State Senator Lindsey M. Williams, Your District 38
Update

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*Upcoming Events**

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*We
want to hear from you!*

As we plan 2023, we need to know more about
what kinds of events you want to attend. Please take a minute to fill
out a brief survey to tell us what topics you want to see the most
next year!
Senator Williams Event Survey (senatorlindseywilliams.com)
[link 1]

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*2022 Events Review**

This week we are taking a
look back at two top athletic awardees we honored in Harrisburg in
2022: the Pitt ACC Champions and Hampton Boys Soccer PIAA
Champions!

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*Pitt
Panthers win ACC Championship*

I had the pleasure of meeting Coach
Narduzzi when he visited the Senate Chamber in February with the ACC
trophy that the Pitt Panthers [link 2] football team won in 2021.
Senator Collette and I were surprised by how heavy it was!

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*Hampton
Boys Soccer - PIAA Champs!*

I also had the honor of welcoming the
2021 PIAA Class 3A Champion Hampton Township School District [link 3]
Boys Soccer team to Harrisburg in February. I had a wonderful time
talking with the whole team, many of whom were seeing our beautiful
capitol for the first time. These players and coaches will undoubtedly
draw upon this achievement as they face the seasons and challenges
ahead!

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*Legislation**

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*Senate
Rules Reform*

Last Wednesday Senator Katie Muth [link 4] and I
hosted a virtual roundtable discussion on the rules of the
Pennsylvania State Senate and our package of reforms [link 5]
that
would enhance transparency and ensure a fair legislative
process.

Many people don't realize that current Senate rules allow
the Majority Party to completely control which bills receive a vote at
all, as well as the timetable for those votes. These rules prevent
even common sense, bipartisan legislation from ever receiving a vote
in Committee or on the floor. Even more troubling is if the Majority
Party supports legislation, the current rules can force a floor vote
on short notice, giving legislators little time to review the full
language of the bill or to seek input from constituents and
stakeholders. This should not be the way we legislate.

For the
second session in a row, Senator Muth and I are introducing a set of
Senate rules that are equitable and fair to all members - not just
those in the Majority.

Some of our proposed reforms include:

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Require at least 24 hours' public notice that a bill will receive a
vote on the Senate floor

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Mandate all committee hearings and
meetings be livestreamed, recorded, and archived to ensure they are
viewable to the public

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Require all members' legislative
expenses and all per diem payments to be publicly posted and in
searchable format on the public-facing website of the
legislature

The Senate Rules are adopted at the beginning of each
two-year legislative session by a simple majority vote and will be
voted on when the Senate reconvenes for the new legislative session on
January 3, 2023.

More information about our efforts to promote
transparency and ensure both parties are given a voice is available
here [link 6].

We were pleased to have more than 60 participants
for our virtual roundtable discussion on the Pennsylvania Senate Rules
and our package of reforms. If you missed the discussion, you can
watch now by clicking below.

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[link 7]

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*Good
News**

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*One
Year of Pittsburgh Starbucks Unionization!*

Last Friday marked the
one-year anniversary of the first Pittsburgh Starbucks to unionize!.
Since December 9, 2021, ELEVEN locations in Pittsburgh have unionized
- more than any other city in the country! I was proud to stand with
the SBWorkersUnited [link 8] workers rallying on this anniversary. I
will always stand with workers fighting for a more democratic and
equitable workplace.

Sign the pledge to support Starbucks workers
at: No Contract, No Coffee! Pledge To Act In Solidarity With Starbucks
Workers United (broadstripes.com) [link 9]

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[link 10]

*Property Tax Rent Rebate Deadline Weeks Away!*

If you
haven't applied for your 2021 2021 Property Tax Rent Rebate [link 11]
yet, make sure you do by the December 31st, 2022 deadline in two
weeks!

Get up to $975 and a one-time 70% bonus rebate if:

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Your income is under $35,000 (Homeowners) or $15,000 (Renters)

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Note: half of Social Security is excluded!

AND you are:

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Age
65 or over as of December 31, 2022

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A widow/widower age 50 or
over, or

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Disabled and age 18 or over

You can apply online
at Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program (pa.gov) [link 12] or contact our
office and we will submit the application to the PA Department of
Revenue for you! Make your appointment at 412-364-0469 (Ross),
724-224-2131 (Harrison) or [email protected] [link
13].

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[link 14]

*Avoid Holiday Financial Scams *

With the holiday
shopping season upon us, the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and
Securities (DoBS) [link 15] and the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP)
[link 16] are warning consumers about fraud and scams.

*Five
typical scams to watch out for are:*

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*Hacked Account Scam* - A
scammer may use technology to make it seem like your financial
institution is calling you to inform you that your card or account
have been compromised. They may have details like the last four
numbers of your card or listing of recent purchases. This is an
attempt to establish credibility and create an urgency to prevent
additional fraudulent activity, while seeking additional sensitive
financial information. Your financial institution will not call you
unsolicited and ask for details such as your Social Security number,
account or credit card numbers, or password.

