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Upcoming Events Earth Day Celebration and Open
House Have you ever wondered how clean water gets to your house? This is your chance to learn more! Join us on Tuesday, April 22 to celebrate Earth Day with the McCandless Sewage and Water Authority! MSWA recently upgraded their water treatment facility to sanitize their water using ultraviolet treatment instead of chlorine. This upgraded treatment is healthier for residents and the planet, and was implemented with grant funding supported by Senator Williams. This event will start with a short press conference celebrating the recent upgrades, followed by an Open House and tours of the facility for the public. REAL ID
Webinar! We’re less than one month away from the REAL ID enforcement date on May 7, 2025. Are you ready? To help, I’m hosting a webinar on REAL ID with PennDOT on April 24 at 11 AM! During this webinar, we’ll be explaining what a REAL ID is, why you may want one, and how to get one before the May 7,2025 REAL ID Enforcement date. This virtual presentation is completely free to attend, so mark your calendars and tell your friends. Register and submit your questions in advance at: https://senatorlindseywilliams.com/event/realid/. Avoid the Crowds and Apply for your REAL ID on a REAL ID Day! If you’re ready to get your REAL ID now, PennDOT is ready for you! PennDOT is hosting REAL ID days on Mondays, when centers are typically closed, exclusively for processing REAL ID applications on Mondays. Upcoming REAL ID Days in and around Senate District 38 are Monday, April 18 and May 5 from 8:30 am - 4:15 pm at the following locations:
The Bridgeville Drivers License Center is the only REAL ID Center in the area that can process and issue a REAL ID at the time of service. At all other centers, you will have your documents verified and imaged. You will then receive your REAL ID by mail within 15 business days. For more information and a complete list of REAL ID Days in PA go to: REAL ID Days | Driver and Vehicle Services | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. FREE
Shredding Event: Get a jump start on your spring cleaning by joining Rep. Emily Kindead and me at our FREE paper shredding event on April 26th. You can get rid of clutter and protect your personal information at the same time! Each car will be limited to two file-size boxes. Drivers are asked to remain in their cars and open their trunk. Our office staff will unload documents from cars and the materials will be immediately shredded on-site. Bags and boxes will be returned to the car after they are emptied. All you have to do is drive through and we will handle the rest! To avoid traffic issues, participants are requested to arrive NO EARLIER than 30 minutes prior to the start of the event. Meet Senator Williams at Pine Township’s Earth Day Event Join me and my staff on Saturday, April 26th from 11:30 am - 4 pm for the Township of Pine’s Earth Day Celebration. The event includes workshops, entertainment, information tables, food vendors, and more! We will be at our table to talk about what is important to you and connect you with state resources. For complete information on the event go to: https://www.twp.pine.pa.us/484/Earth-Day-Event. Good News Open House at VOA Youth Empowerment Project in Sharpsburg Thank you to the Volunteers of America: Youth Empowerment Project in Sharpsburg for inviting us to join their recent Open House! We had a great time meeting the kids at their after-school program and checking out the new Technology Center, which includes a screen printing press, 3D printers, and more. I'm excited to see what they'll do next with the BOOST grant funding they received from the state. To learn more about YEP's free out-of-school and summer programming, check out their website at Youth Empowerment Project - VOA Pennsylvania. Supporting Education Support Personnel I believe that everyone should earn a family-sustaining wage, but there are many people, in many sectors of our economy, where that isn’t the case. When I was in Harrisburg, I met with education support professionals who work in our schools providing learning supports for some of our hardest to educate students, while making $14 an hour. Many of these ESPs are working 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet. It’s no wonder we can’t find enough qualified staff to do these jobs. But our schools and our students desperately need more caring adults in their buildings. In order to help districts attract and retain qualified staff, I’m planning to introduce legislation that would require public schools to pay education support professionals a living wage of at least $20/hour. Whether it’s serving students lunches, safely transporting them to and from school, cleaning and maintaining buildings, providing care to students with disabilities, or working with teachers to provide students with extra instructional support in the classroom, these dedicated professionals help students succeed in school and in life. A living wage will ensure that education support professionals can achieve self-sufficiency in exchange for their service and commitment to our system of public education. Read more here Proposed bill would require Pennsylvania public schools to pay ‘living wages’. Student Sustainability Design Challenge Spring Showcase I was so impressed by the student research and design projects I saw at the Consortium for Public Education’s Student Sustainability Design Challenge. I was particularly excited to see the Allegheny Valley School District team’s plan for a cleantech solution at the former Cheswick Generating Station site. Thank you to all of the students who participated, and to the teachers who supported their efforts! Standing Up for Fair Housing Rights Earlier this month, I joined my Democratic colleagues to stand up for the basic principle that safe housing is a human right. But without a way to enforce that right, it doesn’t mean much. That’s why we’re introducing legislation that would block steep rent increases, seal eviction records, establish a housing fund