HARRISBURG – The Center for Rural Pennsylvania will hold its quarterly Board meeting in the City of Williamsport this week, according to State Senator Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming).
The Center is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
On Friday, September 30th, the Center will meet in the Professional Development Center of the Pennsylvania College of Technology, where it will review its 2011-2012 Operational Budget and discuss ongoing and recently completed research reports:
- “Specialty Courts in Rural Pennsylvania: Establishment, Practice and Effectiveness” – completed by Indiana University of Pennsylvania;
- “An Examination of Pennsylvania State Police Coverage of Municipalities” – ongoing study by the Pennsylvania State University;
- “An Examination of Pennsylvania’s Rural County Prison Systems” – ongoing study by the Pennsylvania State University;
Yaw, who serves as Chairman of the Center’s 11 member Board of Directors, invited the Board to Williamsport for the meeting.
“The Center for Rural Pennsylvania provides assistance to rural and small communities in order to help them maintain economic growth and their way of life,” Yaw said. “The studies that will be discussed this week will offer valuable insight into issues that are important to me as a rural resident and member of the legislature. By creating awareness of the issues facing our rural areas, we can use that information to develop an agenda that benefits all Pennsylvania citizens, particularly our children and grandchildren,” Yaw added.
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:
- sponsoring research projects to identify policy options for legislative and executive branch consideration and action;
- collecting data on trends and conditions to understand the diversity of rural Pennsylvania;
- publishing information and research results to inform and educate audiences about the diverse people and communities of rural Pennsylvania; and
- participating in local, state and national forums on rural issues to present and learn from best practices.
On Thursday, September 29th, the Center will also be touring a natural gas drilling operation in Lycoming County sponsored by Anadarko Petroleum.
To learn more about the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, click on www.rural.palegislature.us or visit Senator Yaw’s website at www.senatorgeneyaw.com and click on ‘The Center for Rural Pennsylvania.’
Contact: Rita Zielonis
(717) 787-3280