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*Unbelievable
Price on Hard-to-Find Items* - Everyone enjoys a bargain, but if the
item you're looking to purchase is showing for significantly less than
compared to every major retailer, it is likely fraudulent. The scammer
will try to sell you a plausible, but ultimately fictional, reason for
the price difference. Fraudsters will tell you there are multiple
people interested, but they'll let you buy it if you send payment
immediately. Once you send the money, you'll receive bogus shipping
information or never hear from them. Always contact your financial
institution directly using the phone number from your statement, bank
card, or their website to verify any calls from the institution.

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*Bank Deposit Holiday Hustles *- Having your checking or savings
account information used for depositing mystery shopper checks or
other deposits whose funds you don't know the source of can lead to
financial loss and difficulty reestablishing banking services. When
you endorse or sign a check, you are vouching for the legitimacy of
those funds being available. A scam artist may send you a check for an
amount to buy certain items to send somewhere, allowing you to keep a
portion for yourself. If that check or funds are fraudulent, you will
be liable for the entire balance.

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*Copycat Websites* - Identity
theft can occur despite taking precautions. Consumers can help reduce
the chance of having their personal or financial information stolen by
practicing safe online shopping. Malicious emails can appear to be
from legitimate retail stores. Do not click on these links. Instead,
bookmark the URL for your favorite stores to ensure you are accessing
the appropriate site. If purchasing items online, be sure to monitor
your accounts after for fraudulent or unauthorized charges.

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*Gift Cards* - Gift cards can be a versatile and practical holiday
gift but remember that no government agency will ever ask you to pay a
fine, fee, or penalty with a gift card. If you receive a call telling
you to pay a debt or some other cost via gift card, that is a red flag
of a scam. Hang up immediately. Once a scammer has the codes and pins
from a gift card, it is extremely difficult to recover any
funds.

*Five strategies that can protect you from these scams and
others include:*

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*Monitor Your Accounts.* Frequently check your
financial accounts for any debits or withdrawals you do not
recognize.

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*Never follow links in unsolicited emails. *Check
that any emails you receive are from a correct email address.

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*Type the website directly into your browser.* Pay attention to your
spelling and double check that it is a U.S. domain - like dot-com
rather than an international domain - before entering any sensitive
information.

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*Be wary of any transaction involving checks.*
Never send anything via Western Union or prepaid cards.

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*When
in doubt, hang up. *Never provide credit card info as part of an
unsolicited phone call and think twice if you're being pressured to
donate "right now."

If you are the victim of a scam, contact your
financial institution and your local police. You can also file a
complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). [link
17]

Anyone can contact DoBS at 1-800-PA-BANKS or 1-800-722-2657 to
ask questions or file complaints about financial transactions,
companies, or products.

In addition, the free, See Something, Send
Something [link 18] smartphone application enables people to report
suspicious activity. Consumers are encouraged to capture photographs,
screenshots, and other information and send directly to the PSP. Tips
can also be sent to [email protected] [link 19].

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*Give the Gift of Education - PA 529!*

The holiday
season is the perfect time to save for the future with the PA 529
College and Career Savings Program [link 22]. Give a gift to the child
in your life that truly lasts a lifetime - the gift of
education.There's no minimum deposit to open an account, and
contributions of as little as $1 can be made any time.

Friends and
family can easily contribute to a child's PA 529 account with a Ugift
code [link 23].
If you already have a PA 529 account for your child,
you can access and share your Ugift code by logging in to your account
at pa529.com/ugift [link 24] and then emailing the code to people who
want to contribute to your child's education savings. These gift
contributions may be PA state income tax deductible!

If you want to
learn more about starting to save with PA 529 accounts, head to
pa529.com [link 25] for all of the details. There are two plans to
help families save, including the PA 529 Investment Plan, with
earnings tied to financial markets, and the PA 529 Guaranteed Savings
Plan, where earnings are tied to tuition inflation. Families can
choose the plan that best meets their savings goals.

Have
questions? Contact the Pennsylvania Treasury [link 26] at
[email protected] [link 27] or 800-440-4000.

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*Tarentum Winter Night Market*

Support local merchants
and get your last minute holiday shopping done at Tarentum's December
Night Market [link 29] this Friday, December 16th. It may be cold, but
all vendors will be placed on 6th Ave!

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[link 30]

*Christmas Toy Giveaway in Larimer!*

The Larimer
Consensus Group (LCG) [link 31] and Habitat for Humanity [link 32] are
partnering for LCG's Annual Toy Giveaway [link 33]! Saturday, December
17th, 10:30 am until the toys are GONE!

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[link 34]

*Hampton's Neighborhood Santa Tour*

Santa Claus will
be visiting Hampton Township [link 35] streets compliments of the
Hampton and North Hampton Fire Departments on Saturday, December 17th
and kids can check a "Santa Tracker" to see Santa's route!

For
additional information including the Santa Tracker link go to
Neighborhood Santa Tour | Hampton Township, PA - Official Website
(hampton-pa.org) [link 36]

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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 37] (Ross Office), 724-224-2131 [link
38] (Harrison Office) or by email at
[email protected] [link 39]. 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

Harrison Office
1826 Union
Avenue
Natrona Heights, PA 15065
Phone: 724-224-2131
Fax:
724-224-2145

Harrisburg Office
366 Capitol Building
Senate Box
203038
Harrisburg, PA 17120-3038
Phone: 717-787-6538
Fax:
717-787-8625

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