The LuLac Edition #4, 885, Janury 5th, 2023
WHY VOTE REPUBLICAN WHEN DEMOCRATS BRING HOME THE BACON
It is amazing to me that people around here buy the bullshit spouted by the right wing media hosts who say the Republican party does great things for working class NEPA.
THEY DON’T.
Look at the projects and record of accomplishments from Senator Casey and Representative Cartwright in this edition. No Republican, except for Representative Joe McDade decades ago could even come closer to improving the quality of life in Northeastern Pa. than what these two have accomplished.
IMPOTENT NATIONAL GOP CAN’T PICK A GUY
HERE’S A GUY: CALL FRED KELLER
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Keller and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."
Immigration
Keller voted against the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 which authorizes DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020.
Keller voted against Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1158) which effectively prohibits ICE from cooperating with Health and Human Services to detain or remove illegal alien sponsors of unaccompanied alien children (UACs).
He's your guy.
OMNIBUS PASSAGE INCLUDES FUNDING FOR NEPA CHAMPIONED BY REP. CARTWRIGHT
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright a senior member of the House Committee on Appropriations, announced that all 15 of his Community Project Funding requests were included in the final 2023 federal omnibus spending package that passed today.
That means $52.7 million is coming back to the Eighth District for projects that will promote economic development, expand medical and mental health services, and provide for much-needed infrastructure upgrades.
Multiple funding projects also included in the spending bill will support area law enforcement, police and first responders.
“Bringing our fair share of federal tax dollars back to our region is the main reason I ran for Congress,” Rep. Cartwright said. “This funding directly responds to some of the most pressing needs in Northeast Pennsylvania by creating jobs with better pay, making us safer, and strengthening our communities.”
Cartwright, who also serves as chair of the House Appropriations’ Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee, ranks Number One in Pennsylvania and is among the Top Ten in the country for securing Community Project Funding dollars for his district.
Last year, Cartwright brought home a total of $19.6 million in funding for all 10 of his requested Community Projects, the highest amount by a Pennsylvania congressman.
For Pennsylvania’s Eighth District, local funding highlights include the expansion of medical and mental health services for women, children, families and the elderly; infrastructure upgrades in the form of water treatment, flood protection and paving projects; workforce development and job training; and new equipment, technology and operation centers for area police, firefighters and emergency responders.
The full list of projects and funding amounts includes:
Lackawanna County
The University of Scranton: Construction of a research facility for academic science, health science and cyber security, $16.62 million
This project will establish a center for workforce development and applied research in health, science and cyber security at the University of Scranton. The facility will serve as a nexus for campus-wide outreach, research and service by engaging academic departments and programs from all three of the University’s colleges and schools. The center would enhance current and support new outreach efforts in health, STEM and cybersecurity, with a special emphasis on engaging K-12 students.
Marywood University: Nursing and health programs enhancement, $2.6 million
This project will extend Marywood University’s Healthcare Workforce Expansion Initiative. Through student and faculty support, this program will address healthcare staffing shortage in Northeastern Pennsylvania, especially those communities who treat the medically underserved. In partnership with Lackawanna County Career Technology Center and regional health services systems, including Geisinger, this project will help fill the gap in advanced practice professionals in the region, as well as collaboratively transform the healthcare workforce to meet the growing needs of the region’s population.
City of Scranton and Scranton Police Department: Law enforcement training programs and technology upgrades, $3.5 million.
This project will help improve the Scranton Police Department’s community policing efforts by purchasing new body cameras, mobile video recorders and tasers. The new equipment and technology will allow the Scranton Police Department to manage the use of force reporting, direct supervisor audits of specific incident types and add virtual reality and other training modules for officers.
Archbald Borough: A multi-jurisdictional, Fire and Police Emergency Operations Center, $2.96 million
This project is for building a new, multi-jurisdictional Fire and Police Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Archbald Borough that will be multifaceted and centrally located within the community. The EOC will serve as a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management functions. It will also ensure the continuous operation of all borough emergency medical services, fire services and regional police departments.
Mayfield Borough: Flood protection project for homes and businesses, $2.32 million
This project for Mayfield Borough will improve flood protection for homes and businesses. The project involves stabilizing Mayfield’s levee in areas where it is deficient. The levee is approximately 1.68 miles long and protects close to 53% of the town’s residents. The upgrade will add to the levee so that it meets FEMA’s requirement of 3-feet above base flood elevation and will protect the town’s population in the event of a flood disaster.
Friendship House: Rehabilitation and fit-out of facilities in downtown Scranton to provide health care services for underserved populations, $1.5 million.
The new location for Friendship House will yield 21,795 square feet to provide Whole Person Care to those who need it most. In addition to mental health outpatient and medication management services, the mental health services Friendship House will provide at this new location will include Blended Case Management, Family Based Mental Health, Peer Support Services and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services.
Luzerne County
City of Pittston: New performing arts center for the downtown district with additional commercial and living space, $3 million
This project is for the City of Pittston for 80,000 square-feet of new construction to establish a theater that would be used to feature performing arts, a drop-down screen for motion pictures and event space for community groups in the downtown district. Project plans also include 5,000 square feet of commercial space, joint office space for the city’s Housing and Redevelopment authorities, and a satellite campus for a regional college. This project will have significant economic impacts on city, county, school district, state and federal taxes and will promote the arts, foster educational opportunities and provide additional affordable housing opportunities through the city’s Project Share program as well as space for the non-profit Food Bank Market.
Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office: The creation of a county-wide emergency first responder unit, $2.5 million
This project for the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office supports a collaborative effort to create a county-wide unit of first responders from multiple jurisdictions to respond to emergency situations, handle complex investigations, and assist smaller departments with major cases. The Emergency Services Unit (ESU) will include major case investigators, cell phone analyzers and a crisis intervention team to respond to incidents involving individuals with mental health issues and emergency responders trained in responding to high-risk incidents including those involving barricaded gunmen and active shooters. The ESU will be designed to protect the public from violent incidents and to investigate and prosecute criminal offenders.
Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority: Stream runoff mitigation and infrastructure upgrades, $3.45 million
This project for the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority supports infrastructure initiatives that will improve watershed quality in our region's streams and the Susquehanna River by reducing key pollutants (sediment and nutrients). This project also provides infrastructure upgrades to improve the quality of wastewater that discharges into the Susquehanna River, as well as reliable wastewater services for approximately 172,000 residents within 36 municipal service areas.
Maternal and Family Health Services, Luzerne County: Expanding health services for low-income, at-risk women, children and families, $2.15 million
This project for Maternal and Family Health Services will improve social services already being offered and will specifically increase and enhance services offered to at-risk and low-income women, children and families. Services include but are not limited to behavioral health/mental health services, substance/opioid use disorder care management, nutrition and food security services and visiting nurse and family planning services.
Wayne, Monroe and Pike Counties
Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport Authority, Monroe County: New construction of a T-hangar building, $3 million
This project will increase economic opportunities for the Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport by constructing a new T-hangar building to house an additional 12 aircraft. Currently, the airport’s largest hangars are filled with smaller aircraft which could be stored in the proposed T-hangar building, thus freeing up space for larger turbine and other regional aircraft and allowing more aircraft to be based at the airport, which means higher revenue for the airport from more rentals and more fuel charges.
Milford Borough, Pike County: Storm pipe replacement, $3.5 million
Most of the existing stormwater pipes in Milford Borough are constructed of galvanized steel and have deteriorated over time and need to be replaced. This request for community project funding will improve stormwater management for Milford Borough by replacing 11,241 linear feet of failing galvanized stormwater pipe and making targeted re-routing improvements. This project is part of a larger initiative of improving the commercial district in Milford Borough and expanding water and sewer treatment plant to thereby allowing restaurants, hotels, offices and manufacturing facilities the ability to expand. Additionally, the county government is housed along this corridor and this upgrade will provide a foundation for continued and expanded governmental services, including legal and court functions.
Lackawaxen Township: Paving and resurfacing project for State Route 590, $2.4 million
This project is for 9.1 miles of State Route 590, from the Wayne County line to Towpath Road, which averages 2,646 vehicles a day with drivers on their way to Woodloch Resort, a tourist haven for east coast vacationers, and large living communities including Tinkwig, Lake Forest and Masthope Rapids. Existing road conditions include severe cracking, potholes, depressions and rutting that can – and has - caused damage to vehicles. The proposed project will provide a smoother and safer riding surface while decreasing the cost of ongoing roadway maintenance.
Multi-County Projects
Additional Community Project Funding that will benefit the 8th Congressional District includes $2.2 million for a multi-county United Way program for education and support services for at-risk children and their families, including Pre-K tuition. This project includes the United Ways of Pocono Mountains, Wayne County, Lackawanna, Wyoming Valley and the Greater Hazleton Region.
Another is $1 million for NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania and its Adult Living Support Group to expand the Aging in Place program in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties to assist older and disabled homeowners in need of critical safety modifications to allow them to live safely and with dignity in their own homes. This funding will also help address the significant wait list of homeowners (over 300) already identified as in need of these crucial services across the three-county region.
CASEY DELIVERS FOR PENNSYLVANIA IN 2022
25 OF SENATOR CASEY’S BILLS PASSED THROUGH CONGRESS THIS YEAR, INCLUDING PROTECTING PREGNANT WORKERS AND PROVIDING FINANCIAL STABILITY FOR MILLIONS MORE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
SENATOR SECURES KEY RESOURCES FOR PA CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, WORKERS, SENIORS, AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
SENATOR CASEY VISITED ALL 67 COUNTIES AND HELD HUNDREDS OF IN-PERSON EVENTS IN PA, CONNECTING WITH MORE THAN 50,000 PENNSYLVANIANS IN-STATE
CASEY UNVEILED NEW INTERACTIVE MAP THAT GIVES COUNTY-BY-COUNTY BREAKDOWN OF FEDERAL INVESTMENTS IN PENNSYLVANIA
CASEY OFFICE OPENED MORE THAN 17,000 CONSTITUENT CASES, HELPING PENNSYLVANIANS ACCESS CRUCIAL BENEFITS AND SERVICES AND CONNECT WITH FEDERAL RESOURCES IN TIMES OF NEED
Senator Bob Casey (Photo: LuLac archives)
Throughout 2022, the second year of a historically productive Congress, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) delivered results for Pennsylvania families.
