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Reminder: Make Your Voices Heard on Proposed Verizon/Frontier Merger This Week
The fight to ensure reliable telephone and internet service in our region continues!
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is hosting a public input regarding the proposed merger between Frontier and Verizon Communications THIS Thursday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. at the Fire Company Annex, 21 East Ave., Wellsboro.
Registration to speak at the hearings is encouraged but not required. For information about how to register, click here.
If you are unable to attend the Wellsboro event, two telephonic hearings will be held on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Participants can call in, toll free, at 866-759-6860 and use PIN Number: 71568747.
I encourage you to consider testifying at one of these hearings. It is important for current customers of both companies to outline their expectations from Verizon for things like services provided, maintenance and enhancement of our communications infrastructure, timelines for repairs, and overall customer service accessibility and responsiveness.
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Governor’s Budget Proposal Feels Like Groundhog Day
The 2025-26 state budget process got underway this week when Gov. Josh Shapiro delivered his budget address before a joint session of the General Assembly on Tuesday. He unveiled a record $51.47 billion proposal, which represents an increase of $3.57 billion, or 7.5%, over the current year’s spending.
As I sat in the House chamber, it felt like Groundhog Day. Once again, the governor has outlined an exhaustive, and often misguided, wish list that spends far beyond what the people of this Commonwealth can afford – and one that would largely take our Commonwealth in the wrong direction.
While I wish the governor would launch the annual state budget process with an honest, realistic proposal, it is important to remember this is just his plan, not the final plan. It is now up to the House and Senate to examine the details of the governor’s ideas and put together a budget that will be more responsible and respectful of the taxpayers.
Growing our spending by more than 7% when anticipated revenues for the next fiscal year are expected to grow by just 2.8% under the current tax structure is not going to set our families or employers up for success. So, the governor is proposing to spend the rest of the state’s surplus, dip into our state’s savings account again, AND implement new taxes on things like recreational marijuana and skill games. Is that really the best way to help our Commonwealth thrive?
I would absolutely say no. Instead, growing our economy, and particularly our energy economy, would allow us to responsibly meet some of our shared objectives, such as support for both public education and education choice, public safety, rural connectivity and more.
We all want to see our citizens, our businesses and our communities thrive. It is our responsibility as elected leaders to work together to achieve that goal for the Commonwealth.
Last Tuesday’s budget address by the governor is just the first step in the state’s annual state budget process. The House Appropriations Committee will conduct a three-week series of hearings starting next week to delve into the details of the governor’s proposal. A final spending plan for the 2025-26 fiscal year is due by June 30.
Following the governor’s budget proposal, I sat down with House Republican Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Struzzi, and we discussed initial reactions to the plan.
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Navigate Food Safety Rules with ‘Your Food Business Recipe’
Are you a local food producer navigating the maze of changing food safety regulations?
The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center is offering a workshop, titled “Your Food Business Recipe,” to help guide participants through key components of the Food Safety Modernization Act, including rules for produce, preventive controls for human foods and traceability.
The workshop is geared to farmers direct-marketing or adding value to their products; food processors using locally grown ingredients; small-batch producers navigating food safety rules; and growing food businesses exploring expansion into wholesale, internet or interstate sales.
There are two virtual options, and two in-person sessions, including one in Towanda on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Click here for more information or to sign up.
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Policy Hearings Highlight Potential of PA’s Energy Industry
While the governor continues his push for new taxes on the state’s energy production, the House Republican Policy Committee recently heard from numerous testifiers about the damage these taxes would do to the energy industry, consumers and the economy as a whole.
The committee held a series of hearings, titled “Stopping New Energy Taxes,” in Westmoreland and Schuylkill counties last week, and at the state Capitol in Harrisburg on Monday, to hear from business and industry leaders, as well as community leaders, about how the governor’s push for a carbon tax would scare away potential investment in Pennsylvania; increase the cost of utilities; and perpetuate the unreliable energy supply.
My fellow House Republicans and I are committed to fighting against these taxes and instead advancing policies that will help grow our energy economy.
Click here for video of the hearings.
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Think Spring! Trout Stocking Schedule Available
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced its 2025 trout stocking schedule is now available online and on the FishBoatPA mobile app.
The PFBC will stock approximately 3.2 million adult trout in 691 streams and 130 lakes open to public angling. Stocking is set to begin the week of Feb. 17 in advance of the statewide Mentored Youth Trout Day on Saturday, March 29, and the statewide opening day of trout season on Saturday, April 5.
The 2025 adult trout stocking schedule is searchable by county; lists the waterways in alphabetical order; and indicates stocking dates, meeting locations for volunteers and the species of trout that will be stocked at each location.
Click here for additional details about stocking or visit www.fishandboat.com.
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Community Conservation Partnerships Program Now Accepting Grant Applications
Communities across Pennsylvania can now apply for state grants to fund parks, recreation and conservation projects, as the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) opens its latest round of Community Conservation Partnerships Program funding. Applications are open now through April 2 at 4 p.m.
Eligible applicants include local governments and recreation and conservation nonprofit organizations. The grants fund projects such as park and recreation projects, conservation planning, trail planning, land and river conservation, community and streamside tree planting, and more.
Grant applications are only accepted through DCNR’s Grants Customer Service Portal.
Before starting an application, potential applicants should contact a regional advisor who serves the county where their project will be located. Contact information is available on the Regional Staff Assignment map (PDF).
A grant application overview is available here.
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Students Invited to Participate in Lyme Disease Awareness Campaign
Pennsylvania students in first through sixth grades are invited to enter the 2025 Lyme Art Contest by creating a short video or poster focusing on the theme: “Protect. Check. Remove.”
The annual contest helps students, Scout troops and community youth programs learn how to prevent Lyme disease by educating them about ticks, including where they live, how to prevent bites and how to remove ticks that do bite.
Pennsylvania has one of the highest annual counts of Lyme disease cases in the nation, which further emphasizes the importance of teaching children about tick awareness and prevention measures.
The deadline for entries is Friday, March 14, at 5 p.m. Click here for details.
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