for survivors of domestic violence, and allow counties to raise more money for housing trust funds. I have Constituents of who live in public housing properties with failing heat systems, with rats in their kitchen, with holes in their ceilings — it's inexcusable. These residents need protections, they need investments — they don't need funding or regulation cuts. With Trump axing housing funds, Pa. senators say state protections needed | 90.5 WESA #CTEProud Today and Every Day April 2, 2025 was Career and Tech Ed Day in Harrisburg, and we celebrated with a visit from CTE students from across Pennsylvania who came to showcase their work in the Capitol. The Senate Education Committee also held a hearing with administrators from Career and Tech Centers and school districts to hear how we can better support our CTCs and ensure that every student who wants to pursue career and tech education can do so. PA Skills Competition I followed up CTE Day in Harrisburg by visiting the PA Skills Competition, where CTE students from across Pennsylvania showcase the skills they’ve learned throughout the years. These impressive young students wowed me with the work that they’re doing in their chosen fields– they are graduating ready to take on their next challenges! Legislative Update Save Public Transit! I have been encouraged by how many messages I’ve gotten from constituents about their support for public transit lately. I’ve gotten more calls and emails in support of buses in the past month than in all of my years in office combined! I was recently appointed to the PRT Board, and I’m excited to hear from you as both your State Senator and your representative on the Board. I believe that public transit should be easy to ride wherever you want to go, sidewalks should be safe and accessible for everyone, and our roads should be built for people, not just for cars. The proposed PRT cuts are devastating and will set our region back for generations to come. Period. Without public transit, our workforce, the backbone of our economy, will suffer. I spend a lot of time in Harrisburg and in Pittsburgh strategizing with public transit advocates, economic development agencies, and human service providers. We’re working on finding sustainable funding streams that will not just keep public transit alive across our Commonwealth but expand its availability so we can get more riders where they need to go every day. Going forward, what’s the plan? For one, we need to get the region’s largest employers in this fight. Their employees rely on buses to get to work and they have a lot of influence. We have to convince the Senate Republican Majority to invest in public transportation. To do that, we need people like you. Coalitions of people who either rely on public transit– or WOULD rely on transit if they could access it. This is going to be a heavy lift and we need every person in the fight with us. PTR also needs to hear from you. At the March 8th Board meeting, PRT approved a public comment period on the proposed service cuts and I encourage everyone to make their voice heard. Feedback can be submitted to PRT in the following ways:
PRT is also hosting three public hearings. Registration is encouraged but not required. A sign-up form is available by clicking here. The hearing schedule is below:
I will also be co-hosting a Senate Democratic Policy Committee Hearing on Tuesday, April 15 at 2:00 to learn more. You can watch along on my website at SenatorLindseyWilliams.com/live. The video will also be available after the hearing. We cannot fix this problem as individuals, but as a community, we can get this done. News You Can Use Black
Maternal Health Summit The 3rd Annual Black Maternal Health Week Summit is here! The PA Black Maternal Health Caucus (PBMHC), co-chaired by my colleague Rep. La'Tasha D. Mayes, is hosting this powerful event at the Hotel Monaco in downtown Pittsburgh Monday - Wednesday this week. The three-day summit will unite advocates, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and community members to drive change in Black maternal health. Expect meaningful discussions, community-led solutions, and a push for policy action. While April 15 is the primary event day, each session offers valuable insights—join all three if you can! Registration is still open at https://pahouse.com/BMH/EmailSignUp/?id=1701 2024-25 LIHEAP Application Deadline Extended to April 18, 2025! If you or someone you know are struggling with past due balances, apply for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP)! LIHEAP is a low-income cash grant paid to your utility provider that does not have to be repaid. The LIHEAP application deadline has been extended to April 18 2025 and funding is still available. For complete information on LIHEAP and to apply go to: Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) | Department of Human Services | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Don’t hesitate to contact our office if you have questions or need help applying for LIHEAP at 412-364-0469 (Ross) or 724-224-2131 (Harrison) or email us at [email protected]. Scam Alert! The PA Public Utility Commission (PUC) is cautioning consumers about scam phone calls that falsely claim to be from the PUC using the Caller ID number of the PUC's Philadelphia office. Scammers claim the consumer requested a switch to another power company and then claim the only way to cancel the switch is to pay a cancellation fee immediately to avoid termination of service. The PUC offers the following tips to protect consumers from utility scams:
Read more and protect yourself from this scam at: CONSUMER ALERT: Utility Scam Calls Spoofing PUC Phone Number | PA PUC.
Hampton
Township Scam/Fraud Prevention Seminar Tired of trying to decide if calls and emails are a scam? Get some clarity at the Hampton Police Department’s presentation on April 16. The seminar will tell you how to identify and avoid scams, particularly those that target seniors. All are welcome! 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). |
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