“In 2022, we capped off one of the most productive Congresses in recent history with significant progress for Pennsylvania families,” said Senator Casey. “After years of gridlock, we passed the first major gun safety bill in three decades, lowered prescription drug costs for seniors, made generational investments in clean energy and climate change, and removed barriers for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits to get the care they need. What’s more, we built on the successes of 2021 as Pennsylvania started to see investments in our working families, our crumbling infrastructure, and our communities thanks to funding from the American Rescue Plan and the infrastructure law.”
Below are highlights of Senator Casey’s work on behalf of Pennsylvanians this year:
Community Projects in both the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 and 2023 Spending Bills
For the first time in a decade, Congress included funding going directly to community projects in the FY22 spending bill, passed in March of 2022. Senator Casey secured $81.6 million in funding for 63 projects across Pennsylvania. Senator Casey also secured $111.5 million for 92 projects in the FY23 spending bill, passed in December of 2022. The projects will promote community revitalization, workforce development, critical infrastructure and resilience, and expanded health care in the Commonwealth.
Descriptions of the 63 community projects for FY22 can be found HERE. Selected examples are below.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation: The Foundation received over $1,000,000 to implement a watershed restoration plan for Halfmoon Creek, which will address the impairment of the stream. Additionally, the Foundation received over $2,000,000 to implement a watershed restoration plan for Pequea Creek, which will address a variety of the stream’s impairments with a specific focus on reducing sedimentation and nutrients from agricultural sources.
Philadelphia Energy Authority: The Authority received over $2,000,000 to restore low-income homes and coordinate funding from existing housing repair programs.
Commission on Economic Opportunity: The Commission received $250,000 to expand the food distribution center of the Weinberg Regional Food Bank. The Food Bank facilitates food distribution through 200 partner organizations in Northeastern PA.
Rivers of Steel: The Corporation received $500,000 to preserve and restore the Carrie Furnaces National Historic Landmark, a critical piece of history in Southwest PA.
United Way of Wyoming Valley: The United Way of Wyoming Valley received $75,000 to go toward their Grade Level Reading Initiatives, including supplies to carry out a mentorship program, workbooks for students, and personal supplies necessary to safely and consistently attend class.
Descriptions of the 92 community projects for FY23 can be found HERE. Selected examples are below.
Allentown Housing Authority: In FY23 the Authority will receive $2,000,000 towards the Little Lehigh project which will provide 50 new high-quality affordable housing units to the local community in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This will be part of the 100-unit redevelopment of the existing Little Lehigh public housing complex. Along with a wide span of supportive services, Little Lehigh Redevelopment - Phase II will contribute to the equity, safety, and overall wellbeing of the local community.
Borough of West Pittston: The borough will receive $1,500,000 to use on a levee project that will provide flood protection to over 900 homes and businesses.
Enterprise Development Center of Erie: This project will receive $3,000,000 to redevelop the former Erie Malleable Iron property to eliminate extreme blight and hazardous conditions along a primary city corridor in Erie. Over the next two years, the Enterprise Development Center of Erie County will transform the property into a multi-tenant business park.
Delaware County: The County will receive $954,000 to launch the Delaware County Perinatal Community Health Worker/Doula Pilot Program, a workforce development program that prepares participants to work as Perinatal Community Health Care Workers (PCHW) or doulas. This program aims to reduce racial and economic disparities in maternal care through education and targeted training and deployment of doulas in communities that have the highest disparities in maternal and child health outcomes.
This year, Senator Casey unveiled an interactive map to highlight federal investments in Pennsylvania. The new interactive tool gives Pennsylvanians a county-by-county breakdown of federal dollars coming to the Commonwealth. As funding makes its way to the Commonwealth, constituents can use this new, interactive tool to discover how much money Pennsylvania will receive for various projects such as infrastructure construction and repair, workforce development and job training, and environmental cleanup.
Rebuilding our Infrastructure
RAISE Grants: In addition to the $7.5 billion in funding provided for the program in the next five years in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the FY22 spending bill included funding for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. RAISE grants provide substantial funding to community transportation projects, including two projects this year in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Fern Hollow Bridge: Less than one week after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh, Senator Casey announced $25.3 million from IIJA to promptly replace the structure. The IIJA funding allowed for a quick reconstruction and the bridge reopened to traffic on December 22.
Montgomery Locks & Dam: Following years of advocacy to fund construction on the Upper Ohio Navigation System to keep commerce flowing through Southwestern Pennsylvania, Casey secured $857 million in new funding to complete construction on the Montgomery Locks and Dam. This significant investment will create and sustain jobs in Southwestern Pennsylvania and enhance the region’s ability to move goods.
Appalachian Development Highway System: After fighting to include funding for Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) roads in the infrastructure law, Casey secured $53 million for US-219 construction in Somerset County and $69 million for Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway (CSVT) construction in Snyder, Northumberland, and Union counties. These critical projects, which have remained incomplete for years for lack of funds, connect rural Pennsylvania to outside economic opportunities.
