State Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Your District 38
Update

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*Constituent Stories**

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*Constituent
Wins*

I want to take an opportunity in our weekly newsletter to
share stories about the work that my Constituent Relations Specialists
are doing every day. We have a "no wrong door" policy here in my
office, which means that we're here to listen, to help when we can,
and to find someone who can assist when we can't.

Recently, we've
had some amazing results helping constituents claim Unclaimed Property
from the Pennsylvania Treasury. Just last month, we helped a
constituent claim a $36,000 inheritance! The funds had been left by
his uncle, who passed away nearly 20 years ago. We were able to track
down the necessary estate documents from Butler County for the claim,
help him complete the paperwork, and submit everything to the PA
Treasury.

While large claims like this aren't the norm, we've
helped many constituents claim smaller amounts this year, including
uncashed unemployment checks, refunds, an abandoned checking account
balance, and an uncollected death benefit. In fact, we had an entire
neighborhood stop by our district office after hearing that we helped
someone on their street reclaim unclaimed property!

The
Pennsylvania Treasury holds unclaimed funds for residents
indefinitely. Whether it's a forgotten refund, closed bank account, or
an uncashed check, anyone can search for "unclaimed property" anytime
at [link removed] [link 1]. But don't
worry if the process seems overwhelming--our office has assisted
countless people with both the search and the paperwork.

If you
think you might have unclaimed property, don't hesitate to reach out
to our district offices for help: 412-364-0469 (Ross), 724-224-2131
(Harrison), or [email protected] [link 2].

We're
here to help you claim what belongs to you!

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*Upcoming
Events**

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*Volunteers
of America's Youth Empowerment Project Open House in
Sharpsburg!*

We're excited to join the Volunteers of America of
Pennsylvania [link 3] Youth Empowerment Project for their Open House
on Thursday, March 20th. Come out to connect with your neighbors and
other local non-profits working with the community and enjoy food and
activities for all ages. We'll be there providing the community with
state services and resources!

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*Good
News**

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*We Must Invest in Childcare *

Senate District 38
staff and I met with Kendra Ross, Duolingo's Head of Social Impact,
last week to learn more about their Early Learners First program. The
program provides $1 million in annual funding to support nine
childcare programs in the City.

Initially, Duolingo planned to
invest in childcare centers by reserving seats to guarantee their
annual revenue. However, after listening to the community, they
learned the real issue was the difficulty of hiring and training
enough staff to meet demand in East Liberty. Childcare centers
struggle with offering wages and benefits that are high enough to
attract full-time staff. After the tour, Duolingo adjusted its grants
to support seat reservations, staff salaries, business training, and
financial coaching.

We cannot let this year's budget pass without
increases to childcare workers' wages. Access to affordable childcare
and early childhood education is absolutely vital for our workforce
and I'm grateful that Pittsburgh-born and based companies like
Duolingo see that. Other large local business institutions, especially
tax-exempt ones, should follow their lead.



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*Trout
Stocking at North Park!*

On March 3rd, we braved the icy
temperatures and lake waters at North Park to help the Fish and Boat
Commission with trout stocking! We made quick work of getting the fish
into the lake and ready for anglers when trout season starts on April
5th! You can check out the trout stocking schedule for the lakes and
streams near you on the PA Fish and Boat website [link 5].

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*Judge
Alyssa Cowan Sworn In!*

Congratulations to Judge Alyssa Cowan who
was sworn in as a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny
County on Friday! It was my honor to nominate Judge Cowan to the bench
and to introduce her to the Senate Judicial Committee for her
nomination hearing earlier this year. I am incredibly proud to call
her a constituent, a friend, and now Judge Alyssa Cowan!

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*Read
Across America at Highlands Elementary School in Tarentum*

Thank
you to the 4th grade students, teachers, and staff at Highlands
Elementary for welcoming me to Read Across America Day on Friday. The
students are learning about the branches of government and checks and
balances, so this was a great opportunity to talk to them more about
what the Pennsylvania legislature does in addition to sharing a story
and some time together.

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*Protect
Medicaid Rally in Pittsburgh*

On February 28th, I was proud to
stand with disability advocates and fellow elected representatives
from all levels of government to discuss the impact that federal cuts
to Medicaid would have on over 3 million Pennsylvanians.

Cutting
Medicaid and Medicare will hurt seniors, children with disabilities,
and people who need medical assistance to stay in their homes. These
cuts aren't just meaningless numbers on a spreadsheet. They represent
real lives and real families. We will not stand by while vulnerable
Pennsylvanians face such devastating losses. We will fight to protect
the care our neighbors need and deserve.

My staff is fielding
dozens of calls from frightened constituents whose loved ones are at
risk of losing their life-sustaining care. One constituent said, "For
the past month, I have been hearing more and more threats of cuts to
benefits that my son relies on. Be our voice when it feels like we
have none." Here are just a few other things we're hearing from
constituents on the importance of Medicaid and Medicare to their
families:

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*Legislative
Update**

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*Commonwealth
Fraud Prevention Act*

Government efficiency and transparency are
hot topics right now but protecting whistleblowers and helping them
come forward and report fraud, waste, and abuse has been personally
and professionally important to me throughout my entire career. As
someone who worked with federal false claims legislation for years,
and as a former whistleblower myself, I know what it feels like to
lose everything for speaking truth to power. That's why I know that
the Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Act [link 6], legislation I'm again
sponsoring with Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill, will save
Pennsylvanians money. It does so by protecting the people who are in
the best position to expose waste, fraud, and abuse.

