Supreme Court
Update
Supreme Court
Sides with Starbucks Coffee Company over the NLRB
As
someone who was illegally fired for attempting to form a staff union
and who had to go to the National Labor Relations Board to uphold my
rights, I’m appalled but not surprised by last week’s
Supreme Court decision ruling in favor of corporate interests over
workers.
I have proudly supported Pittsburgh area Starbucks
workers since the beginning of their organizing campaign. While the
Court’s decision makes it harder for workers to keep their jobs
while their employers break the law, workers will continue to organize
and fight back against the corporations who make it harder for them to
do their jobs with dignity.
Read my full statement
here: https://senatorlindseywilliams.com/senator-lindsey-m-williams-condemns-supreme-court-decision-against-workers/
Upcoming Events
July Community
Days!
Summer is in full swing, and we are
excited about attending Community Days in Hampton, Springdale, and
Larimer in July! We’re looking forward to enjoying some
fireworks, bands, car shows, fun food, kids’ activities, health
clinics and more! Stop by our table for resources, questions, or to
share what is important to you with Senator Williams. Hope to see you
there!
Good News
Ross
Township’s First Pride Celebration!
On
June 9th, we had the pleasure of joining Rep. Kinkead’s office
at Ross Township’s first Community Pride event. Thank you to all
of the hard-working organizers that made this event a great success.
Looking forward to attending next year!
Fox Chapel
Pride in the Park
We also joined Rep.
Steele’s staff for the annual Fox Chapel Pride in the Park at
Allegheny RiverTrail Park in Aspinwall. It was a beautiful evening on
the river and a great turn out for this yearly
party!
It’s Time to Fully Fund our
Public Schools
Last week, the House passed HB
2370, landmark legislation that begins to address the Commonwealth
Court's ruling that our schools are underfunded and unfairly funded--
a ruling that affirmed what teachers, students, and families already
knew. This is a step towards giving every student in Pennsylvania the
comprehensive, effective, and contemporary public education that they
are constitutionally entitled to.
I’m calling on my
Senate colleagues to take up HB 2370. While I don’t believe this
bill goes far enough, it gets us on the road to compliance and stands
in stark contrast to Senate Republicans’ inaction since the
Court’s order over a year ago.
This is our
unfinished business. This is our constitutional-- and moral--
obligation to our students, our families, and our future.
Education
funding reform bill passes Pa. House as Senate school voucher plan
waits in the wings • Pennsylvania Capital-Star
(penncapital-star.com)
Welcoming NEW Leadership Pennsylvania
and Intern Abby to Harrisburg
Earlier this
month, I had the chance to speak with the NEW Leadership Pennsylvania
conference, an intensive, six-day, leadership and public policy
institute designed to educate and empower young women for future
political participation and leadership. The program addresses the
under–representation of women in the political arena by focusing
on the role of women in politics and policy making in the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania.
The Program’s staff also included
our incredible office intern, Abby DiLoreto, who we’re thrilled
is staying on for the summer! After participating in the Program back
in 2022, Abby has been helping empower other young women by working as
an Outreach and Communications Assistant at the Center for Women and
Politics. She started her internship with us at the beginning of this
year and has been an incredible help in my office with constituent
services, especially as we navigated our annual tax preparation
appointment scheduling and senior bus pass renewals. Her help during
that time was absolutely invaluable and I’m not sure we would
have survived without her!
Legislative Update
My
Boating Safety Bill Moves to the Senate Floor!
Last week, Senate
Bill 976 passed through the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee by
a vote of 10-1. This legislation will allow the Fish and Boat
Commission to promulgate rules that require boating safety education
for users of personal electric motored watercraft like efoils and
jetboards, bringing Pennsylvania law in line with U.S. Coast Guard
regulations. The bill now advances to the floor for consideration by
the full Senate.
With the growing market of motorized personal
watercraft available now, combined with statewide efforts to restore
our waterways and reconnect to our riverfronts, more and more people
are enjoying time on the water every year. As a member of the Game and
Fisheries Committee and the Port of Pittsburgh Board of Commissioners,
I’m excited to see the Senate take a step towards implementing
these updates, which will help keep everyone safe as they enjoy
Pennsylvania’s endless opportunities for water and river
recreation.
You can see my full remarks introducing the bill
in Committee here!
Do You
Have Unclaimed Property in the Pennsylvania
Treasury?
The Pennsylvania
Treasury Department returned a record $274 million in unclaimed
property in fiscal year 2022-23. If you haven’t searched your
name on PA Treasury’s website, you should. One in 10
Pennsylvanians has unclaimed property, and the average claim is worth
about $1,600!