Fighting for Seniors and People with Disabilities
ABLE Age Adjustment Act: Senator Casey’s ABLE Act, signed into law in 2014, makes it possible for people who acquired their disability before turning 26 to save money without risking the loss of their federal disability benefits. His bipartisan ABLE Age Adjustment Act would provide 6.2 million additional Americans, including more than one million veterans, the opportunity to open an ABLE account and save for the future by extending access to people who acquired their disability between 26 and 46 years of age. The ABLE Age Adjustment Act was passed via the FY23 spending bill.
Fair Wages for People with Disabilities: Senator Casey secured the funding for a Department of Education pilot program in the FY21 federal spending bill, which directed the Department to award $177 million across 14 states to begin phasing out the practice of paying people with disabilities subminimum wage and encourage the creation of inclusive jobs for people with disabilities. Currently, thousands of people with disabilities are being paid less than the minimum wage—most of those workers have intellectual or developmental disabilities—and some can be paid as little as a few cents an hour.
Assistive Technology for People with Disabilities: Senator Casey’s 21st Century Assistive Technology Act was included in the NDAA. This legislation will increase funding to state assistive technology programs to ensure support is available to people with disabilities as well as keep pace with advances in technology in order to better serve people with disabilities and older adults. The Assistive Technology Act was originally passed in 1988 and provides funding for states to expand access to assistive technology through services such as device demonstrations, loans of assistive technology, and recycling programs to provide lightly used devices to people. The legislation has not been updated since 2004.
Stop Senior Scams Act: Senator Casey’s Stop Senior Scams Act was signed into law as part of the FY22 spending bill. The legislation established a national advisory council tasked with identifying solutions to help businesses, employers, the telecommunications sector, wire-transfer companies, and more prevent frauds and scams targeting seniors.
Lowering Health Care Costs and Improving Access
Lowering Prescription Drug Costs: Because of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), for the first time, Medicare will be able to negotiate directly for the price of prescription drugs to make high-priced prescription drugs more affordable for the more than 63 million people with Medicare. The Inflation Reduction Act will also cap Medicare Part D patients’ out-of-pocket costs at $2,000 per year, with the option to break that amount into affordable monthly payments starting in 2025. It also institutes a new provision to impose penalties on drug companies who hike up prices for Medicare beneficiaries above the rate of inflation. In addition to capping annual out-of-pocket costs, the IRA creates a $35 a month cap for insulin products under Part D beginning in January 2023 and expands cost-sharing assistance for low-income people with Medicare, a provision Senator Casey championed through his Lowering Medicare Premiums and Prescription Drug Costs Act. The IRA will also make eligible vaccines free for individuals with Medicare Part D.
Stabilizing Rural Hospitals: Key provisions of Senator Casey’s Rural Hospital Support Act passed via the FY23 spending bill. As rural hospitals across the country struggle to stay open and meet high demand due to COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, this legislation will provide such hospitals with financial stability and predictability, preventing closures that would disrupt access to care for individuals in rural communities.
Improving Mental Health Care Access: The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act invested nearly $11 billion into mental health support, and the FY23 spending bill made additional investments and improvements to expand access to mental health and substance use disorder care. Both pieces of legislation include provisions to enhance behavioral health services for kids and significant funding for pediatric mental health, which Senator Casey has championed.
Addressing Health Disparities: Senator Casey’s Building a Sustainable Workforce for Healthy Communities Act, included in the FY23 spending bill, reauthorizes a grant program to fund community health worker programs that connect people in underserved communities with health care and other resources.
Protecting Children and Families—And Keeping Them Fed
Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth (STURDY): Senator Casey’s STURDY Act was included in the FY23 spending bill. This legislation will prevent furniture tip-overs resulting in injury or death by changing the stability standard for manufacturers of clothing storage units from voluntary to mandatory—requiring companies to ensure their products are tested for safety and stability before being sold.
Access to Baby Formula: After he raised alarms about the baby formula shortage for months, Senator Casey worked to successfully pass the Access to Baby Formula Act. The bill authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to waive certain requirements so that participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) can purchase safe infant formula with their WIC benefits during extenuating circumstances such as a formula shortage.
Investing in Child Care: Senator Casey successfully fought to increase funding for child care and early childhood education programs, including a 30% increase for the Child Care Development Block Grant program. This increase will help the families of more than 130,000 children find and afford child care nationwide. This increased investment builds on the funding provided to child care centers struggling through the pandemic. Funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP), passed in 2021, helped 6,845 child care programs in Pennsylvania to support up to 352,000 children.
Child Care Tax Credit: After including an enhanced version of the Child Care Tax Credit in the ARP, Senator Casey helped families access this tax break by pushing the Biden Administration to publicize new aid for children and families. Families could claim up to $4,000 per child this year thanks to Senator Casey’s tax credit. Because of his work, Pennsylvania families received $366 million in 2022 to cover their child care expenses, an average of $2,028 per family. This is an increase of $227 million or $1,445 per Pennsylvania family compared to 2019.
Keeping Children Fed: Senator Casey successfully fought to extend USDA school meal flexibilities in the 2022-2023 school year through the Keep Kids Fed Act. This law extended certain waivers for school meal programs so children would not go hungry, provisions that Casey championed.
