State Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Your District 38 Update

Stay
Connected!*

*Are you receiving this Enewsletter for the first
time?*

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


Click Here [link 1]

*By subscribing to my e-mail updates, you are
authorizing me to send regular e-mail updates from my office to your
e-mail account.



*

*Upcoming Events**

[image =
[link removed]]

*In-Person
VSO Appointments Available!*

My office offers American Legion
Veterans Service Officer (VSO) appointments every 3rd Tuesday of the
month from 9 am - 1 pm! Appointments will rotate between my district
offices each month.

Upcoming Dates:

-
Tuesday, March 19, Ross
Township office, 5000 McKnight Road, Suite 405, Pittsburgh, PA
15237

-
Tuesday, April 16, Natrona Heights office, 1826 Union
Avenue, Natrona Heights, PA 15065

Whether you have a question or
just need a fresh review of the benefits you've earned, call or email
our office to schedule a one-on-one appointment: 412-364-0469 (Ross)
724-224-2131 (Harrison). Appointments fill up quickly!

*
[image =
[link removed]]*

*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 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].

[image =
[link removed]]
[link 3]

*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.

[image =
[link removed]]
[link 4]

*Library Days with Lindsey!*

*Cooper-Siegel Community
Library, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 10 AM - 2 PM*

Join us for March's
Library Days with Lindsey at Cooper Siegel Community Library [link 5]
in Fox Chapel. This is a great opportunity to share what is important
to you with Senator Williams!

Appointments fill up fast and are
strongly encouraged. Call to schedule your appointment at 412-364-0469
(Ross) or 724-224-2131 (Harrison) or email us at
[email protected] [link 6].

[image =
[link removed]]
[link 7]

*Expungement of Records and Clean Slate Workshop in
Highland Park*

*5815 Bryant St, Pittsburgh, PA
15206, Wednesday,
March 14, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 pm*

Join Senator Williams in Highland
Park for a Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts Expungement of Records and
Clean Slate Workshop to learn about how to clear your record!
Magistrate Judge Katherine Lovelace (Magisterial District 05-2-31) and
Allegheny County Public Defender, Seth Barkley, Esq. will talk about
how to navigate the process of expungement and clearing your record
after a criminal incident, including a review of the documents
required for completion and where to go to file these documents. The
presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.
Advance registration is strongly encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome.
Hope to see you there!

Register at PMC Shares Workshop: Expungement
of Records and Clean Slate | Allegheny County | Pennsylvanians for
Modern Courts (pmconline.org) [link 8] or scan the QR code above.
[image =
[link removed]]

*

*Good
News**

[image =
[link removed]]

*Fish
Fry Lunch at A.W. Beattie!*

We kicked off Fish Fry season with a
delicious lunch at A.W. Beattie Career Center [link 9]'s Training
Restaurant at the end of February and highly recommend this delicious
way to support a community asset. We also ran into some of our friends
from the North Hills School Board!

For more information on A.W.
Beattie's restaurant, go to
Beattie Restaurant - A.W. Beattie Career
Center (beattietech.com) [link 10].

Fish Fry-days are a great way
to support local businesses and organizations and you can find more
locations at 2024 Pittsburgh Lenten Fish Fry Map
(codeforpittsburgh.github.io) [link 11].

[image =
[link removed]]

*

*Legislative
Update**

[image =
[link removed]]

*Supporting
Our Teachers in Retirement*

This week, I spoke with a group of
retired members of the American Federation Teachers (AFT-PA) and the
Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) about legislation that
I am co-sponsoring that would provide a greatly needed cost of living
adjustment (COLA) to their pensions. Under Pennsylvania law,
legislation is required to provide a COLA for PA Public School
Employees Retirement System (PSERS) retirees. Their last COLA went
into effect over 20 years ago, making a new adjustment an urgent
need.

I'm a co-sponsor on several bills that would both provide a
necessary income increase to these individuals who spent their careers
serving Pennsylvania's students, including Senate Bill 863 [link 12],
Senate Bill 864 [link 13], Senate Bill 951 [link 14], Senate Bill 952
[link 15], and Senate Bill 1029 [link 16].

[image =
[link removed]]

*

*Women's
History Month**

March is Women's History Month and we are featuring
some of Western PA's finest each week!

[image =
[link removed]]

*Sophie
Masloff: Pittsburgh's First and Only Woman Mayor*

The Honorable
Sophie Masloff was elected to Pittsburgh City Council in 1976 and was
elected Council President in 1988. When Mayor Richard Caliguiri died
later that year, she was appointed mayor and ran unopposed for a full
term in 1989. She was the first woman and Jewish person to become
mayor of Pittsburgh.

