Dear Neighbor, I hope you are well! I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on several happenings in the district as well as Harrisburg. 

As always, I hope you find this informative and useful.

New Legislation

This week I joined my colleague Rep. Nancy Guenst in introducing a new piece of legislation to the PA House. This bill would provide tax credits to members of the Pennsylvania National Guard, Reserve, and Active-Duty military members for the cost of physical fitness facility memberships, personal fitness subscription services, or physical fitness equipment. This tax credit would allow these individuals to deduct up to $600 of qualified gym and physical fitness expenses per calendar year on PA state tax returns. Additionally, gyms in Pennsylvania could receive tax credits for allowing free gym memberships to eligible National Guard, Reserve, and active-duty military members.

Once a bill number is assigned, I will let you know. If you have questions about this legislation or others I have introduced, please call my office at (484) 200-8263.

SB 37 

Last week during Session, the Pennsylvania House passed SB 37 - Enhanced Driver Responsibility on concurrence, meaning it has passed both chambers and been sent to the Governor for signature or veto. This bill is designed to strengthen the distracted driving law by classifying texting-while-driving, playing games, watching movies, or using mobile apps on a handheld device (a cell phone) as a primary offence that you could be pulled over for. Introduced by Senator Brown, this bill is designed to reduce distracted driving and make Pennsylvania roads safer for everyone. 

Included in this legislation are also requirements for the PA State Police and large municipal departments to report in more details on traffic stops. This includes why the car was stopped, the race, gender, and age of driver, the results of any search, and the resolution of the stop. This data is needed to determine any potential bias or profiling in traffic stops, and find ways to prevent it from occurring. 

I will keep you informed on SB 37 and if it becomes law.

Road Work Notice

If you've traveled on Evansburg Road in Collegeville recently you might have stopped for ongoing road work. There is currently a PECO Utility project outside of my district office that is impacting traffic in the intersections of Evansburg Road, Ridge Pike and Germantown Pike. It is expected to last until August 8th, 2024, with a lane closure daily between 9 AM and 3 PM.

We're still open for walk-ins from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM but you're also welcomed to call (484) 200-8263 or send an email to [email protected]. You can also stop by our mobile office hours - 1st Wednesday of the month at Upper Providence Township Office or the 3rd Wednesday of the month at West Norriton Township Office.

Police Week

May 12th through May 18th is National Police Week. This week we thank our police officers for keeping our communities safe 24/7, 365 days a year. From our State Troopers to our municipal law enforcement officers, thank you!

Armed Forces Day

This Saturday is Armed Forces Day, a day honoring our service members in the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, and National Guard. As an Air Force veteran, I want to thank all of our service members, including those in the reserves, for your sacrifice and commitment to this country and the people in it. 

Please continue to stay safe, healthy and well-informed.

And, if you have questions about any state-related issue, please contact my office at 484-200-8263 or email [email protected]. If you wish to unsubscribe to this email, please scroll to the bottom where it says “visit this page to manage your email preferences".

Sincerely,

Rep. Joe Webster
State Representative
150th Legislative District

Pennsylvania House Democrats are committed to ensuring better jobs, better schools and better communities for all Pennsylvanians. More information on these successful efforts is at pahouse.com/deliveringforpa.

PA House of Representatives Democratic Caucus
PO Box 202250 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2250

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