Standing Up for Workers and the Right to Organize
Protecting Pregnant Workers from Discrimination: After working for 10 years to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers and protect them from workplace discrimination, Senator Casey passed the bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The legislation closes a loophole in the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act by requiring employers to make temporary, reasonable accommodations—like a stool or a water bottle—so that pregnant women can continue to work safely.
Helping Workers Save for Retirement: Senator Casey’s Improving Part-time Workers Access to Retirement Act, which would expand retirement plan eligibility to part-time workers after 2 years of employment, compared to 3 years under current law, was included in the FY23 spending bill. This policy allows part-time workers—who are often women, caregivers, or lower-income workers—to access retirement plans and save for their future.
No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act: Senator Casey introduced the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act to end the taxpayer subsidization of corporate union busting campaigns. As workers around the country fight for better pay and safer working conditions by unionizing, they often face million-dollar corporate intimidation campaigns to prevent organizing. To add insult to injury, corporations are allowed to write off these -anti-unionization efforts as run-of-the-mill business expenses. The No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act would end the taxpayer subsidization of corporations’ anti-union activity.
Keeping Our Promise to Coal Miners: A permanent extension of Senator Casey’s Black Lung Benefits Disability Trust Fund Solvency Act was included in the IRA. This law will help the trust fund stay solvent so coal miners suffering from black lung disease and their families have reliable access to the quality medical care they need. By restoring the Black Lung excise tax, the Black Lung Trust Fund can continue to pay out benefits to former miners and their families. Without revenue from this tax, the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund would face insolvency at a time when the nationwide prevalence of black lung is increasing.
Implementing Outbound Investment Initiatives: The FY23 spending bill includes language encouraging the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Treasury to establish an outbound investment screening program to address the threats in certain sectors critical to U.S. national security and our economic and technological competition with China. Approximately $20 million in funding has been included to stand up an outbound investment screening mechanism to be established by an Executive Order. Senator Casey is a leader on this issue in Congress as the author of the National Critical Capabilities Defense Act, legislation to establish a similar outbound investment screening mechanism.
Protecting Pennsylvanians’ Hard-Earned Pensions: As a result of Senator Casey’s leadership, the American Rescue Plan included a provision that saved the pensions of thousands of Pennsylvanians. It was announced this year that members of the following unions would benefit from this provision:
The Western Pennsylvania Teamsters and Employers Pension Fund: 22,237 participants
Central States: 1,297 participants
Carpenters Industrial Council Eastern PA Pension Plan: 254 participants
Increasing Funding for National Labor Relations Board: After a nearly ten-year blockade by Republicans on a funding increase for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the FY23 spending bill includes a $25 million funding increase for the NLRB. Notably, this will prevent a hiring freeze and furloughs for staff and allow the NLRB to work at full capacity as the Nation sees an increase in union and labor activity. Senator Casey led letters in May and December 2022 with Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) urging leadership to include a funding increase.
Investing in Energy and Manufacturing
Chips and Science Act: The CHIPS and Science Act invests in American technology, innovation, and manufacturing, particularly in the semiconductor industry and will create jobs for years to come. Producing chips in the United States also benefits the workers in industries that rely on semiconductors, from autoworkers to health care workers. These investments are also critical to United States competition globally with countries like China.
SUPER Act: CHIPS includes Senator Casey’s Steel Upgrading Partnerships and Emissions Reduction (SUPER) Act to make the American steel industry more competitive. The provision establishes the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) first research and development (R&D) program focused on low-emission steel production to strengthen American manufacturing and promotes plans to reduce emissions for steel manufacturing.
Energy Communities: Through the IRA, Senator Casey passed an incentive for clean energy deployment and manufacturing in “energy communities,” areas whose economies and jobs are or were dependent on the coal, oil, or natural gas energy sectors. Casey’s tax credit not only provides a bridge for energy workers and communities as we transition to a clean energy economy, but prioritizes a workforce that is more than capable of being at the forefront of our Nation’s clean energy economy.
Keeping Pennsylvanians Warm: Senator Casey is a longtime champion of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This year, he secured over $19 million for Pennsylvania through the FY22 appropriations bill. Additionally, Casey helped secure $1 billion nationally in emergency supplemental funding for LIHEAP through the September 30 continuing resolution to fund the government.
Keeping Our Promise to Veterans
PACT Act: The Honoring our PACT Act expands health care to veterans exposed to toxic substances while serving their country. This is the largest veterans’ health care bill in decades and expands VA health care to more than 3.5 million veterans. Senator Casey fought for this bill in honor of Pennsylvanians like the late retired National Guard officer Scott Laird, an Iraq War veteran from South Central Pennsylvania who died of colon cancer one month after the VA denied claims that his cancer stemmed from toxic exposure.
Protecting LGBTQ+ Americans
Respect for Marriage Act: At a time when personal rights and freedoms are increasingly under attack, Congress protected Americans’ right to marry whom they love. The Respect for Marriage Act requires the federal government to recognize a marriage between two people if the marriage was valid in the state where it was performed and prohibits any person acting under the color of state law from denying full faith and credit to out-of-state marriages, regardless of the couple’s sex, gender, race, ethnicity, or national origin.
