State Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Your District 38 Update

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*Make sure you stay up-to-date on all things for the 38th
District and throughout the Commonwealth by clicking below! **


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*

*Upcoming Events**

*
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*Free
Screening: *Local 1196: A Steelworkers Strike**

*GQT Movies at
Pittsburgh Mills, Thursday, March 21, 6:30 pm*

"The old American
dream just seems to be gone," says Walt Hill, the Contract Coordinator
for Local 1196 in the steel town of Brackenridge, Pennsylvania.

In
March of 2021, the steelworkers of USW 1196 struck, citing unfair
labor practices. From late night conversations on the picket lines, to
fiery debates at the union hall, to the homes of the members, the
documentary film "Local 1196" takes the viewer on the ground during a
steelworkers strike in the decaying town of Brackenridge,
Pennsylvania.
As days on strike turn to weeks, and weeks to months,
union leaders realize they're playing with a short stack. Will they be
able to stick together? As Walt says in the film, "I think that this
fight shows that, at least here, we're fighting back."

Local 1196
is an Official Selection film festival across the country and has
broadcast on a series of PBS channels. Come check it out on the big
screen on Thursday, March 21 at 6:30 pm at GQT Movies at Pittsburgh
Mills!

*Tickets are free, but space is limited.* To reserve your
free ticket (popcorn and pop included), please register at:
tinyurl.com/local1196 [link 2].

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*Spring Shredding Events*

Are you getting a head start
on your spring cleaning? Protect your identity by shredding documents
that contain personal information such as your name, address, phone
number, social security number, or bank account information.

There
is a limit of two bankers boxes per car at each event (for reference,
a bankers box is about the size of a microwave). Only paper will be
accepted- please remove all metal fasteners other than staples!
Shredding will be performed on site.

***UPDATED TIME AND LOCATION**
*Our first event will be with Rep. Emily Kinkead on *Saturday, March
23, 2024 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM *at the Ross Township Department of
Public Works, 225 Cemetery Lane, Pittsburgh, PA 15237.

The second
event will be with Rep. Lindsay Powell on *Saturday, April 27, 2024
from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM *at Kiwanis Park, 399 Wetzel Road, Glenshaw,
PA 15116.

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*Good
News**

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*American
Legion Post #80 Receives AED Donation from West Penn
Hospital*

Thank you to Allegheny Health Network West Penn Hospital
for their generous donation of a new AED to the Ross Township American
Legion Post #80!

While I hope that this equipment never has to be
used, I'm grateful that it will be there in case of an emergency. The
members of Post 80 have dedicated their lives in service to their
country, their community, and to one another. This donation will allow
them to continue that mission by allowing them to be as prepared as
possible to render aid in the event of an emergency.

Thank you to
the members and families of American Legion Post #80 and all of our
Veterans for their service.

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*Hometown Heroes Fundraiser Honoring EMT Kelly
Jackson*

I was honored to join the Allegheny Valley community this
weekend to celebrate Citizens Hose Fire/Rescue/EMS heroes Kelly
Jackson and Jim Erb. Hilltop Hose Ladies Auxiliary hosted a spaghetti
dinner that raised enough money to pay for EMT training for 10 new
recruits through the Allegheny-Kiski Health Foundation. I'm incredibly
grateful to see this training program, which I helped establish a few
years ago through state grant funding, continue to train amazing EMTs
like Kelly and
Jim!

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*

*Legislative
Update**

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*Senator
Williams Calls for Moratorium on New Cyber Charter
Approvals*

Following the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE)
Senate Appropriations Hearing on Wednesday during which PDE struggled
to meaningfully answer questions about the Department's recent
approval of a deficient cyber charter school [link 6], I circulated a
co-sponsorship memo [link 7] that would institute a moratorium on the
approval of new corporate-managed [link 8], publicly funded cyber
charter schools.

I was incensed last month when PDE approved a new
cyber charter managed by a for-profit, corporate education giant. This
is the first new cyber charter school to be approved by PDE in eight
years and its application was deficient on its face.

By any metric
of success, Pennsylvania's 13 existing cyber charter schools
consistently underperform both brick and mortar charters and district
schools.

Additionally, every one of Pennsylvania's cyber charter
schools has been identified as needing some level of support and
improvement under the state's accountability system. More than half
are currently operating under expired charters. And PDE lacks the
capacity that it needs to provide financial and academic oversight for
these schools.

