, and Waltmire Pharmacy
[link 9] for providing flu and COVID-19 shots to attendees!

*

*Good
News**

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*An
Etna Carol: Library Fundraiser and Costume Ball*

On Saturday I joined
residents and local officials to celebrate the one-year anniversary of
Etna's Pop-up Library and to take part in "An Etna Carol," an evening
of fun in support of the ongoing effort to raise funds for Etna's
library building renovation. Thank you to Etna Borough for inviting me
to participate in this creative and fun evening of support for a
worthy cause!

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*Senate
Guest Chaplain Harry Van Riper*

This week, I had the honor of joining
my colleague, Senator Robinson, in introducing our Senate Guest
Chaplain, Vietnam Veteran and American Legion Post 548 Chaplain Harry
Van Riper. The Senate was incredibly fortunate to have Chaplain Van
Riper open our Session and inspire our work this week, and I'm
grateful for his lifetime of service.

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*Maryanne
Wesdock Confirmed as Judge of the Environmental Hearing Board *

I
also had the privilege of introducing my friend and constituent,
Maryanne Wesdock, Esq. to the Senate Environmental Resources and
Energy Committee for her nomination hearing for Judge of the
Environmental Hearing Board. Ms. Wesdock is an incredibly qualified
candidate and her nomination was unanimously voted out of committee.
Ms. Wesdock's nomination was later confirmed by the full Senate by a
vote of 43-7.

You can view the full video of my introductory remarks
below.

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[link 10]

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*Legislative
Update**

*Pennsylvania's Biggest Tax Giveaway to Corporations and
Wealthy Individuals Discriminates Against Children*

I voted against
the 2023-24 School Code because it continues to take tax dollars away
from public education and instead funnels that money to schools that
actively discriminate against our children and families.

Since the
inception of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) and
Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program (OSTC) in 2001,
Pennsylvania has given over $2 billion in tax breaks to corporations
and its wealthiest citizens [link 11] in exchange for scholarships to
private and religious schools. Virtually nothing is known about how,
or if, students have benefitted from these programs because we do not
collect sufficient data to evaluate them [link 12].

What we do know
is that the private and religious schools who receive this funding
actively discriminate against parents and students. In early December,
Education Voters of Pennsylvania released a report [link 13] examining
25% of the private schools that participate in the OSTC program. Every
single school studied had a clear statement or policy declaring that
the school can and will discriminate against students and
parents.

Here are some lowlights from that report:

-
Nearly 1 in 5
schools have explicit statements discriminating against LGBTQ students
and their families.

-
Nearly half of the schools engage in some
type of discrimination based on religion.

-
More than 80% of
schools have policies that allow them to refuse to admit students if
they are not the "right fit" with the school.

-
More than 50% of
schools have policies that allow them to discriminate against students
based on disability or how they're currently doing in school.

Unlike
public schools that must educate every resident student who comes
through their doors, these private and religious schools do not have
to admit students with disabilities or follow their IEPs, nor are they
required to educate students who struggle academically for whatever
reason.

That means that the very students that proponents claim the
OSTC voucher program was created to assist - students that attend
schools with low standardized test scores - can and are turned away
because of their low test scores.

It has been nearly a year since the
Commonwealth Court declared our system of funding public education
unconstitutional. Since then, I've opposed legislation that upholds
that unconstitutional system or makes it even worse many times. But
long before that decision, I have stood up every year in opposition to
the school code BECAUSE of EITC and OSTC. As in past years, this
year's school code contains bills that are a huge priority to
me--including bills that I've sponsored. But I stand in strong
opposition to any program - EITC, OSTC, or any future voucher programs
like PASS or Lifeline Scholarships [link 14] - that discriminate
against kids and siphon your tax dollars into the pockets of
billionaires [link 15] who seek to defund, destabilize, and destroy
public education.

You can view the full video of my floor remarks
prior to the vote below.

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*Enroll With Pennie for Coverage Starting January
1!*

Don't procrastinate! Enroll by Friday, December 15, 2023 to get
healthcare coverage that starts January 1, 2023 from Pennie,
Pennsylvania's health insurance marketplace. Open enrollment runs
through January 15, 2024, but why not skip the rush and call
1-844-844-8040 or go to Home | Pennie [link 18] to sign up or get
personalized help navigating plans.

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

Pennie and the Pennsylvania Department of
Human Services (DHS) [link 19] are working together to ensure that
qualified Pennsylvanians have access to health coverage either through
Medical Assistance [link 20], the Children's Health Insurance Program
(CHIP) [link 21], or the affordable, high-quality coverage available
through Pennie.

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*Scam
Alert from PA Treasury *

Fraudsters are targeting residents in a new
scam involving false promises of a state grant and fraudulent requests
to pay taxes using gift cards.