Expanding High-Speed Internet
Broadband Infrastructure Program: Senator Casey advocated for more than $20 million for the Rural Broadband Infrastructure Expansion in the Alleghenies project. Led by Huntingdon County, this project will deploy last-mile fixed wireless service to Huntingdon, Bedford, Fulton, Mifflin, Juniata, and Franklin counties in the Southern Alleghenies region of Pennsylvania.
Internet for All: Through the infrastructure law’s “Internet for All” initiative, Pennsylvania received $5 million in 2022 through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program to expand high-speed internet access and another $1.6 million through the Digital Equity Act to ensure all people and communities have the skills, technology, and capacity to reap the benefits of a digital economy. This funding is the first to be distributed of the more than $100 million the Commonwealth will receive through IIJA.
Investing in Agriculture and Conservation
Conserving our Natural Resources: The IRA invests more than $20 billion to support climate-smart agricultural practices and $5 billion for forest resilience and conservation efforts. Pennsylvania farmers and foresters will be able to benefit from the significant infusion of funds for a slew of USDA and Department of the Interior (DOI) conservation programs, which Senator Casey has championed.
Chesapeake Bay States’ Partnerships Initiative: Senator Casey led efforts to establish a regional initiative to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, which covers a large portion of Pennsylvania. Through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Chesapeake Bay States’ Partnerships Initiative will help Pennsylvania watershed farmers implement conservation practices to reduce pollution and improve water quality.
Cleaning Up Abandoned Mine Lands and Orphan Wells
Abandoned Mine Land Revitalization: Senator Casey secured $26.63 million from the Department of the Interior’s Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program. This enables Pennsylvania to resolve the long-term hazards and environmental pollution posed by legacy mining sites while creating good-paying jobs in rural and energy communities in the Commonwealth. One point four million Pennsylvanians live within one mile of an abandoned mine.
Cleaning Up Water Pollution from Abandoned Mines: The Casey-led Safeguarding Treatment for the Restoration of Ecosystems from Abandoned Mines (STREAM) Act passed through the FY23 spending bill. The STREAM Act will allow states and tribes to set aside a portion of the abandoned mine land funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to treat acid mine drainage, reducing long-term water pollution and investing in the economic health of their communities.
Plugging Orphan Wells: Senator Casey passed the Revive Economic Growth and Reclaim Orphaned Wells (REGROW) Act through the infrastructure law, which provided over $4.7 billion to plug, remediate, and reclaim orphaned wells. From this funding, Senator Casey also secured $104 million for orphaned oil and gas well cleanup in Pennsylvania. There are at least 8,000 documented orphan wells in Pennsylvania this program will cover.
Keeping Our Communities Safe and Supporting Law Enforcement
Gun Violence Prevention: Senator Casey worked to advance the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first major gun safety law in three decades. This legislation expands background checks for those under 21-years-old, funds states’ extreme risk protection order laws, closes the “boyfriend loophole,” and cracks down on gun traffickers. The bill passed after Senator Casey wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post to explain how he changed his position on gun legislation following the Sandy Hook massacre and to urge his colleagues in the Senate to do the same.
Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative: Senator Casey helped secure $300 million for community violence intervention and prevention programs in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and the FY22 appropriations bill. The New Kensington Community Development Corporation, in partnership with Temple University’s Center for Urban Bioethics (CUB), received $1.5 million to implement the Cure Violence program in an effort to reduce homicides and shootings in the Kensington neighborhood of North Philadelphia.
Enhancing Police-Community Relations and Supporting Law Enforcement: In the FY23 spending bill, Senator Casey was proud to support $770.8 million, an increase of $96.3 million from FY22, to support state and local law enforcement through the Byrne-Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) Program. He also supported $231 million for State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance and Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office grant programs to enhance police and community relations. This funding included a dedicated $45 million for de-escalation, implicit bias, and duty-to-intervene training; crisis intervention teams to embed mental health professionals with law enforcement; accreditation of law enforcement agencies; and law enforcement training for properly responding to situations involving people with disabilities or in mental crisis.
U.S. Attorneys: Senator Casey recommended and supported the confirmation of Jacqueline Romero as U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (EDPA) and Jerry Karam as U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Pennsylvania (MDPA). Ms. Romero is the first woman, woman of color, and LGBTQ+ individual to be confirmed to serve as U.S. Attorney in the EDPA, and Mr. Karam brings an important perspective to the position in the MDPA as a long-practicing attorney in the District and a former Chief Public Defender of Lackawanna County. These confirmations followed Senator Casey’s recommendation and the historic confirmation of Cindy K. Chung in 2021, who is serving as the first Senate-confirmed Asian Pacific American U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Fighting for Better Pay for Correctional Workers: Following a letter that Senator Casey led with Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-D-8) in October 2022, the President’s Pay Agent tentatively approved a recommendation for Wayne County, Pennsylvania to be included in the New York locality pay area. Pending a formal rulemaking process, Wayne County would be included in the New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA locality pay scale beginning in January 2024. Senator Casey has advocated for this change since 2019, and when implemented, this change will increase federal workers’ pay in Wayne County and help ensure that USP Canaan has the tools and resources it needs to attract, support, and retain well-qualified employees.