Masloff was also the first public figure to
suggest separate stadiums for Pittsburgh's football and baseball
teams, a vision that was eventually realized with the building of PNC
Park and Heinz Field. As a tribute to her vision and in honor of her
90th birthday in 2007, a street near PNC Park was named Sophie Masloff
Way!

[image =
[link removed]]

*Helen
Richey: Pittsburgh Pilot!*

Helen Richey, born in McKeesport in
1909, was a groundbreaking female aviator. She set a women's fueling
endurance record at 237 hours and 42 minutes in 1933, and in 1936 she
secured the women's light plane altitude record co-piloting with
Amelia Earhart in the Bendix race. Richey was also the first woman to
be hired as a pilot by a commercial airline in the United
States.

[image =
[link removed]]

[image
=
[link removed]]
[link 17]

*Help with Expanded 2023 Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program
Applications!*

We would like to remind our constituents that the
Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program (PTRR) [link 18] was expanded last
year and many more people will be eligible for the first time! If you
are a senior or disabled adult and had less than $45,000 in income
last year (only 1/2 of Social Security income counts for this
calculation), you are eligible for a rebate of up to $1000 on the rent
or property taxes you paid in 2023. See graphic above for details
about the PTRR expansion.

There is still plenty of time to apply
before the June 30, 2024 deadline and we are here to help. For an
instruction booklet, questions about the program, or to make an
in-person appointment to file your application online, call or email
us at: 412-364-0469 (Ross), 724-224-2131 (Harrison), or
[email protected] [link 19].

You will need the
following documentation to file an online PTRR application with our
office:

-
Proof of identity (first-time filers only)

-
2023
PA Rent Certificate [link 20] form completed by your landlord (renters
only)

-
2023 gross household income documents (Social Security
statement, 1099-R, etc.)

-
Paid county, municipal, and school
district property tax receipts (homeowners only)

-
Bank routing
and account numbers (for rebate direct deposit)

The PA Department
of Revenue also has a
new tool to locate in-person PTRR program
assistance at Department of Revenue district offices, Area Agencies on
Aging, or state legislators' offices close to all Pennsylvania zip
codes at Find In-Person Support (pa.gov) [link 21].

Our offices
help hundreds of individuals file for their rebates every year, and we
constantly hear how much our neighbors rely on this program to help
make ends meet. The PTRR expansion is an important first step in
providing property tax relief to the most vulnerable among us. Don't
leave your rebate lying on the table!

To read more about the PA
Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program or to apply on your own click here
[link 22].

[image =
[link removed]]
[link 23]

*New Earn-As-You-Learn Farm Apprenticeship Grant!*

The
PA Department of Labor & Industry [link 24] is inviting organizations
to apply for grants up to $350,000 for earn-as-you-learn
apprenticeship opportunities for those interested in agricultural
occupations, including certified organic farmers.

About $700,000 in
funding has been allocated to the PAsmart Supporting Pennsylvania's
Organic Agriculture through Registered Apprenticeships and
Pre-Apprenticeships Grant Program.

The application deadline is
Thursday, March 21st at 5pm. Click below to learn
more!

[link removed]
[link 25]

[image =
[link removed]]
[link 26]

*March PHEAA Webinars*

Planning for higher education?
There are still opportunities this month to attend one of the
Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency's (PHEAA) webinars.
See above for details.

Registration and more information are
available at Financial Aid Webinars (pheaa.org) [link 27]*.*

[image
=
[link removed]]

*Alert
- the ACP Discount Likely to End May 1st!*

The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) will be winding down the Affordable
Connectivity Program (ACP) [link 28] by the end of April due to a lack
of additional funding from Congress. If you currently participate in
the ACP we strongly encourage you to check your eligibility for the
Lifeline Program [link 29] which you can read more about below.

The
ACP pays $30/month toward a participant's internet bills and was
created in 2021 by the Biden Administration's Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act. Without renewed funding, the FCC projects
that households enrolled in the ACP will receive the discount on their
internet service through April 2024. This date is an estimate and may
change. After the ACP ends, enrollees will no longer get the monthly
internet discount or save on a device.

*What should ACP
participants do now?*

-
Please contact your internet company if
you have questions about how the end of the ACP will affect your
monthly bill and to ask about the options available to you.

-
Check your email to see if you received a notice to recertify your
existing benefit. If so, complete the process so you can keep your
benefit until the ACP ends. If you don't respond, you may lose your
benefit before the funding runs out.

