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Constituent Stories Another Great AARP Tax-Aide Season for Our Constituents! My office schedules tax prep appointments for the AARP Tax-Aide’s Ross and Shaler locations every year. Giving seniors the peace of mind that their taxes have been filed by a trained preparer– for free– is incredibly rewarding for me and my entire staff. And by having my office handle scheduling, the AARP volunteers have more time to focus preparing taxes for our community’s low to moderate-income seniors. Tax season is always my office’s busiest time of the year. On top of their regular casework, meetings, and projects, my Constituent Relations Specialists team fields hundreds of calls each week from January-April to book AARP Tax-Aide appointments, make reminder calls, help constituents get their tax documents, and make referrals. This year’s totals for constituent help with AARP Tax-Aide included:
Every year, we have more demand for appointments than there are volunteer tax preparers to help. If you are looking for a way to give back to your community, consider volunteering with the AARP. You receive free training, the hours are part-time over four months, and you get to spend time with people who really need and appreciate your skills! For volunteer information go to: https://www.aarp.org/volunteer/programs/tax-aide/. Thank you to my staff for all of their hard work this tax season. I'm constantly hearing how kind, compassionate and helpful you are to our constituents!
Upcoming Events Cheswick Strawberry
Festival Come on out to Rachel Carson Park on Sunday, June 1st for a “sweet” time at Cheswick’s annual Strawberry Festival. Senator Williams and her staff will be there to hear what is important to you, answer your questions, and provide state resources. We look forward to seeing everyone and enjoying some strawberry shortcake! Get the Support You’ve Earned: VFW Service Officer Appointments Available! Whether you have questions about the benefits you’ve earned from your service, or just want a fresh review, take advantage of the Veterans Service Officer (VSO) appointments available at my Ross and Harrison Township district offices. We now have VSO appointments in both offices every month! Ross Township Office 1st Monday of each month from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Upcoming Dates:
Harrison Township Office 1st Thursday of each month from 1:00 PM - 4:45 PM Upcoming Dates:
Contact us at 412-364-0469 (Ross), 724-224-2131 (Harrison), or email us at [email protected] to book your one-on-one session - appointments fill up quickly, so don’t delay! New Office Hours at the Kingsley
Association! My office hosts monthly office hours on the first Friday of every month at the Kingsley Association. Stop by and say hello to our staff during our new time slot from 9:00 AM -1:00 PM to get all of the services our District Offices provide.
Free notary service is also available. Please contact our office to schedule with a notary at our Community Office Hours, or in one of our District Offices:
Good News Student Government Seminar - Valuable Experience for Students Thank you Sen. Nick Pisciottano for inviting me to join your Student Government Seminar as a panelist! Over 150 students from 10 Allegheny County schools spent the morning learning from panelists. The students then split into teams to debate and vote on a bill about social media protections during a mock Senate Session. As always, I was very impressed with the incredible participation of the students-- they asked amazing questions and offered impressive insight into the issues facing us all. Thank you all for participating! PAAR’s Teal Ball My team and I joined guests in support of survivors of sexual assault at the Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR) Teal Ball. Teal is the signature color of sexual assault awareness. We all wore it proudly to show survivors in our community that we believe and support them. All Teal Ball proceeds go directly to help survivors on their journey to healing and a brighter future. Sexual Assault impacts the lives of thousands of people across the United States every day. If you or a loved one need resources, please contact Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR) at https://paar.net/ or call/text their 24-hour confidential hotline at 1-866-363-7273. Welcoming Guests to the Senate Neighborhood Academy Basketball - PIAA Champs Earlier this month, I welcomed The Neighborhood Academy Bulldogs Boys Basketball Team, your 2025 PIAA Class 1A Champions! Despite being the sixth-smallest school in the WPIAL conference, this mighty team had the fourth-highest scoring offense this season, averaging 71.3 points per game. Even more impressive, during the season, the team maintained an impressive 3.6 GPA, with 9 of the 12 players earning Honor Roll status, which is incredible. Congratulations to The Neighborhood Academy Bulldogs! Astronaut Warren Hoburg I also had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Warren “Woody” Hoburg to the Senate in honor of Pennsylvania Aerospace Day