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In this Update:
* Unclaimed Property Search Event – Aug. 27
* Nearly $2.4 Million in Funding for Gettysburg Foundry Site Development
* New Law to Increase School Security
* PASSHE Freezes Tuition for In-State Undergraduates
* Program Increasing Digital Connectivity to Provide Laptops
* Prevent Hot Car Deaths in Children
* Fighting Human Trafficking
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** Unclaimed Property Search Event – Aug. 27
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** Nearly $2.4 Million in Funding for Gettysburg Foundry Site Development
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Nearly $2.4 million in state funding will be used to redevelop the former Gettysburg Foundry site in Adams County.
The site will be redeveloped and prepared for a future employer to set up a business and hire workers.
“The Commonwealth is taking steps to make properties like the Gettysburg Foundry site viable and attractive to potential employers,” Mastriano said. “The goal is to get the Gettysburg Foundry site ready so an employer can acquire it, start a new business and staff it with local workers from the community.”
The Gettysburg Foundry site is a former metalworks factory that manufactured aluminum castings and conducted aluminum smelting until it closed in the 1990s due to improper disposal of hazardous materials on the property. The site sat vacant for decades until the Adams County Industrial Development Authority (ACIDA) took ownership in 2022. ACIDA continues to perform the required environmental assessments and remediation to restore and redevelop the nearly 50-acre site. It hopes to restore the blighted property to productive economic use as either a commercial or industrial site.
The combination of state grants and loans will be used to pay for engineering costs and sitework, including the demolition of existing structures, crushing concrete to be used as fill material, disposing remaining materials off site and grading the site for drainage.
The project calls for establishing sanitary sewer connections by installing the necessary infrastructure, including 70 manholes, thousands of feet of pipe and a pump station.
Funding for the projects is being provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Business in Our Sites ([link removed]) program. The project will cost a little less than $2.4 million with part of the funding provided through a grant of nearly $1 million and the rest through a loan of more than $1.4 million. The Business in Our Sites loan has a 3% interest rate and a 20-year term.
** New Law to Increase School Security
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To protect students ([link removed]) , the Senate voted in favor of legislation that would require every school district in Pennsylvania to have an armed officer. Senate Bill 907 ([link removed]) was amended into Senate Bill 700 ([link removed]) , an omnibus School Code bill that was passed as part of the budget and is now law.
Each school district is required to have at least one school security personnel, who has completed training to be armed, and may be either a school police officer, school resource officer or school security guard. School safety personnel would undergo background investigations, be required to maintain certification and be annually certified in position-specific training.
The legislation furthers the Senate Republican priority of fostering healthy and safe communities.
** PASSHE Freezes Tuition for In-State Undergraduates
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For the seventh year, the Board of Governors for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) froze tuition for in-state undergraduates for the 2024-25 academic year. The tuition rate will stay the same at all 10 state-owned public universities.
PASSHE schools serve the most in-state students of any four-year college or university in Pennsylvania, at the lowest price. Nearly 90% of PASSHE’s 82,000 students are Pennsylvania residents, many from middle-income families.
To make higher education more affordable, Senate Republicans passed Grow PA – a package of bills that creates new programs to recruit the best talent to Pennsylvania schools in industries that will grow the state’s economy while also expanding existing financial assistance programs that are already working. Read more ([link removed]) about the scholarship and tuition waiver programs.
** Program Increasing Digital Connectivity to Provide Laptops
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The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) is accepting applications for its Digital Connectivity Technology Program.
Through the new program, the PBDA will purchase and distribute $20 million in laptops for eligible public-facing institutions such as libraries, municipalities, workforce training organizations, not-for-profit organizations and other institutions that can offer internet access to individuals who lack the technology.
PBDA strongly encourages interested applicants to review the program frequently asked questions (FAQ), before applying. The FAQ, pre-recorded webinar providing an overview of the program, guidelines and online application are available here ([link removed]) . Applications must be submitted by Monday, Aug. 19.
** Prevent Hot Car Deaths in Children
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In 2023, 29 children died of heatstroke because they were left or became trapped in a hot vehicle. This tragedy can happen to anyone, but is preventable.
A child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s body temperature. When a child is left in a vehicle, the situation quickly can become dangerous. Heatstroke begins when the core body temperature reaches about 104 degrees, and a child can die when his or her body temperature hits 107 degrees.
Never leave a child in a vehicle unattended for any length of time – even with the windows down or when parked in the shade, as it does little to change the interior temperature of the vehicle. Stop to check the back seat and lock the door before leaving a hot car. Store car keys out of a child’s reach and teach kids that a vehicle is not a play area. Read more tips ([link removed]) .
** Fighting Human Trafficking
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World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is Tuesday, July 30, and this year’s theme is “Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking.”
Children represent a significant portion of trafficking victims worldwide, and they are twice as likely as adults are to face violence during trafficking. Traffickers use social media to recruit and exploit children.
Senate Republicans worked to support these young victims, unanimously passing a law ([link removed]) that ensures sexually exploited children who are human trafficking victims always have full access to appropriate services and support ([link removed]) .
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