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Constituent Stories 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 https://patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property/. 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 senatorlindseywilliams@pasenate.com. We’re here to help you claim what belongs to you! Upcoming Events Volunteers of America’s Youth Empowerment Project Open House in Sharpsburg! We’re excited to join the Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania 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!
Good News 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.
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. 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! 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. 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: Legislative Update 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, 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 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.
News You Can Use Veterans, You May Be Eligible for Free Vehicle Registration and Titling! Thanks to Act 60 of 2024, 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):
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. 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 senatorlindseywilliams@pasenate.com. We are here to help! New Animal Diagnostic Lab in Western PA Governor Shapiro and Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding announced last month that the Penn State Beaver 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. 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: https://www.pheaa.org/funding-opportunities/pa-student-teacher-support-program. 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 or click here to view online. Happy travels! 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.
To apply for an internship or for more information, go to: https://senatorlindseywilliams.com/internships/. 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:
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! 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 SenatorLindseyWilliams@pasenate.com. My staff will return your call/email within 24 hours (Monday-Friday). |
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