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| News You Can Use |
| Legislative Headlines |
Protecting Excellent Teachers … Legislation designed to keep excellent teachers in the classroom was endorsed by the House Education Committee this week. House Bill 1495 would end the mandate that forces local school boards to furlough teachers based on seniority and allow schools to base those decisions on performance evaluations. Reinstatement would also be based on performance, instead of seniority. Under current law, school boards must eliminate entire education programs – and the educators who are part of them – during times of economic challenges. This may force good teachers with excellent performance out of the classroom. The measure now moves to the full House for consideration.
E-Prescribing Bill for Opioids Heads to Senate … Legislation to address the ongoing opioid abuse crisis by preventing paper prescriptions from falling into the wrong hands has been approved by the state House. Under current state law, opioids must be prescribed by hand. House Bill 353 would require opioids to be prescribed electronically, allowing doctors to send their orders directly to the patient’s pharmacy and preventing handwritten prescriptions from being used fraudulently or stolen. Opioids would be prescribed and transmitted like all other prescriptions. This change would not have any adverse impact upon prescriptions for legitimate purposes and may even provide greater convenience for patients. The measure now moves to the state Senate for its review.
REAL ID Extension to Allow Access Through October 2017 … Pennsylvania residents will be able to use their current driver license to access federal facilities through Oct. 10, 2017, under an extension granted by the federal government last week. The extension was granted after Pennsylvania adopted a plan to comply with REAL ID requirements, known as Act 3 of 2017. According to PennDOT, REAL ID-compliant driver licenses and identification cards will be available to consumers who wish to obtain them in 2019. This will allow ample time for customers who want a REAL ID license to obtain one before the final federal effective date of Oct. 1, 2020. More information about REAL ID and Act 3 is available here.
Property Tax/Rent Rebate Deadline Extended … The deadline to apply for the state’s 2016 Property Tax/Rent Rebate program is being extended from June 30 to Dec. 31. Eligible participants can receive a rebate of up to $650 based on their rent or property taxes paid in 2016. The program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians who are 65 years or older, widows and widowers 50 years or older, and those 18 years or older with disabilities. Complete eligibility information is available here. Residents are reminded that they need not pay a private entity for assistance in filing the forms. Copies of the forms, as well as assistance with filing them, are available at my office at no cost. Checks will begin to be mailed on July 3. Claimants who already applied for their rebates may check the status of claims online at revenue.pa.gov or by calling, toll-free, 1-888-PATAXES.
June Celebrates Pennsylvania’s Dairy Industry … A measure passed the House this week to salute the men and women who make dairy one of Pennsylvania’s top agriculture sectors. House Resolution 403 designates June 2017 as Dairy Month and Dairy Farmers Appreciation Month. Pennsylvania has the second largest number of dairy farms nationally and ranks sixth nationally in total milk production from 2014 to 2016. In fact, 99 percent of Pennsylvania’s dairy farms are family owned.
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| Committee Updates |
Tuesday, June 13
Judiciary:
HB 646 (Ward) Title 18/assault of a health care practitioner.
HB 1139 (Topper) Titles 18 and 23/newborn protection.
HB 1523 (Marsico) Title 44/expand DNA profile collection to misdemeanor 1 and certain misdemeanor 2 convictions.
Wednesday, June 14
Labor and Industry:
HB 18 (Mackenzie) Workers’ Compensation Act/workers’ compensation drug formulary.
HB 998 (Grove) Reducing Act 534 Benefits.
HB 1469 (Heffley) PA Construction Code Act/administration and enforcement.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Tourism and Recreational Development:
Informational meeting by USA 250 on the semiquincentennial of the United States.
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| Rep. Delozier in the Community |
• It wouldn’t be June in Mechanicsburg Borough without celebrating the 89th annual Jubilee Day, which is sponsored by the Mechanicsburg Chamber of Commerce. Jubilee Day is touted as the “largest, longest-running one-day street fair on the East Coast.” My staff and I handed out a variety of Commonwealth information to visitors. It was a great opportunity to interact with constituents outside the office.
• Naturalization Court was held in Carlisle last Friday to swear in individuals who completed the requirements to become American citizens. Sen. Mike Regan (R-York/Cumberland) and I put together a selection of state brochures with helpful information about the Commonwealth that was given to them. Welcome to each of our new citizens!
• Cedar Cliff High School Girls’ Softball Team made our district proud by advancing to the PIAA Class AAAAA state championship game last week. While the outcome was not what we hoped, the girls persevered this season through many obstacles. The team, along with the Cedar Cliff Boys’ Baseball Team, were honored before a New Cumberland Legion baseball game in the borough on Tuesday.
• This week I met with Upper Allen Township commissioners to provide a legislative update. We talked about a number of legislative issues, including the state budget, pensions and gambling expansion.
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| Office Locations |
| 2929 Gettysburg Road, Suite 6, Camp Hill PA 17011 | Phone: (717) 761-4665 |
| 141 East Wing, PO Box 202088, Harrisburg PA 17120-2088 | Phone: 717-783-5282 |
| Email: sdelozie@pahousegop.com |
| TTY: 855-282-0614 |
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