-
Please visit
AffordableConnectivity.gov [link 30] for more information and for
further updates regarding your ACP benefit. For ACP questions, email
[email protected] [link 31], or call us at (877) 384-2575. The
support center is open 7 days a week, from 9:00am to 9:00pm
ET.

*After the ACP ends, are there other ways to save on internet
service?*

You may qualify for the Lifeline Program [link 32], a
federal program that makes phone and internet service more affordable.
You can enroll in Lifeline if:

-
your income is at or below 135%
of the 2023 federal poverty guidelines [link 33] or

-
you (or
someone in your household) participate in one of these programs:

-
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as
Food Stamps

-
Medicaid (Medical Assistance in PA)

-
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

-
Federal Public Housing
Assistance (FPHA)

-
Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit

-
you qualify under the Tribal Assistance Program [link 34]

*What is
the Lifeline monthly benefit?*

-
Up to $9.25 off the cost of
phone, internet, or bundled services

-
Up to $34.25 off the cost
of phone, internet or bundled services if you live on Tribal
Lands

*Enroll in Lifeline at: **Home - Universal Service
Administrative Company (lifelinesupport.org)* [link 35]*.*

*Have
ACP Questions?*

Visit AffordableConnectivity.gov [link 36], email
us at [email protected] [link 37], or call us at (877) 384-2575.
The support center is open 7 days a week, from 9:00am to 9:00pm
ET.

[image =
[link removed]]

*PA
Fish and Boat Commission Tackle Loaner Program*

Interested in
fishing but don't have a rod? You're in luck because the Pittsburgh
region has five locations that participate in the Pennsylvania Fish
and Boat Commission's Tackle Loaner Program [link 38]! All you need is
a valid fishing license if you're over 16 to borrow rods and tackle.
Be sure to bring your own bait and lures and you can enjoy a nice day
at the lake with your family, friends, group, or peacefully solo.
Email or call ahead to ensure availability.

*Let's Go Fishing!
PGH*

Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 250 N Highland Ave,
Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Call for an appointment

Contact: Spencer
Simon, [email protected] [link 39],
412-361-7788

*Anglers Fishing Club of Pittsburgh*

Mount Horran
Baptist Church, 2616 Brereton St, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Appointments
by phone or email

Contact: Edward H Caldwell, Jr.,
[email protected] [link 40],
412-444-8313

*Point State Park*

601 Commonwealth Pl Bldg A,
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-1212

Appointments by phone or
email

Contact: [email protected] [link 41],
412-565-2850

*Venture Outdoors*

317 E Carson St #160,
Pittsburgh,
PA 15219

Call for Appointment - Weds. May -
Oct

Amanda Westerlund: [email protected] [link 42],
412-255-0564 x 246

*Cranberry Township Parks & Recreation
Department*

2525 Rochester Rd, Suite 400, Cranberry Twp, PA
16066

Mon-Thurs 8:30 a.m.- 9 p.m. / Fri 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. / Sat
8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. / Sun 1 p.m.- 4 p.m.

Contact: Dave Hutner,
[email protected] [link 43], 724-779-4386 x1021

For
more PFBC Tackle Loaner locations go to Tackle Loaner (arcgis.com)
[link 44].

If your organization is interested in becoming a Fishing
Tackle Loaner location, please email the Fish and Boat Commission at
[email protected] [link 45].

[image =
[link removed]]

As
always, please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have
by phone at 412-364-0469 [link 46] (Ross Office), 724-224-2131 [link
47] (Harrison Office) or by email at
[email protected] [link 48]. 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]
mailto:[email protected]
[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]
[link removed]
[link
14]
[link removed]
[link
15]
[link removed]
[link
16]
[link removed]
[link
17] [link removed]
[link 18]
[link removed]
[link
19] mailto:[email protected]
[link 20]
[link removed]
[link
21]
[link removed]
[link
22]
[link removed]
[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]
mailto:[email protected]
[link 32]
[link removed]
[link 33]
[link removed]
[link
34] [link removed]
[link 35]
[link removed]
[link 36]
[link removed]
[link 37]
mailto:[email protected]
[link 38]
[link removed]
[link
39] mailto:[email protected]
[link 40]
mailto:[email protected]
[link 41]
mailto:[email protected]
[link 42]
mailto:[email protected]
[link 43]
mailto:[email protected]
[link 44]
[link removed]
[link
45] mailto:[email protected]
[link 46] tel:412-364-0469
[link
47] tel:724-224-2131
[link 48]
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]