Dear John,

On Wednesday, I joined together with local officials and community leaders to express our support for the restoration of passenger rail service from NEPA to New York City. The newly enacted bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides $66 billion for rail investment. 

It is estimated that a new service between NEPA and NYC would generate $87 million in annual economic activity for the region, plus $2.9 billion from one-time investments along the corridor. 

We know that putting our area back on the rail map will grow businesses, create jobs and boost tourism, bringing in billions of dollars in economic activity. Here's what Chris Barrett, the President and CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau had to say:

"From small mom and pop shops to our large resorts, the return of the Amtrak passenger rail service will be a game changer for our local economy and the more than 30-million guests who visit the Pocono Mountains every year. In addition, our residents will benefit from an enchanted quality of life with easy access to and from New York City.”

On Wednesday, I was joined by state transportation officials, Amtrak representatives, and local business and industry leaders to make sure our region takes full advantage of the historic federal investment in passenger rail expansion. We're going to keep the momentum up and keep working to restore passenger rail service in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

I had the pleasure of meeting with the members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union 1319 this week. The local union represents lineman workers, telephone workers, utility workers, line clearance and tree trimming employees, government workers and cable television employees. 

When a snowstorm knocks out electricity in our neighborhoods, these are the workers who go out in dangerous conditions to restore power. We know we can rely on the people at Local 1319 when our communities need them. 

IBEW Local Union 1319 fights for things like apprenticeship school training, fair hiring procedures, comprehensive medical coverage, pension and annuity packages and competitive wages for all its members. 

On Thursday, I toured their Union Hall and onsite job training location. We talked about how the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act helps local unions like Local 1319 serve their members and keep good-paying, union jobs in our area.

Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund 

Pennsylvania was awarded more than $350 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds through the federal U.S. Department of the Treasury's Homeowner Assistance Fund and has launched the statewide Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund, or PAHAF. PAHAF will use these funds to provide eligible Pennsylvania homeowners with much-needed assistance to prevent and/or ease mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, displacement and utility disconnection. 

The fund supports Pennsylvania homeowners whose household income is at or below 150% of the area median income (AMI) that now must grapple with additional unforeseen financial hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

PAHAF will open applications to eligible Pennsylvania homeowners on February 1. To see the full list of eligibility requirements and sign up for updates, visit https://pahaf.org/am-i-eligible/.

Be safe and well,