Unclaimed property can be from a variety of
places including dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, utility
refunds, stock earnings, and insurance policies that are sent to the
PA Treasury because they were lost, forgotten, or lay inactive for a
period of time defined by Pennsylvania law. Unclaimed property can
also be tangible goods, including jewelry or other valuables stored in
abandoned safe deposit boxes. Tangible goods are held for three years,
then auctioned, and claimants are entitled to the auction proceeds in
perpetuity.
To search for unclaimed property, go to Unclaimed
Property (patreasury.gov) and enter your first and last name and
those of your family members. If you need help searching or if you do
have unclaimed property, our office can help! We will print the forms
you need, help fill them out, including free notarization if required,
and submit the paperwork for you.
Call our office at
412-364-0469 (Ross) or 724-224-2131 (Harrison) or email us at [email protected]
with your questions or to make an appointment.
Reminder: Allegheny Go Program Offers
50% Discount on PRT Fares to SNAP/EBT Recipients
If you receive SNAP/EBT in Allegheny County, be sure you’ve
applied for AlleghenyGo,
which discounts transit fares by 50% for the entire family!
Riders should download PRT’s Ready2Ride app from the Apple App
Store or Google Play.
Store before applying at
https://discountedfares.alleghenycounty.us. Eligible applicants
will be able to purchase discounted fares within their app. The
program is starting with smartphone users but will be available
without an app in 2025 when PRT launches its new smartcards.
If you have questions about downloading Ready2Ride or the application
process, contact PRT Customer Service at 412-442-2000, on
Twitter@pghtransitcare, or via live chat at
www.rideprt.org.
StoryCorps is Coming to Pittsburgh
June 15-28, 2024!
Everyone has a story to tell
and next week you have the opportunity to tell yours! StoryCorps, a
national oral history project, is stopping in Pittsburgh to record
in-person or virtual interviews in conjunction with Pittsburgh
Community Broadcasting Corp. and 90.5 WESA.
In a
StoryCorps interview, two people record a conversation with one
another about who they are, what they’ve learned in life, and
how they want to be remembered. If you are nervous, don’t worry,
a trained StoryCorps facilitator guides you through the interview
process.
After each 40-minute recording session, participants
receive a digital copy of their interview. With participant
permission, a second copy is archived at the American Folklife Center
at the Library of Congress for future generations to hear.
For
information about reservations to record, call StoryCorps’
24-hour toll-free line at 1-800-850-4406 or visit storycorps.org.
You can read more about StoryCorps coming to Pittsburgh at: StoryCorps
partners with PCBC and 90.5 WESA to preserve Pittsburgh's stories |
90.5 WESA.
Allegheny
Grows - Start a Community Food Garden in Your
Municipality!
Grow
Pittsburgh supports new garden groups with the skills and
materials they need to start thriving community gardens through a
program called Allegheny Grows funded by
Allegheny County Economic Development.
Eligibility:
Potential gardens must be in
Allegheny County and on public property owned by a municipality or
non-profit. Privately owned properties, even if vacant, are not
eligible. Use the Allegheny
County Real Estate Portal to search for parcel ownership
information.
Your group must include at least six motivated
and organized people and be sponsored by a local organization. This is
not a cash grant — this program provides staff time and
materials over two years to support garden start-up efforts.
New gardens outside the city of Pittsburgh may apply to the Allegheny
Grows program if the potential garden site is located in an area
eligible for Community Development Block Grant funds.
Resources:
The application packet, which also includes detailed
timelines and instructions on the program, is available here
and is due Friday, August 2, 2024. Download the
application for a fillable PDF.
For questions or
assistance, contact Dora Walmsley, Director of Community Projects, at
412-362-4769 x 213 or [email protected].
Summer
Arts Grants
The Greater Pittsburgh Arts
Council is opening two arts and culture grants this summer for artists
and arts organizations in Allegheny, Beaver, Greene and Washington
counties!
- The new Artist
Income Recovery (AIR) Grant. This grant is for artists who
lost income during the pandemic. The grant will provide 80 individual
artists and arts & culture professionals with a one-time $3,000
grant. Applications open on July 1, 2024 and close on August 1,
2024.
- The
Creative Sector Flex Fund. This grant is for leaders of arts
organizations which provides $5000 grants to arts organizations with
average annual revenues between 10,000-$200,000. Applications open on
August 5, 2024 and close on September 2, 2024.
The
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council provides grant application tips at: How
to Apply for an Arts Grant.
For more information on these
grants and to make arrangements for application assistance go to Coming
This Summer: Grant Opportunities for Artists and Arts Organizations |
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. You can also contact Mona
Wiley, Program Specialist, or call 412-391-2060 ext. 226 with
grant questions.
Highland
Park and Bloomfield Pools Open Saturday, June 15,
2024!
It is HOT out there but thankfully
Pittsburgh’s CitiParks pools opened on Saturday! Senate District
38 has two CitiParks pools - one in Highland Park and one in
Bloomfield. See graphic above for details. Happy summer!
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