Supporting Student Loan Borrowers
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program: In 2021, Senator Casey advocated for changes to Pennsylvania’s tax code so that Pennsylvanians will not have to pay Pennsylvania state income tax on the student loan debt forgiveness they received through the federal government’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). Governor Wolf announced this change at the end of that year and beginning in 2022, eligible Pennsylvania student loan borrowers have been able to save thousands of dollars in state tax. The updated guidance ensures borrowers are not penalized for their public service.
Helping Borrowers Take Advantage of PSLF Waiver: In February, Senator Casey and the Institute of Student Loan Advisors hosted a webinar advising student loan borrowers working in public service on how they could take advantage of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) and the Biden Administration’s temporary waiver. The temporary waiver made it easier for public servants to receive loan forgiveness through PSLF, but the changes were time-limited so borrowers needed clear, accurate information on how to apply. As of early November 2022, approximately 360,000 student loan borrowers have qualified for loan forgiveness under the PSLF waiver.
Strengthening the Federal Judiciary
Supreme Court: Senator Casey strongly supported the confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman and first public defender confirmed to serve on the United States Supreme Court.
Third Circuit: Senator Casey worked with the White House to nominate and confirm Judge Arianna Freeman, the first Black woman and first woman of color confirmed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, based in Philadelphia. He is also working to advance the nomination of Cindy K. Chung to the Third Circuit. If confirmed, she would become the first Asian Pacific American judge to serve on the Third Circuit.
Eastern District of Pennsylvania: Senator Casey worked with Senator Toomey and the White House to recommend and confirm Judge Mia Perez, Judge Kai Scott, Kelley Hodge, and John Murphy to be United States District Judges for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. For more than a decade, Senators Casey and Toomey worked together to recommend Federal District Court candidates to the White House with the experience, intellect, and temperament necessary to administer justice in the Commonwealth. During this time, the Senate confirmed 33 of the Senators’ recommendations to serve in Pennsylvania, which is more Federal District Court judges than all but two states—California and New York—and the most of any state with a split Senate delegation.
Sylvia H. Rambo United States Courthouse: Since joining the Senate, Senator Casey has fought to secure funding for the planning and construction of the new United States Courthouse in Harrisburg, which is set to officially open in 2023 after nearly 20 years of planning, development, and construction. In April 2022, Senator Casey was proud to have his bill signed into law designating the new courthouse as the “Sylvia H. Rambo United States Courthouse.” A Central Pennsylvania native, Judge Rambo was the first woman chief public defender and judge in Cumberland County, the first woman federal judge in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and the first woman to serve as chief judge in the Middle District. Judge Rambo is only the third woman in U.S. history to have a federal courthouse named after her.
Protecting Immigrant Families
Berks County Residential Center Closure: After years of Senator Casey’s advocacy, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not renew its contract with the Berks County Residential Center. Beginning in 2015, Senator Casey has vocally objected to the practice of family detention and raised concerns about the conditions of families and children held at the Berks detention center. The closure of this facility is long-overdue and a step toward justice for the vulnerable migrant families and children who were previously detained there.
Addressing the Root Causes of Global Conflict and Immigration
Global Food Security: Senator Casey’s Global Food Security Reauthorization Act was passed through the annual defense authorization bill. The bill reauthorizes the Feed the Future Initiative and the Emergency Food Security Program, the U.S. government’s primary global hunger and food security efforts. These life-saving programs have helped millions of people lift themselves out of poverty and provided aid to communities worldwide affected by natural disasters. The legislation would improve upon existing versions of these programs, including increased funding, strengthened research provisions, and expanded focus from agricultural production to the entire food system underpinning the different ways which communities feed themselves, including forestry and fishing. For families abroad, food on the table can be a factor preventing the need to move to a new country out of desperation or the impetus to engage in conflict.
Serving Pennsylvania Communities
Constituent Services: One of the most important functions of a congressional office is connecting people to helpful government resources in their time of need. Senator Casey’s office opened more than 17,400 constituent cases in 2022, helping Pennsylvanians resolve issues ranging from immigration to taxes to Social Security to Medicare.
Outreach to all 67 Counties: In 2022 Senator Casey visited all 67 of Pennsylvania’s counties in person, many more than once. Senator Casey held hundreds of meetings and events with Pennsylvanians, engaging directly with more than 50,000 constituents, meeting them where they are and bring their feedback back to Washington.
GOV. WOLF: PA ENDS DECEMBER WITH STRONG YEAR-TO-DATE REVENUES, SETS STAGE FOR 2023
Governor Tom Wolf and the Department of Revenue announced that Pennsylvania collected $4.0 billion in General Fund revenue in December, which was $319.9 million, or 8.6 percent, more than anticipated. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $19.7 billion, which is $503.1 million, or 2.6 percent, above estimate.
“Going into 2023, Pennsylvania is in a strong fiscal position,” said Gov. Wolf. “Year to date, we are 2.6 percent above our estimated revenue collections, which means we have $503.1 million in the bank above and beyond what we expected. That’s money that can be used to better support the people of Pennsylvania in the coming year, and I look forward to seeing what the new administration and the General Assembly will accomplish on behalf of Pennsylvanians.”