on May 6. As a NASA astronaut, Mr. Hoburg has logged 186 days in space and conducted two extravehicular activities in his career for a total of 11 hours and 38 minutes. While Mr. Hoburg has visited space, his storied career began back right here in Senate District 38, in the North Allegheny School District. Just a reminder for all of our students that if you reach for the stars, you just might get there! Senate District 38 Intern Danny Gallagher My final guest in May was our Spring Intern, Danny Gallagher. Danny joined us at the beginning of this year, and immediately hit the ground running. She was incredibly hard working, especially during what is inarguably our busiest season of the year, tax season. The office fielded over 4000 calls during the first quarter, and without Danny’s help, I’m not sure we would have survived! She also did an incredible job of helping us break down data on constituent interactions, which allowed us to see just how many calls that we were taking compared to prior years. We all want to wish Danny well on her next steps and her bright future! Constituent Meetings in Harrisburg This month, I had the chance to meet with lots of constituents in Harrisburg to talk about legislation that is meaningful to them and to families all across Senate District 38. American Cancer Society I met with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network to discuss House Bill 200, Paid Family and Medical Leave, and increased access to cancer screenings, early detection programs, and more. Providing increased access to quality care will allow more people to catch potential cancers quickly and receive treatment in early stages. We need to expand family medical leave, and not just for families with newborns. We need to expand coverage for people caring for their siblings, grandparents, or grandchildren too. So many people in Pennsylvania are taking care of not just kids but elderly parents and siblings with disabilities. Paid leave means not having to choose between your job and family. It means not having to choose between taking care of your loved ones and making rent this month. It just makes sense for everyone. Emergency Medical Services I also met with Greg Porter, Executive Director of Ross/West View EMSA and Eric Schmidt, Executive Director and Chief of Shaler Hampton EMS. Our local EMS Chiefs were in Harrisburg with the Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania to rally for improved access to EMS and patient billing protections. Pennsylvania EMS agencies are facing a funding crisis, especially in rural communities. I am committed to finding sustainable streams of funding for this life-saving care. As the Shaler Hampton EMS motto says, they are at their best on our worst days! Trying Together I also met with Trying Together and childcare providers from Senate District 38 to discuss childcare funding and learn more about their new “A Day in the Life” map. This interactive map tells the stories of childcare providers and teachers across PA and the challenges that they face in providing affordable, high-quality care. You can read their stories and find out what A Day in the Life of a childcare provider is like here.
Senior Social 2025 We had so much fun at this month’s Senior Social! Thank you to our vendors for bringing great information, to Chef and I Catering for a delicious lunch, and to Lorren with Venture Outdoors and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for bringing Blue the Iguana to meet everyone. Legislative Update Supporting our Childcare Workforce Childcare educators are the backbone of our economy—they are the workforce that allows the rest of us to get to work, and they are the first educators of our future workforce. Without safe, affordable, and accessible healthcare, parents can’t work and our economy can’t recover. But the childcare industry is facing a teacher shortage crisis, driven in large part by low wages that make it difficult for providers to recruit and retain staff. Across the state, we have over 3,000 open childcare positions. If these jobs were filled, an estimated 25,000 more children and families could have access to quality childcare. To help get more qualified teachers into our childcare centers, my colleagues Sen. Judy Schwank, Rep. Jeanne McNeill, and I are introducing legislation that will invest funding proposed by Governor Shapiro in his 2025-26 budget in recruitment and retention bonuses for licensed childcare providers participating in the Child Care Works program. This investment would not only help stabilize our childcare workforce and provide quality care and education to our youngest learners, but it will also support the broader workforce and strengthen Pennsylvania’s economy by keeping parents from leaving their jobs due to high costs or lack of childcare. This investment will help open up more opportunities for childcare, while addressing the high costs of childcare. I am proud to work with Governor Shapiro, my colleagues and childcare providers from across the state to fight for quality child-care and to support our working families!
