Upcoming Events

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.

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.

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) or scan the QR code above.

Good News

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!

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.

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!

Legislative Update

Ensuring Transparency in Government Spending

Four years ago this month, I started posting my expenses on my website. 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, 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)

Women's History Month

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

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.

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.

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:

• IRS Free Guided Tax Software Option:
  • 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.
  • Tax Program: guided tax preparation software from eight trusted IRS partner companies. Files federal, and in some cases, state returns.
    NOTE: use the IRS lookup tool 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.
  • For information or to file go to IRS Free File.

• IRS Fillable Forms Option:
  • E-file federal tax forms using form instructions.
  • Available for any income level.
  • No guidance software and provides limited calculations.
  • No state tax preparation and filing.
  • For information or to file go to IRS Free File.

MilTax (Military Tax Preparation)

• Eligibility: free for members of the military, veterans, eligible family members, and survivors of deceased active-duty members. No income limit
• Tax preparation, electronic filing, and support from tax consultants, Designed with military life in mind.
• Verify eligibility here.
• For more information or to file go to MilTax.

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

• File Your Own Forms Online:
  • Eligibility: income limit $79,000.
  • Tax Program: online.
  • Federal and state tax preparation.
  • Email, chat, and phone support available from IRS-certified VITA Support
  • For more information or to file go to MyFreeTaxes by United Way | MyFreeTaxes.
• LIMITED AVAILABILITY - Taxes Prepared Online or In-person with IRS VITA program:
  • Eligibility: income limit $60,000.
  • Online Tax Program: GetYourRefund.org
  • In-person (availability limited): call 2-1-1 or search for a VITA site location near your zip code.
  • For more information or to file go to MyFreeTaxes by United Way | MyFreeTaxes.

Information needed to file your taxes for free:

• Social Security numbers for yourself and, if you have them, your spouse and dependents
• W-2s from all of your employers
• Social Security benefits
• Unemployment compensation
• Receipts from your small business, if you have one
• Income receipts from rental, real estate, royalties, partnerships, S corporation, and trusts
• Form 1099-INT, showing interest paid to you throughout the year
• Form 1099-G, showing any refund, credit, or offset of state and local taxes
• Forms 1099-DIV and 1099-R, showing dividends and distributions from retirement and other plans paid to you during the year
• 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
• 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. No passwords or usernames required!

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.

• Confirm you're registered: Check Your Voter Registration Status (pa.gov)
• Register online: Voter Registration Application (pa.gov)
• Register to vote by mail: How to Register to Vote (pa.gov)

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 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.

• Cameras will be in operation only in active work zones where workers are present.
• Warning and speed limit signs will be posted to tell drivers a WZSSC location is ahead.
• Exceeding the speed limit by 11 mph or more will be detected and a violation will be mailed to the driver.
• Penalties:
  • 1st Offense: warning letter
  • 2nd Offense: violation notice and $75 fine.
  • 3rd (and subsequent) offense – violation notice and $150 fine.
  • A 15-day warning period is provided between the mail date of the first violation and the occurrence of a second violation.
  • Civil penalty only; no criminal penalty.
  • No points on license or impact to merit rating for insurance purposes.
  • Violations may be contested up to 30 days from the mailing of the notice.

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] for zoom information or call 845-204-5411 if you have questions.

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