The Federal
False Claims Act, which our legislation is based on, turned 162
earlier this month. This legislation has recovered billions of wasted
federal taxpayer dollars since the time of President Abraham Lincoln,
and it is long past time that we recover our wasted Pennsylvania state
taxpayer dollars the same way.

I've also circulated a
co-sponsorship memo [link 7] calling on our Congressional Delegation
to protect Pennsylvanians from the unprecedented personal data access
of Elon Musk's DOGE. Currently, DOGE and Elon Musk have unprecedented
levels of access to the personal and sensitive information of hundreds
of millions of Americans via the Treasury Department, Department of
Education and the Department of Veterans Affairs. You should not have
to worry about an unelected and unvetted billionaire with global
conflicts of interests having access to their social security numbers,
home addresses, personal tax/financial information, and data on their
Medicare and Medicaid, Disability, and Veterans benefits.

Scammers
seeking to destroy livelihoods will take advantage of this egregious
breach in data security. We have an obligation to secure the data of
our seniors, students, Veterans, and all of the people of
Pennsylvania--and across the country.

In this time of chaos created
by the Trump/Musk administration, it is imperative that Pennsylvanians
know that their state government can and does work for them.

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*News
You Can Use**

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*Veterans,
You May Be Eligible for Free Vehicle Registration and
Titling!*

Thanks to Act 60 of 2024 [link 8], which took effect in
December, severely disabled Veterans can now receive free vehicle
registration and titling for one vehicle. The vehicle must be a
passenger car or truck with a registered weight of 9,000 pounds or
less.

To qualify, Veterans must meet one of the following criteria
(please note, license plate fees still apply):

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A Veteran who
lost a limb or an eye, or became partially paralyzed due to military
service

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A Veteran who was a prisoner of war

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A recipient
of the Congressional Medal of Honor or the Purple Heart

You can
download and print the application for free Veteran vehicle
registration at: MV-371DV- Supplemental Application for Free or
Reduced Registration Rates for Veterans [link 9].

If you need
assistance printing or with any other aspect of the application,
please contact our office at 412-364-0469 (Ross), 724-224-2131
(Harrison), or [email protected] [link 10]. We are
here to help!

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*New
Animal Diagnostic Lab in Western PA*

Governor Shapiro and Secretary
of Agriculture Russell Redding announced last month that the Penn
State Beaver [link 11] campus in Monaca will receive $8 Million
towards a new Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS)
lab! This is incredibly good news for farmers in Western PA who will
have access to the support they need to respond to animal disease
outbreaks like avian influenza. This new lab expands the existing
PADLS system to four facilities.

For more information on the new
lab go to Shapiro Admin Makes Historic Investment to Expand PADLS with
New Beaver Co Lab | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania [link 12].

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*Student Teacher Stipend Applications Open!*

The
Student Teacher Stipend Program reopened for its 3rd year on March
6th. As of January 2025, this program has provided stipends to over
1400 student teachers across Pennsylvania, helping to alleviate the
financial stress felt during student-teaching. It's a great incentive
as we work to bring more caring adults into our school buildings and
address the teacher shortage.

For more information and to apply go
to:
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*2025 PA Travel Guide Available!*

Need a little
inspiration on these cold March days? Check out the 2025 Pennsylvania
Travel Guide to get started on your spring and summer travel plans!
This free guide highlights must-see attractions, kid-focused fun,
exciting events, and many more great vacation ideas.

Sign up to
receive a free hard copy of the guide [link 17] or click here to view
online [link 18]. [link 19]

Happy travels!

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*Senate District 38 Summer Internships Available*

Our
office is hiring summer interns!

Interning for a state senator is
an excellent way to learn about the legislative process, state policy,
and constituent issues. Our office is committed to providing interns
with a positive educational experience.

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Positions open to
College Juniors and Seniors in the following degree fields: Political
Science, Business -Management, Communications/Media Relations,
Journalism, Community Relations or any other relevant fields.

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Paid position, $15/hour

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Up to 25 hours a week.

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Office
hours are from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm with evening and weekend hours
expected

To apply for an internship or for more information, go to:
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*Shaler Township Parks and Recreation Master
Plan*

Shaler Township residents, the municipality needs your input!
They're working on a Parks & Recreation Master Plan and need to hear
what you think about the park system as it currently exists and what
you'd like to see in the future!

There are 2 ways to share your
thoughts:

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Come to the Shaler North Hills Library anytime
between 5:30 - 7:30 PM on Wednesday, March 19 to help shape the future
of Shaler parks and recreation.

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Take the online Community
Survey at: [link removed] [link 23] or scan the QR code on the
flyer above.

I was proud to help secure grant funding to defray the
costs of this planning, and I'm excited to see what the future holds
for the Township!

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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 24] (Ross Office), 724-224-2131 [link
25] (Harrison Office) or by email at
[email protected] [link 26]. 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:
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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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