State Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Your District 38 Update

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Connected!*

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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*

Senator Lindsey M. Williams, the Bertelsmann Foundation, and
the Battle of Homestead Foundation will host a FREE screening of
"Local 1196: A Steelworkers Strike" on Thursday, March 21, 2024 at
6:30 p.m. at GQT Movies at Pittsburgh Mills, 590 Pittsburgh Mills
Circle, Tarentum, PA 15084.

"Local 1196" has been an Official
Selection at film festivals across the country and has broadcast on a
series of PBS channels.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A
with Senator Williams, filmmaker Sam George, the Battle of Homestead
Foundation, and local labor leaders.

*Tickets are free, but space
is limited.* To reserve your free ticket (popcorn and pop included),
please register at: tinyurl.com/local1196 [link 3].

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*Spring Shredding Events*

Our first free paper
shredding event of the year is coming up next weekend! We'll 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.

Please bring any paper documents to
shred 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.

Can't make it
next weekend? We'll be holding another shredding event 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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*Expungement of Records and Clean Slate Workshop in
Highland Park*

*5815 Bryant St, Pittsburgh, PA
15206, Wednesday,
March 27, 2023, 6:30 - 7:30 pm*

Join Senator Williams and
Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts for an Expungement of Records and
Clean Slate Workshop to learn 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 6] or scan the QR code above.

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*Good
News**

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*Food
Security for All Pennsylvanians*

Last week I joined Lt. Governor
Austin Davis, Senator Jim Brewster, and the Greater Pittsburgh
Community Food Bank to talk about improving food security and access
for all Pennsylvanians.

I'm incredibly grateful to have partners
like the Pittsburgh Food Bank as we work to expand Universal School
Breakfast to include Universal School Lunches. Let's make sure that
every student is fed, healthy, safe, and ready to learn!

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*Investing
in Improving Maternal Mortality Outcomes*

I spent International
Women's Day with some amazing women, discussing what we're doing here
in Pennsylvania to address the issue of maternal mortality, especially
Black maternal mortality. In Pennsylvania and across the country, we
are losing entirely too many women in childbirth and during the
postpartum period, and many of these deaths are preventable.

I look
forward to working together to supporting our families, ensuring
affordable healthcare, transportation that allows families to access
appointments, and quality, affordable childcare so that all of our
kids have a chance to succeed in whatever their future
brings.

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*Senator
Williams with LaRoche University Students and Former University
President, Sister Candace Introcaso in December 2019*

*Visit to
LaRoche University*

This week, I met with Dr. Howard Ishiyama,
Interim President, and Michele Hufnagel, VP of University Advancement
at LaRoche University to discuss campus updates and upgrades. It was
great to see what developments are happening on campus!

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*Legislative
Update**

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*Ensuring
Transparency in Government Spending*

Four years ago this month, I
started posting my expenses on my website [link 7]. Now you can see
every expense that I have the authority to authorize since my election
in 2018 in two formats: a PDF that comes straight from our expense
software with minimal redactions for personal employee information
such as addresses and bank account numbers, and an easily searchable
spreadsheet.

I do this because this data should be easily
accessible. Legislative expenses are paid using taxpayer dollars, and
the public has a right to know how that money is being spent.

While
the Senate continues its policy of posting the expenses of individual
Senators and administrative offices, there are limitations to this
policy. First, it is just that: a policy. There is no enforcement
mechanism or requirement that it be followed. Second, the format that
expenses are presented in is cumbersome and makes it extremely
difficult to find and analyze the data. Third, this policy only
applies to the Senate.

That's why I've again introduced Senate Bill
275 [link 8], which would require that all legislative expenses for
both the House and Senate be posted online in an easily searchable
format. This legislation has bipartisan support because it is a common
sense reform that brings much-needed transparency to
Harrisburg.

You can read more about how expense transparency is
handled, or not handled, in this article: PA Legislature per diems are
online for Senate, not House (goerie.com) [link 9]

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*Women's
History Month**

This week we are spotlighting Black women's
contributions to Pittsburgh's women's suffrage movement!

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*Emma and Mary Writt *

Black women were integral to
women's suffrage in Pittsburgh and across the country. Sisters Emma
and Mary Writt of the Hill District held regular gatherings in their
family home where women from throughout the City met to discuss the
right to vote. Watch the short WQED video above to learn more about
Black women and the movement.

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*Daisy
Elizabeth Adams Lampkin*

*"You cannot be neutral. You must either
join with us who believe in the bright future or be destroyed by those
who would return us to the dark past."*

Daisy Elizabeth Adams
Lampkin (1883-1965) was a suffragist and civil rights activist. She
organized consumer protest groups in Pittsburgh in 1915 and became
president of the Lucy Stone Suffrage League, a local organization that
fought for Black women's suffrage. There is a Pennsylvania State
Historical Marker at 2519 Webster Ave. in Pittsburgh's Hill District
commemorating her accomplishments.

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*File
Your Taxes for Free!*

It is the middle of March and tax preparation
appointments, free or otherwise, are scarce, so we want to remind our
constituents that most people in the U.S. can file taxes for free
online! Whether you use the IRS or the United Way's online filing
system, filing your taxes for free takes time, but beats paying
someone hundreds of dollars to do it for you. Expecting a refund?
Online filers get their refunds faster than people who file with a
paper form!