In this scam, unsuspecting residents
receive a call, an email, and/or a letter claiming to be from the
Pennsylvania Treasury [link 22] or the Federal Reserve Bank [link 23],
fraudulently indicating that the recipient will be awarded grant money
- but first must pay taxes. In at least one case, the recipient was
told to make the supposed tax payments with gift cards.

-
PA
Treasury does NOT announce grant awards.

-
PA Treasury does NOT
collect taxes.

-
PA Treasury will NEVER request payments in the
form of a gift card - and neither will any other legitimate government
agency.

If you receive any suspicious emails or calls, please contact
PA Treasury by calling 717-787-2465 or visit Pennsylvania Treasury,
Stacy Garrity - State Treasurer (patreasury.gov) [link 24].

You can
read more about this scam at Pennsylvania treasurer warns of new scam
targeting residents; here's what to look out for - WPXI [link
25].

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[link 26]

*2024 PA River of the Year!*

Did you know there is an
annual contest for 'River of the Year' in Pennsylvania? The PA
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources holds this annual
contest to raise awareness of our waterway's value and as well as the
importance of river stewardship. This year you can vote for our own
Allegheny River!

The nominees for the 2024 River of the Year are the
Allegheny River, Lackawaxen River, and Youghiogheny River. Nominations
came in from all over the state and were based on each waterway's
conservation needs, successes, and programming plans if the nominee is
voted 2024 River of the Year. The winner receives a grant for
conservation, education, and recreation activities in celebration.
Show your Allegheny pride and vote today!

Vote at:
Vote for a 2024
River of the Year! - POWR Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and
Rivers (pawatersheds.org) [link 27].

For more information on the
contest go to Voting to Begin for Pennsylvania's 2024 River of the
Year (pa.gov) [link 28].

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*Annual Fishing Licenses Make Great Gifts!*

Need a
last-minute gift for a special someone? Purchase an Annual Fishing
License for under $28 to give the gift of a season's worth of fun to
your favorite angler! Buy a license at Buy/Redeem Gift Vouchers
(fishandboat.com) [link 30].



*Winter Allegheny County Parks
Programming!** *

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*Holiday Laser Show*

Looking for a festive and affordable
activity for the whole family over the holidays? Come to North Park's
Holiday Laser Show [link 32] and enjoy a dazzling 40-minute drive-in
show synchronized with holiday music from the comfort of your own
vehicle!

Show runs December 8-23, 2023 at the North Park Pool parking
lot.

View the schedule and buy tickets at Holiday Laser Show |
Special Events | Allegheny County [link 33].

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[link 34]

*Skate with Santa at North Park Ice Rink*

He's making a
list and checking it twice - and you can skate and get a picture with
him on ice! Skate along with Santa at the North Park ice rink on
Sunday, December 17, 2023 from noon to 2 pm.

For information and to
buy tickets go to
Skate with Santa | Special Events | Allegheny County
[link 35].* *

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*'Winter
Trees' Guided Hikes*

Just because it is winter, doesn't mean you have
to stay indoors. The Allegheny County Park Rangers [link 36] have FREE
programs in December and you can still catch their last guided hike
this Saturday or Sunday!

Join the Rangers for their "Winter Trees"
guided hike to explore the ways trees survive winter conditions and
how to identify them without the help of their leaves.

-
Saturday,
December 16th, 10am-12pm, Hartwood Acres Park

-
Sunday, December
17th, 10am-12pm, Harrison Hills Park

Sign up for these and future
'Winter Trees' hikes at Activity search | Allegheny Parks - Online
Services (activecommunities.com) [link 37]. Check out all upcoming
Allegheny County Park Ranger activities here [link 38].

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*Latodami
Christmas Bird Count*

This is the 123rd year of the Christmas Bird
Count, an annual North American winter bird census. Join the effort to
count our bird species in North Park by volunteering with the Latodami
Nature Center on December 30! No previous experience is necessary to
participate. Binoculars are highly recommended.

-
Saturday,
December 30th, 8am- 11am, North Park Latodami Nature Center, 575 Brown
Rd. Wexford.

Register by December 25, 2023 at Activity detail |
Allegheny Parks - Online Services (activecommunities.com) [link
39].

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[link 40]

*Tarentum Holiday Light Decorating Contest*

If you live or
own a business in Tarentum and are proud of your holiday light
display, consider entering the Tarentum Recreation Board's Holiday
Light Decorating Contest [link 41]! Deadline for entries is Friday,
December 18, 2023. See the graphic above for details.

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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 42] (Ross Office), 724-224-2131 [link
43] (Harrison Office) or by email at
[email protected] [link 44]. 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:
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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


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