View on mobile device |
View in browser
|
|||||
|
June 2011 Dear Friend, In an effort to keep you informed about state and local issues, I have developed this e-newsletter which I will be sending out to residents of the 23rd District. I think it is a fast, convenient and affordable way to get news out to area residents. I hope you find this e-newsletter useful and informative - and if you know of someone else who would like to receive it, please feel free to forward this email. I invite you to visit my website www.senatorgeneyaw.com for more information about your state government. If you do not wish to receive these e-newsletters, please click the "unsubscribe" button at the bottom of the page. If you would like to contact my office, please go to my web page and click on the "contact me button". Please do not "reply" directly to this e-mail.
Student Government Seminar Held At Penn College On May 19th, high school students from throughout the 23rd Senatorial District gathered at the Pennsylvania College of Technology to learn how state government works. The day-long program featured three separate sessions: How Government Works; Issues that Affect Our Students' Future and an Open Forum. This year, the panels featured members of the Legislature and the Administration, local elected officials, community leaders, members of the legal and medical community, lobbyists and the media. Throughout the day, these individuals interacted with over 200 high school students from across the district. Neisha J. Williams, a senior at Loyalsock Township High School, was chosen as this year's recipient of the Peggy Madigan Memorial Leadership Scholarship. This scholarship is open to high school seniors who attend the Student Government Seminar, write an essay on the value of their community service and subsequently enroll as a full-time student at Penn College. DEP Secretary Michael Krancer Visits The Area Pennsylvania Department of Environment Protection Secretary Michael Krancer had an opportunity to come to Lycoming County for a tour of a natural gas drilling site. I extended the invitation to Secretary Krancer and his staff to visit with natural gas industry professionals in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania. The tour highlighted the importance of marketing, production and transportation growth throughout the region. The tour, sponsored by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, included visits to a natural gas drilling rig, a water impoundment site, a reclamation site, as well as observing the clean-out operations of fractured wells. Legislative Update Since Governor Corbett presented his budget to the General Assembly, discussion has swirled around the cuts in education and the issue of school choice. Even though it is difficult to determine what will be included in the final budget, I want to update you on legislation that may be of interest to you. Senate Bill 1 - more commonly referred to as School Choice, has returned to the Senate Education Committee for further review. It is my understanding the Administration, the Committee and the education community are trying to iron out the details of this bill. Senate Bill 9 - this bill would require those individuals applying for state benefits to show proper identification to prove U.S. citizenship. Illegal immigration creates unfair competition for jobs with American workers and imposes an unnecessary strain on the services designed to provide needed assistance to U.S. citizens. On May 24th, this bill passed the Senate by a vote of 40-9 and is now headed to the House of Representatives for its review. Senate Bill 301 - this legislation amends Pennsylvania's Farmland and Forest Land Assessment Act, known as Clean and Green, to provide for certain mining activities on land enrolled in Clean and Green. It also designates roll-back taxes only on the portion of the enrolled tract subject to the permit for small non-coal surface mining under the Non-coal Surface Mining and Reclamation Act. On May 24th, this bill was unanimously passed by the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and is now on the Senate calendar. Senate Bill 612 - this legislation allows school districts to furlough teachers for economic reasons. Highlights include allowing seniority to remain the sole factor unless a teacher has two "unsatisfactory evaluations," narrowing the definition of "administrative staff" to management employees only, and requesting the Department of Education to perform a study in five years to determine the statewide experience of economic furloughs. On May 11th, this bill passed the Senate by a vote of 38-12 and is now being reviewed by the House Education Committee. Senate Bill 1006 - commonly known as the "bath salts" proposal. This legislation would add Salvia Divinorum, Salvinorin A, Divinorin A, synthetic marijuana, and synthetic cocaine/heroin, more commonly referred to as concentrated