State Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Your District 38
Update

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*Upcoming Events**

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*Senior Social*

*Pittsburgh Mills Mall, 590 Pittsburgh
Mills Circle, Tarentum

Thursday, May 23, Noon - 3:00 pm*

Join us on
Thursday, May 23 from 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm at Pittsburgh Mills Mall for
an afternoon of music, dancing, sweet and savory snacks from A.W.
Beattie, and activities that will help you learn more about staying
happy and healthy!

Vintage, Inc. will be providing Digital Navigation
Services to help with your smartphone, laptop, or tablet.

The PA
Department of Banking and Securities will be hosting their famous
Fraud BINGO to keep you informed on the latest ways to keep yourself
and your money safe from scammers.

The PA Department of Health and
Military Affairs will have a Veterans Service Officer there to answer
questions about the benefits you've earned through your service.

We
hope to see you there!

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*Property Tax/Rent Rebate Filing Event*

*Shaler North
Hills Library, 1822 Mt. Royal Boulevard, Glenshaw, PA 15116

Friday,
May 24, 10:00 am - Noon*

Rep. Lindsay Powell and I are co-hosting a
Property Tax/Rent Rebate Event at the Shaler North Hills Library on
Friday May 24 from 10:00 am until noon. For the first time in almost
20 years, the Property Tax/Rent Rebate has been expanded. Nearly
175,000 more Pennsylvanians now qualify for a rebate and the maximum
rebates available have nearly doubled.

The new income eligibility
threshold is $45,000 for both homeowners and renters. To calculate
income, only half of Social Security income is included.

At this
event, we're able to answer questions and help you file for your
rebate online! Please bring along your:

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Proof of identity (first
time filers only)

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Documentation showing all income received in
2023, including Social Security income, retirement funds, or other
interest bearing accounts

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A completed PA rent certificate (for
renters only--please contact our office if you need assistance
obtaining this)

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Bank account and routing information if you would
like direct deposit

For homeowners only:

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Proof of payment/receipt
for Allegheny County taxes

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Proof of payment/receipt for local
municipality taxes

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Proof of payment/receipt for school district
taxes

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*Good
News**

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*Joining
the Teamsters' Annual Convention*

Last week, I joined the
Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters for their 11th Area Convention at
Hotel Hershey. I was grateful for the invitation to speak about my
time working for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters before I
was elected to the Senate and about my continued efforts to support
all workers.

Every single person deserves a union and the benefits it
brings-- family sustaining wages, healthcare and benefits, a pension,
job security, and their union brothers and sisters standing beside
them. I will continue to fight for the rights of working families here
at home and in Harrisburg every day.

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*Congratulations
to the North Allegheny Girls Swim and Dive Team!*

Congratulations to
the North Allegheny School District Girls' Swimming and Diving Teams
on their second consecutive PIAA championship this year! We were
thrilled to welcome the team to Harrisburg to recognize them for
another amazing season.

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*Recognizing
our Local EMTs for National Accreditation*

Congratulations to
McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority and Ross West View EMSA
on earning your national accreditation through the Commission on
Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS)! Only 182 EMS agencies in
the country meet these strict standards, which are considered the
"Gold Standard of the Ambulance Industry."

We are incredibly lucky to
have such amazing EMTs serving our communities here in the North Hills
and I'm grateful every day for the work they do.

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*Film
Tax Credit*

Thank you to the Ohio-Pittsburgh chapter of SAG-AFTRA,
IATSE Local 489 Studio Mechanics, and Teamsters Local 249 Union Hall
for coming to Harrisburg to talk about the Film Tax Credit!

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*East
Liberty Family Health Care Center Meeting*

I had the pleasure to meet
with Arsenial Runion, the new CEO of East Liberty Family Health Care
Center to discuss the incredible work that ELFHCC is doing to meet the
whole-person health needs of all people, without regard to ability to
pay.

I'm looking forward to working with East Liberty Family Health
Care Center and Mr. Runion as they continue to provide the full array
of care to those who are uninsured, underinsured, and
underserved.

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*2024
AARP Tax-Aide Wrap Up*

Tax season is our busiest time of the year! On
top of their regular casework, meetings, and projects, our Constituent
Relations Specialists field hundreds of calls each week from
January-April to book AARP tax appointments, receive referrals, and
get tax documents.

We love scheduling free tax preparation
appointments for the AARP's Ross and Shaler locations. This is such a
fantastic service, and by handling their scheduling, the volunteers
are able to focus their time on preparing taxes for seniors!

Thank
you to my staff for all of their hard work this tax season. I'm
constantly hearing how kind, compassionate and helpful you are to our
constituents!

*The AARP is always looking for more volunteers. If
you're interested, click Learn How to Volunteer With AARP Foundation
Tax Aide [link 3]!

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*Legislative
Update**

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*Meeting
our Moral Obligation to Fund Public Education*

During Teacher
Appreciation Week this week, Senate Republicans reintroduced
legislation [link 4] that would establish a new voucher system.

It
should come as no surprise that I am opposed to vouchers or any other
plan that funnels taxpayer money to private and religious schools that
discriminate against students and families.

But as we begin budget
negotiations for the 2024-25 fiscal year, I want to be clear that
*there is no trade for vouchers*.

We cannot trade away our
constitutional obligation to provide a thorough and efficient system
of public education.

There is no amount of Basic Education Funding,
Higher Ed funding, site readiness funding, or anything else that
negates our constitutional, our court ordered, or our *moral
obligation*, to fund public
education.