Despite this, Pennsylvanians already spend roughly
$1 billion every year on tuition for our current cyber charter
schools, making this one of the leading drivers of property tax
increases. Tuition at these privately run, publicly funded schools is
not tied to the actual cost of education, and many cyber charters
bring in significantly more money than they spend on educating
students.

Cyber charters spent nearly $17 million in taxpayer money
[link 9] in 2021-2022 alone on advertising and promotions such as
sponsoring local fireworks nights at minor league baseball games,
catering, branded giveaways, and gift cards. Despite this waste of
taxpayer dollars, over half of cyber charter schools have fund
reserves that are equal to a third or more of their entire annual
operating budgets.

*Pennsylvania's students and taxpayers are
footing that bill.*

More than a year has passed since the
Commonwealth Court ruled that Pennsylvania's system of public
education is unconstitutional. Students in underfunded and inequitably
funded districts are still waiting for long overdue relief. But every
new cyber charter school diverts additional taxpayer dollars away from
traditional public school districts and the students they
serve.

*Sending millions of taxpayer dollars to a new cyber charter
school that is managed by a giant for-profit corporate entity when we
have yet to address the school funding court decision is not only
unconscionable - it is unconstitutional. *

Therefore, I am calling
for a moratorium on the proliferation of cyber charter schools until
common sense, bipartisan reforms that legislators and school boards
across the state have been asking for can be implemented. We must
strengthen charter school accountability and transparency, prevent
fraud, better serve high-need students, and ensure that neighborhood
public schools are not adversely affected. I will continue to fight to
secure these broader reforms - but in the meantime, we must stop
making the problem worse.

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*Ballot Drop Off Locations are Back! *

In addition to
dropping off your ballot and voting "over the counter" at the downtown
County Office Building (542 Forbes Avenue) for the upcoming 2024
Primary Election, the County Elections Division will also operate five
staffed absentee/mail-in ballot drop off locations around the
county!

The additional five drop off locations will be open the two
weekends before Election Day on *Saturday, April 13 and April 20 from
9 am - 5 pm and Sunday, April 14 and April 21 from 11 am - 7 pm*.
Voters may drop off mail-in or absentee ballots at these five
locations:

-
East End: Carnegie Public Library of Squirrel
Hill

-
South: South Park Ice Rink

-
North: North Park Ice
Rink

-
East: Boyce Park Four Seasons Lodge

-
West: 911 Call
Center

For more information, visit Countywide Ballot Drop Off
Locations - Allegheny County, PA [link 11]*.*

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*New
EMS Agency and Worker Reimbursement Program*

To better support
Pennsylvania's EMS industry, Governor Shapiro launched a new program
this month to provide $1 million per year over the next 3 years to
reimburse Emergency Medical Service workers for their training
expenses and EMS agencies for recruiting and retention programs. The
program is funded with money from the Fireworks Tax
Act.

Pennsylvania residents who obtained a Pennsylvania state
certification as an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), Emergency
Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
(AEMT), or Paramedic after July 1, 2023, are eligible to have a
portion of their tuition reimbursed.

*Certification
Level*

*Amount*

EMR

Up to $300

EMT

Up to $800
AEMT

Up to $1000

Paramedic

Up to $5000

Additionally,
Pennsylvania licensed EMS agencies are eligible for up to $1250 per
fiscal year to be used for reimbursement of recruitment and retention
expenses.

To be reimbursed through this program go to EMSIB 2024-02
Provider Tuition Assistance and Agency Recruitment & Retention Expense
Reimbursement.pdf (pa.gov) [link 12].

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*Public Comment Needed!*

Pennsylvania wants to hear
from you on the new 10-year plan to better meet the needs of seniors
called *Aging Our Way, PA: A Plan for Lifelong Independence. *This is
a draft and input from the public is essential to creating a Master
Plan that helps older adults pursue their best lives here in the
Commonwealth. Comment period runs from February 20 - March 20, 2024.
You can review the plan at Aging Our Way, PA [link 14].

Provide
feedback by:

-
Completing an online form:
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-
Mailing comments to:
"Aging Our Way, PA" at 555 Walnut St. 5th Floor, Harrisburg, PA
17101

-
Emailing: [email protected] [link 16].

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*Citizens
Hose Fish Fry*

Don't cook on Good Friday! Support Citizens Hose 167
in Natrona Heights and feed the family at their March 29 Fish Fry.
Orders must be placed by March 25. Tickets and orders can be placed by
calling or texting 724-972-7012.

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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 17] (Ross Office), 724-224-2131 [link
18] (Harrison Office) or by email at
[email protected] [link 19]. 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
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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