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| Legislative Headlines |
Fighting for Victims’ Rights
Joined by victims, advocates and law enforcement, Sen. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Allegheny/Washington) and I unveiled identical legislation in the General Assembly to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to guarantee equal protections for crime victims.
Known as Marsy’s Law, House Bill 1993 and Senate Bill 1011, would require the Commonwealth to protect the rights of victims no less vigorously than the rights of the accused. The bills would require victims be given notice of hearings and other proceedings; physical and emotional protection from the accused; notice in cases of release or escape; proceedings free from unnecessary delay; the ability to confer with the prosecutor in the case, full and timely restitution from the offender; and notification of all of these rights.
The U.S. Constitution and all state constitutions have statutory protections for the accused. Unfortunately victims’ statutory rights do not rise to the level of a constitutional guarantee in the U.S. Constitution or in 15 state constitutions, including Pennsylvania’s. This legislation will change that.
To hear my comments after the press conference, please click here.
Local First Responders to Benefit from Annual Grant Program
Almost $89,000 in state gaming proceeds will benefit fire and ambulance companies throughout the 88th District.
These grants, which are not funded by General Fund tax dollars, will allow local first response agencies to better afford training, equipment, facility improvements and other needs.
The program, which provides $30 million to fire and ambulance companies statewide, is administered by the Pennsylvania Office of Fire Commissioner within the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA).
Opening Up More Access to Treatment
To help those battling addiction better access life-saving treatment, the House passed legislation last week that would help health care professionals track down available beds at treatment centers.
House Bill 825, which now goes to the Senate, would create a detoxification bed registry to facilitate treatment for drug addiction. The proposal would require the Department of Human Services to develop and administer an internet-based detoxification bed registry to collect, aggregate and display information about available beds in public and private inpatient psychiatric facilities and licensed detoxification and rehabilitation facilities.
The registry would contain information for facilities and licensed providers; the number of beds available at a facility; and a search function to identify available beds that are appropriated for the treatment of a substance abuse emergency.
This legislation is in addition to several other bills having passed the House in the last few years to help fight the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania.
Who’s That Calling You?
To help consumers fight back against fraud, the House will take up legislation soon to increase penalties for those found guilty of caller identification spoofing.
Spoofing occurs when individuals use technology to make it appear that a call is coming from a number or business other than that of the actual caller. Spoofing can be used to defraud, harass or induce call recipients into divulging sensitive or confidential information, especially senior citizens.
House Bill 979, which was recently passed out of the House Judiciary Committee, would make it a misdemeanor for any person to cause false caller identification information to be displayed on a recipient’s telephone, with the intent to harass or defraud the call recipient.
PennDOT’s 2018 Summer Employment Program
PennDOT is sponsoring an extensive Summer Maintenance Program for college students. The program runs April through August to supplement the permanent workforce.
The students assist with completing summer maintenance work and sign upgrade services, provide maintenance and custodial services at roadside rest facilities, and perform laboring and flagging duties in maintenance organizations and highway worksites.
To be eligible for consideration, candidates must be at least 18 years of age, enrolled as a full-time college student for fall 2018 and have a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license. The hourly rate is $13.23.
If interested, please contact my office at 717-761-4665 no later than Thursday, Feb. 15. Candidates must also apply online at employment.pa.gov in the “Summer Maintenance Program” category under the Open Jobs section of the website. Technical support is available at 717-787-5703.
Wear Red Feb. 2 to Raise Awareness of Women’s Heart Disease
Women across the country are encouraged to wear red on Friday, Feb. 2, as part of the “Go Red for Women” campaign to raise awareness of women’s heart disease. Legislative efforts over the years, such as House Resolution 654 this year, have made the official designation in Pennsylvania as a way to remind women of the risks of heart disease.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, causing one in three deaths each year, or about one per minute. According to the American Heart Association, 90 percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.
The symptoms of heart disease can be different in women vs. men, and are often misunderstood. By increasing awareness, speaking up about heart disease and empowering women to reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease, we can save thousands of lives each year.
New Medicare Cards: Watch Out for Scams
Beginning April 2018, Medicare beneficiaries will receive a New Medicare Card that will have a unique Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), thereby removing the Social Security number from the Medicare card.
Medicare will automatically mail the new card at no cost to the address on file with Social Security. Medicare beneficiaries should ensure their official mailing address with the Social Security Administration is current but otherwise do not need to do anything to receive their card.
More information about the cards – including a fact sheet and video -- is available at Medicare.gov.
The distribution of new cards will take about a year.
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| Rep. Delozier in the Community |
• As part of its community outreach, Mechanicsburg Rotary members volunteered at New Hope Ministries. Club members packaged food for those in need. We are fortunate to have such a generous community.
• The West Shore Bureau of Fire held an all-you-can-eat chicken and waffle dinner to help raise funds for the fire company. The food was delicious, and it was a great way to support those who help us in our times of need.
• The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee met this week to learn more about the First Chance Fund. The Fiscal Code created this scholarship program for students in areas with higher rates of drop-out, incarceration and crime. A lot of question remain about how this program will be implemented. As Speaker Mike Turzai’s representative to the commission, I am committed to getting answers.
• Messiah Village recently completed an 84 apartment and common space expansion on its 80-acre campus in Upper Allen Township. Last night, an open house was held to celebrate the addition. We are fortunate to have so many senior living choices in our community.
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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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