Below is a list of the free filing options you can
still access to get your taxes filed before the April 15, 2024
deadline and a list of the documents you will need.

*IRS Free
File*:

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IRS Free Guided Tax Software Option:

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Eligibility:
2023 taxpayers with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $79,000 or less
- this includes joint filers. AGI is line 11 on your 2022 1040
form.

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Tax Program: guided tax preparation software from eight
trusted IRS partner companies [link 11]. Files federal, and in some
cases, state returns.

NOTE: use the IRS lookup tool [link 12]
before you begin to find the right software option for you based on
your age, adjusted gross income, deductions, and other factors. Each
software program has different requirements!

-
Calculations are
guaranteed.

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For information or to file go to *IRS Free File*
[link 13].

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IRS Fillable Forms Option:

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E-file federal tax
forms using form instructions.

-
Available for any income
level.

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No guidance software and provides limited
calculations.

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No state tax preparation and filing.

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For
information or to file go to *IRS Free File* [link 14].

*MilTax
*(Military Tax Preparation)

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Eligibility: free for members of
the military, veterans, eligible family members, and survivors of
deceased active-duty members. No income limit

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Tax preparation,
electronic filing, and support from tax consultants, Designed with
military life in mind.

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Verify eligibility here [link 15].

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For more information or to file go to *MilTax* [link 16].

*United
Way* (partnership with the IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
(VITA) program).

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File Your Own Forms Online:

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Eligibility: income limit $79,000.

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Tax Program: online.

-
Federal and state tax preparation.

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Email, chat, and phone
support available from IRS-certified VITA Support

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For more
information or to file go to *MyFreeTaxes by United Way | MyFreeTaxes*
[link 17].

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*LIMITED AVAILABILITY* - Taxes Prepared Online or
In-person with IRS VITA program:

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Eligibility: income limit
$60,000.

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Online Tax Program: GetYourRefund.org

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In-person
(availability limited): call 2-1-1 or search for a VITA site location
near your zip code.

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For more information or to file go to
*MyFreeTaxes by United Way | MyFreeTaxes* [link 18].

Information
needed to file your taxes for free:

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Social Security numbers for
yourself and, if you have them, your spouse and dependents

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W-2s
from all of your employers

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Social Security benefits

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Unemployment compensation

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Receipts from your small business, if
you have one

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Income receipts from rental, real estate,
royalties, partnerships, S corporation, and trusts

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Form
1099-INT, showing interest paid to you throughout the year

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Form
1099-G, showing any refund, credit, or offset of state and local
taxes

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Forms 1099-DIV and 1099-R, showing dividends and
distributions from retirement and other plans paid to you during the
year

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If you get your health insurance through the Affordable
Care Act, you'll need Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace
Statement and Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit

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Your last year's
tax return to get your adjusted gross income. You'll need your last
year's AGI to verify your identity.

Your Pennsylvania personal
income tax return can be filed for free on the PA Department of
Revenue's myPATH system [link 19]. No passwords or usernames
required!

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*Are You Registered to Vote in the Primary
Election?*

You have less than one month to register to vote in the
Primary Election on Tuesday, April 23rd! *The deadline to register is
Monday, April 8th.*

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Confirm you're registered: Check Your Voter
Registration Status (pa.gov) [link 21]

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Register online: Voter
Registration Application (pa.gov) [link 22]

-
Register to vote by
mail: How to Register to Vote (pa.gov) [link 23]

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*Work
Zone Speed Safety Camera Program In Effect State-Wide*

As you
travel throughout Pennsylvania be aware that the Work Zone Speed
Safety Camera (WZSSC) program [link 24] is now in effect state-wide.
After a 5-year pilot which significantly reduced work zone speeding
and crashes, the program officially started on February 15, 2024 when
House Bill 1284 was signed by Governor Shapiro as Act 38 of 2023.

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Cameras will be in operation only in active work zones where workers
are present.

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Warning and speed limit signs will be posted to
tell drivers a WZSSC location is ahead.

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Exceeding the speed
limit by 11 mph or more will be detected and a violation will be
mailed to the driver.

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Penalties:

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1st Offense: warning
letter

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2nd Offense: violation notice and $75 fine.

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3rd
(and subsequent) offense - violation notice and $150 fine.

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A
15-day warning period is provided between the mail date of the first
violation and the occurrence of a second violation.

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Civil
penalty only; no criminal penalty.

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No points on license or
impact to merit rating for insurance purposes.

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Violations may
be contested up to 30 days from the mailing of the notice.

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*Dementia Support Group at Larimer's Kingsley
Association*

Are you or someone you love caring for someone with
dementia? You don't have to face it alone! Attend the Kingsley
Association's Dementia Support Group, which meets every 3rd Wednesday
of the month in-person at 1 pm and virtually on Zoom at 6 pm. Their
next meeting is March 20th.

Email Ms. Dorothy Yam at [email protected]
[link 26] for zoom information or call 845-204-5411 if you have
questions.

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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 27] (Ross Office), 724-224-2131 [link
28] (Harrison Office) or by email at
[email protected] [link 29]. 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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