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*PA Outdoor Recreation Survey!*

It only takes 10 minutes to
tell the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
(DCNR) about your favorite outdoor activities in their Outdoor
Recreation Survey [link 7]. Survey results, along with other data,
will be used to develop the 2025-2029 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor
Recreation Plan. Don't miss this opportunity to speak up for your
outdoor priorities!

A draft plan will be written in early fall and
will be available for review and comment on DCNR's website. Then
public feedback sessions will be scheduled to allow the public,
providers and interested stakeholders to give their input before a
final document is presented to the National Park Service in early
2025. By creating a new comprehensive plan every five years,
Pennsylvania maintains its eligibility for federal Land and Water
Conservation funding.

To learn more about the current statewide
outdoor recreation plan and the process of preparing the next plan
visit www.dcnr.pa.gov [link 8].

To take the PA Outdoor Recreation
Survey, click here [link 9] The survey is confidential and available
in English or Spanish. Deadline is *May 22*.

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*Low-Interest
Loans Available for April 11-12, 2024 Southwestern PA Flood Damage and
Related Losses *

If you suffered a loss due to the flooding disaster
on April 11-12, 2024, there are now loans available to help! Governor
Shaipiro's request to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to
issue a Disaster Declaration [link 10] for a number of southwestern
Pennsylvania counties including Allegheny County was approved last
week, which opened up the SBA's Disaster Loan Program [link
11].

These low-interest loans are for homeowners, renters, private
non-profits, and businesses located in disaster-declared counties that
have flood damage or losses. Loan terms are up to 30 years and are
based on each borrower's ability to pay.

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Homeowners: up to
$500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

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Homeowners/Renters: up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal
property.

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Businesses/Private Non-profits: up to $2 million to
cover disaster losses not fully covered by insurance.

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Small
Businesses/Small Agricultural Cooperatives/Private Non-profits: may be
eligible for a SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).

For
information and to apply for the Disaster Loan Program there are
several options:

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Online: MySBA Loan Portal [link 12] .

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Phone:
SBA Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the
Deaf and hard-of-hearing)

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Email: [email protected]
[link 13]. Be sure to reference Pennsylvania Disaster Number:
PA-20003.

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Mail: download and complete an application at: Disaster
assistance | U.S. Small Business Administration (sba.gov) [link 14]
and mail to:

U.S. Small Business Administration

Processing and
Disbursement Center

14925 Kingsport Road

Fort Worth, TX 76155

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In-person: Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) in Allegheny County,
open until May 18 at 2 pm.

South Fayette Township Municipal
Building

100 Township Drive

Bridgeville, PA 15017

Hours:

Monday -
Friday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Saturday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Sunday,
CLOSED

The deadline to return disaster loan applications for physical
damages is *June 28, 2024*. The deadline to return Economic Injury
Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications is *January 29, 2025*.

Affected
homeowners and renters are strongly encouraged to complete the SBA
disaster loan application, as those who do not qualify for an SBA loan
may later be eligible for other assistance. See the Commonwealth
Disaster Recovery Assistance Program [link 15].

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*Pittsburgh
Public Schools Grant Award*

Congratulations to Pittsburgh Public
Schools! The Pennsylvania Department of Education awarded PPS an
$80,444 grant to purchase new food service equipment for
cafeterias.

Expanding the Universal School Meals program to include
school lunches is one of my top legislative priorities, and I'm proud
to be the prime sponsor of legislation that will do just that. I'm
happy to see our Districts getting the equipment they need to ensure
food can be safely prepared, stored, and served.

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*PennDOT's 2024 Young Ambassador Program*

The Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation (PennDOT) [link 17] and Keep Pennsylvania
Beautiful [link 18] are inviting 10th - 12th grade students to help
keep Pennsylvania clean and beautiful by participating in the Young
Ambassadors of Pennsylvania program!

The program builds community
stewardship and civic leadership by empowering youth to become
ambassadors in their community for a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania.
Applicants should be passionate about the environment and committed to
restoring and protecting Pennsylvania's ecological landscape through
volunteerism and leadership.

*Applications are being accepted through
June 10.* Students will be chosen through a competitive application
process. For more information and how to apply go to Young Ambassadors
of Pennsylvania - Keep PA Beautiful [link 19] or contact Kylie
McCutcheon at 724-836-4121 x114 or [email protected]
[link 20].

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*You May Qualify for the Lead Safe Homes Program!*

The
Allegheny County Lead-Safe Homes Program offers qualifying homeowners
and renters in the County free lead-paint testing. If lead paint is
found, a certified lead-abatement contractor is hired to stabilize or
eliminate lead paint.

Learn more and see if you qualify: Lead-Safe
Homes Program - Allegheny County, PA [link 22].

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*West View Hub 5th Anniversary Celebration Dance*

It's
hard to believe that the West View HUB [link 24] is celebrating their
5-year anniversary! Their programming each month is consistently
packed with cool activities for the whole family, and they've become
an integral part of our community. Join the celebration at their
Anniversary Dance on Saturday, June 1!

This event is FREE so grab
your dancing shoes and register at: HUB Anniversary Dance RSVP
(google.com) [link 25]!

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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 26] (Ross Office), 724-224-2131 [link
27] (Harrison Office) or by email at
[email protected] [link 28]. My staff will return
your call/email within 24 hours (Monday-Friday).

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Senator
Lindsey Williams

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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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