News You Can Use New Security Feature Allows SNAP Users to Digitally Lock EBT Cards and Prevent Theft! If you are a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiary and received the text above, it is legitimate! SNAP recipients can now lock their EBT cards when not in use to protect their cards from theft and skimming with Card Lock, a new feature on the ConnectEBT app or website. How to Lock and Unlock Your EBT Card with ConnectEBT: SNAP and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients can lock and unlock their EBT cards using the free and secure ConnectEBT app, available on Apple and GooglePlay app stores, or via the Connect EBT website. After creating or logging into your ConnectEBT app or website user account, simply tap the Lock/Unlock Card button. There are two options for card lock:
Simply re-lock your card after use or use the auto re-lock feature to automatically relock the card 30, 60, or 90 minutes after unlocking. How-to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4ZnyYdDvz8. Additional information available at: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/report-fraud/scams.html. Change Your EBT Card PIN Regularly! Even with the new card lock/unlock feature, DHS still encourages SNAP recipients to change their EBT PIN at least monthly and right before their payment date to prevent theft. SNAP benefits are issued onto EBT cards monthly. Change your EBT card PIN:
You can also monitor your SNAP benefits and transactions with the myCOMPASS PA mobile app. Prevent Card Skimming Be sure to carefully inspect machines for skimming devices before you swipe your EBT card or any debit or credit card. Use these tips to help you identify skimming devices:
If you find a skimming device, alert the store and call law enforcement and the OSIG Public Benefits Fraud hotline: 800-932-0582! Report Stolen Benefits
Note: Due to the end of Congressional authorization of funds to replace stolen benefits, benefits stolen after December 20, 2024, cannot be reissued by Pennsylvania DHS. Need Food Assistance?
PA’s New Distracted Driving Law
is Effective Next Week! Distracted driving is dangerous and illegal. To help make roads safer, last year the PA legislature passed, and Governor Shapiro signed Senate Bill 37, known as Paul Miller’s Law. Effective June 5, 2025, it is illegal to hold a mobile device while driving. This includes dialing and answering a mobile device – even at red lights and stop signs! Data from PennDOT shows there were 11,262 crashes involving a distracted driver in 2023, resulting in 6,700 injuries and 65 fatalities. Keep in mind, distracted driving data is historically underreported by drivers reluctant to admit they were using a device, so these figures are likely higher. For the first year, written warnings will be issued to drivers stopped by police if they have a mobile device in their hand while driving. Beginning June 5, 2026, drivers caught violating the law will be fined $50, plus court costs. Keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel! Nothing is more important than your safety and the safety of those around you! You can read more on the new hand-held ban at: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot/traveling-in-pa/safety/traffic-safety-driver-topics/distracted-driving.html. Young Ambassadors Program Accepting Applications through June 10! Calling all 10th- 12th grade students who are passionate about keeping Pennsylvania clean and beautiful: Apply today for PennDOT’s Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Young Ambassadors program! The Young Ambassadors program is accepting applications through June 10. The program runs from September 2025 through May 2026 and prepares students to become difference-makers in their communities and builds their leadership and problem-solving skills. You can learn more about the Young Ambassadors Program and apply at: https://www.keeppabeautiful.org/programs/education/young-ambassadors-of-pennsylvania. Register for a Pennsylvania Resources Council Recycling Event! Tired of storing that big television you don’t use anymore or old household chemicals you don’t know how to dispose of? The Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) holds recycling events all over Allegheny County throughout the spring, summer, and early fall that can take care of all your recycling needs. Recycling events include:
These events are very popular, so look at your calendar and register early! Read about all PRC events and register for one near you at https://prc.org. 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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