bath salts, to the list of Schedule I controlled substances. This legislation was unanimously passed by the Senate on May 10th and is now being considered by the House of Representatives. Senate Bill 1043 - designating a bridge crossing Mill Lane in Old Lycoming Township as the Trooper Gary Rosenberger Memorial Bridge. Currently, this bill is under review by the Senate Transportation Committee. Yaw Appointed Chairman Of The Center For Rural PA HARRISBURG - Recently, I was elected to serve as Chairman of the 11 member Board of Directors of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. The Center is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The Center works with the legislature, educators, state and federal executive branch agencies, and national, statewide, regional and local organizations to maximize resources and strategies that can better serve Pennsylvania's 3.4 million rural residents. Created in 1987 under Act 16, the Rural Revitalization Act, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania promotes and sustains the vitality of Pennsylvania's rural and small communities by:
To learn more about the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, click on www.rural.palegislature.us. On May 25th, in my capacity as Chairman, I had the opportunity to testify before the Senate Inter-Governmental Operations Committee on Senate Bill 1080. This proposed legislation would consolidate six legislative research agencies including the Center for Rural Pennsylvania into one office to be known as the Legislative Office of Research and Policy Development. I testified in opposition to this consolidation because of the ramifications on rural Pennsylvania. I believe this proposed legislation would represent a major shift away from the rural focus and severely compromise or eliminate the outstanding work that has been performed by the Center.
Local FFA Students Visit Capitol Recently, students and advisors of the Pennsylvania FFA Organization visited the State Capitol as part of their annual Legislative Day in Harrisburg. Participants from Athens Area School District, Canton Area School District, Northeast Bradford School District and Troy School District visited with legislative staff to discuss issues affecting their organization. Senior Citizen Picnic To Be Held On Tuesday, June 21st, the Bradford Sullivan Susquehanna Tioga (B/S/S/T) Area Agency on Aging will hold their annual Senior Citizen picnic in Alparon Park. Beginning at 10 a.m., this year's theme "Circus -The Best Show on Earth" will feature various programs throughout the day. A picnic lunch consisting of sausage sandwiches, hot German potato salad, cole slaw, ice cream and a beverage will be available for a suggested donation of $3.00 per meal. The Endless Mountains Transportation Authority, as well as other private bussing companies, will be bringing individuals throughout the four-county area to the picnic. For more information, or to make reservations, contact the Area Agency on Aging at 1-800-982-4346. In addition, a member of my staff will be on hand to provide you with information and offer any assistance you may need on any state-related matters. I welcome your comments and inquiries and hope you are able to come out and enjoy the day with friends. Schools Visit Harrisburg May and June are considered prime time to come and visit the State Capitol. Many times, visitors are able to watch the General Assembly from the Gallery and/or take a guided tour throughout the Capitol building. In May, I had the privilege of meeting the fourth grade students from the Towanda Elementary School and students from the North Rome Christian School.
Outreaches To Be Held The following times and locations are listed for the June outreaches: Union County - On June 8th from 11 a.m. - noon, Curtis Fay will be at the Union County Government Center in Lewisburg. Susquehanna County - On June 10th from 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Arnie Kriner will be at the Hallstead-Great Bend Library on Franklin Street. Later in the afternoon from 1:00-2:00, Arnie will be at the Courthouse Annex on Public Avenue. Sullivan County - On June 16th from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Curtis Fay will be at the Sullivan County Library. Later in the afternoon from 1:00-2:00, Curtis will be at the Sullivan County Courthouse. Bradford County - On June 24th from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m., Erik Houser will be at the Green Free Library in Canton. Later in the afternoon from 1:00-2:00, Erik will be at the Allen F. Pierce Library in Troy. At these outreaches, my staff will be available to respond to any questions you may have concerning state government. If these times and locations are not convenient for you, feel free to call my toll-free number at 1-800-443-5772. |
Harrisburg Office District Offices 1-800-443-5772
1 Elizabeth Street | ||||
|
Privacy Policy |
|||||