Over the past 8 years, the Wolf Administration has righted Pennsylvania’s shaky finances. When Gov. Wolf took office, Pennsylvania was operating with a $2-3 billion budget deficit, and the Rainy Day Fund was a meager $231,800.
As a result of Gov. Wolf’s leadership and commitment to fiscal responsibility, Pennsylvania ended the most recent fiscal year with $5.537 billion in the General Fund, and revenue collections for the 2022-23 fiscal year to date are 2.6 percent above estimate. Additionally, Gov. Wolf has invested more than $5 billion dollars in the Rainy Day Fund.
“My goal has always been to build a strong foundation for Pennsylvania, so that our government can invest in the things that make Pennsylvanians’ lives better. That’s why I’m so proud of the historic $3.7 billion dollar investment I’ve made in education over the past eight years. The strong fiscal foundation that my administration has built will empower the next administration and the General Assembly to continue making life-changing investments in the people of Pennsylvania in the years to come.”
“It was only a couple years ago during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic that we were facing a $3.2 billion shortfall at the close of the 2019-20 fiscal year,” Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell said. “Fortunately, we are facing a much different situation today — and that is very much a testament to the strong fiscal management of Gov. Wolf. Pennsylvanians should be encouraged that we are on such solid financial footing as the Governor closes out his term.”
The majority of the surplus in December is attributable to personal income tax revenue that was deposited on the first day of the month, rather than on the last day of November, as initially expected. Ultimately, this one-day shift of revenue had a minimal impact on overall General Fund collections.
Sales tax receipts totaled $1.2 billion for December, $2.3 million below estimate. Year-to-date sales tax collections total $7.1 billion, which is $134.8 million, or 1.9 percent, more than anticipated.
Personal income tax (PIT) revenue in December was $1.4 billion, $204.9 million above estimate. This brings year-to-date PIT collections to $7.5 billion, which is $27.1 million, or 0.4 percent, above estimate.
December corporation tax revenue of $1.0 billion was $116.3 million above estimate. Year-to-date corporation tax collections total $2.7 billion, which is $328.7 million, or 13.6 percent, above estimate.
Inheritance tax revenue for the month was $138.0 million, $6.1 million above estimate, bringing the year-to-date total to $725.7 million, which is $16.3 million, or 2.2 percent, below estimate.
Realty transfer tax revenue was $55.8 million for December, $23.3 million below estimate, bringing the fiscal-year total to $351.9 million, which is $26.7 million, or 7.1 percent, less than anticipated.
Other General Fund tax revenue, including cigarette, malt beverage, liquor and gaming taxes, totaled $174.2 million for the month, $5.1 million below estimate and bringing the year-to-date total to $939.6 million, which is $32.5 million, or 3.3 percent, below estimate.
Non-tax revenue totaled $55.5 million for the month, $23.3 million above estimate, bringing the year-to-date total to $346.7 million, which is $88.0 million, or 34.0 percent, above estimate.
In addition to the General Fund collections, the Motor License Fund received $203.0 million for the month, $8.2 million above estimate. Fiscal year-to-date collections for the fund – which include the commonly known gas and diesel taxes, as well as other license, fine and fee revenues – total $1.4 billion, which is $25.0 million, or 1.8 percent, above estimate.
MEDIA MATTERS
WALN TV
MIDDAY MUSSOLINI BACK TO WHINING
The Mid day Mussolini and his lemmings were once again in full crying force toward the end of the year. They were bitching that the President was taking a vacation in the Caribbean while they were complaining about the cold. Apparently they blamed the high energy prices on Joe. They also called him senile but then said he was running the country with his desire to destroy America by his actions.
You can't have it both ways gys but the MDM keeps baiting you thinking he is the reincarnation of Rush Limbaugh.
Same old shit from Cordaro and his group of merry idiots. At least we know that they are still stunted in their growth and hatred of a democratic America We have heard reports that only a handful of ignorant Trumpanzees turn into this show hosted by the head Chimp.
BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM
You'll hear the program Sunday at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400 am The Mothership and 7:30 am on 105 The River.
BOBBY V'S DOO WOP SUNDAY NIGHT SOCK HOP
1954
Our 1954 logo.
The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from Germany…According to a 1953 press statement by Bolesław Bierut, General Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party, Poland renounced all claims to war reparations from Germany as of January 1, 1954. However, as of 2022 the position of the Polish government is that Poland did not renounce its claim to reparations….The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting…..In the United States, the last steam-driven passenger train leaves Washington Union Station for Richmond, Virginia….Rabbit Maranville, 62, US baseball player (Boston Braves) dies…..A Royal Air Force Vickers Valetta T3 training aircraft, carrying members of a rugby team, crashes at Albury, Hertfordshire, UK, in bad weather. Two of the 17 people on board are rescued, but only one survives……The Georgetown–IBM experiment, the first public demonstration of a machine translation system (from Russian to English), takes place in New York and 69 years ago this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Rags To Riches” by Tony Bennett
posted by David Yonki @ 8:00 AM
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