Senator Yaw E-Newsletter

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Dear Friends,

Hello! Thank you for subscribing to my E-newsletter. I am honored to serve the 23rd Senate District and look forward to working with you toward building a better future for Pennsylvania!

This E-newsletter serves to keep you updated on what is happening throughout Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties and what I am doing as your state senator in Harrisburg. I hope that you will find this E-newsletter helpful, and if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Gene Yaw
State Senator
www.SenatorGeneYaw.com

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23rd District FACT:

According to the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture, about 31,000 acres of the state are used in raising trees for Christmastime cutting and decoration. 

Bradford County – 248 acres
Lycoming County – 1457 acres
Sullivan County – 22 acres
Susquehanna County – 264 acres
Union County – *Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual farms

“Imagine the Opportunities”

Register Now to Exhibit Antique Tractors, Engines at 2020 Farm Show

This year, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture invites you to “Imagine the Opportunities” during the upcoming 2020 PA Farm Show. The limits of Pennsylvania agriculture are only bound by one’s ability to imagine.

The 2020 event runs January 4-11 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, except Sunday, January 5, when it runs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, January 11, when it opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. The Food Court in the Expo Hall will be open from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, January 3. No other areas or events are open to the public that day. 

The Farm Show draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to our capital city every year for a mid-winter celebration of Pennsylvania agriculture. We are proud to host the largest indoor agricultural exposition in the nation, featuring nearly 12,000 competitive exhibits, more than 5,200 of which are animal competitions, plus 300 commercial exhibits and hundreds of educational and entertaining events every year. Our state fair showcases the diversity of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry and the people who make it thrive. The show offers visitors a peek into the industry that employs nearly half a million people and contributes $74.5 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy every year. 

Center for Rural Pennsylvania Board Meets in Williamsport; Reviews Latest Research Projects

Pictured L to R:  Darrin Youker, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau; Dr. Joseph T. Nairn, Northern Pennsylvania Regional College; Dr. Michael A. Driscoll, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23); Sen. Katie Muth (D-44); Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski (D-121); Stephen M. Brame, Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association/Allegheny Electric Cooperative (PREA); Shannon M. Munro, Pennsylvania College of Technology; Dr. Lawrence Feick, University of Pittsburgh; and Rep. Garth Everett (R-84).

2019 is quickly coming to a close, and as I look back over this past year, I am once again encouraged by the impressive work of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. Like years past, the Center continues to support and publish research that contributes solid data and important policy considerations on a wide range of topics that are important to rural Pennsylvania.

This past year, the Center released notable research on the availability and access to broadband internet service across Pennsylvania, the economic benefits of our state forest system, the availability of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, the incidence of youth obesity in Pennsylvania, and a review of legislation and regulations to control invasive species in Pennsylvania. This month, we released two additional research reports on the foreign-born workforce in Pennsylvania, and the status of oral health care for low-income children.  Each of these research projects and resulting reports provide important information that affects our economy, health, and social well-being. To continue reading click here. 

In The News…..

Pennsylvania House of Representatives returns to Session, Monday, December 9th.  State Senate returns December 18th.

This week, Governor Tom Wolf signed the eighth renewal of Pennsylvania’s Opioid Disaster Declaration. Last year, he signed the first declaration so the state could focus resources to address the opioid epidemic.  Recent studies have shown that overdose deaths in Pennsylvania have declined by 18%, and the state’s rate of opioid prescriptions is below the federal average.

A new law signed by Gov. Wolf allowing hunting on up to three Sundays in Pennsylvania will go into effect next year.  Over the past several years, varied interest groups from across the state reached a compromise to give sportsmen and sportswomen more opportunities, while taking into account critics’ concerns.  This new law carefully balances the needs of landowners and outdoor enthusiasts with an expanded opportunity for hunters who work or attend school during weekdays.

The Pennsylvania Commission for Women is seeking statewide nominations for its fifth annual Female Veterans Day Ceremony as part of Women’s History Month in March 2020. The Female Veterans Day nomination form should be filled out online. Nominees must be current Pennsylvania residents and have served at least four years in any branch of the U.S. military. The deadline for nominations is February 1, 2020. All final honorees will be notified via email by February 28, 2020.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management is seeking a candidate to fill a three-year, full-time Land Research Survey Technicians in Sullivan County.  The salary range is $41,728.00 – $62,884.00 annually.  For details, click here

Wreaths Across America is still seeking volunteers for this year’s National Wreaths Across America Day ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 14, 12PM, at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Indiantown Gap Road, Annville, PA 17003.  For more information on how to sponsor a wreath, visit the Wreaths Across America website.

Statewide Video Contest Exploring Pennsylvania’s Farming Legacy Still Open to Local Students

Video Competition - Preserving Pennsylvania's Legacy

Aspiring directors and actors in middle & high school. You still have time to enter the third annual “Talk to Your Senator” video contest. This year’s topic – the importance of the state’s agriculture industry.

Is Your Mailbox Ready?

Article submitted by Kimberly A. Smith | Safety Press Officer, PennDOT District 3-0 

PennDOT allows property owners to place mailboxes within the limits of the legal right-of-way out of respect for the U.S. Postal Service’s need to deliver, and mail customers’ convenience of delivery. But because those boxes are within the right-of-way, damages are the responsibility of the property owner.

Be sure your mailbox has a strong support. You may also wish to use reflective tape or other material to make it easier to see during storms or during dark hours.

Check your box and support often, clearing snow from it and depositing the snow properly and in a manner to allow you and motorists proper sight distances (and never on the roadway).

Homeowners who have followed these tips in the past and have still experienced damaged mailboxes may wish to consider installing a cantilevered mailbox support that will swing a mailbox out of harm’s way.

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