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Senator Scott Hutchinson

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Dear Friend,

I am pleased to present my electronic newsletter. These e-newsletters enable me to provide information about issues, events and activities in Harrisburg and around the 21st Senatorial District to you in a timely manner while saving postage costs.  

If you find this e-newsletter useful, I invite you to visit my website www.senatorscotthutchinson.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.

Sincerely,

Scott


Transportation Commission Adopts Updated 12-Year Plan

The State Transportation Commission recently adopted an updated 12-Year Transportation Plan. State law requires the commission to review and update the 12-Year Plan every two years. No capital project can move forward unless it is included in the plan.

The updated plan anticipates $61.9 billion being available over the next 12 years for improvements to roads, bridges, transit systems, airports and railroads. That compares with $63.3 billion in the last update in 2014.

Information about the 12-Year program update is available at: www.TalkPATransportation.com.

Direct Wine Shipments Now Available for Pennsylvania Residents

Under the new direct wine shipping provisions of Act 39, Pennsylvania residents may receive up to 36 cases (up to nine liters per case) per-year of wine shipped by a wine producer licensed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) as a direct wine shipper. The 36-case annual limit is per direct wine shipper and it must be for personal use.

A list of licensed shipping outlets is available at:

http://www.lcb.state.pa.us/PLCB/Licensees/DirectShipping/index.htm

PA Unemployment Rate Remains at 5.6 percent in July

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate in July 2016 was unchanged from June at 5.6 percent, according to statistics recently released by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. Pennsylvania’s rate remained above that of the United States, which, at 4.9 percent, also stayed at its June level.

Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force was down 15,000 from June to 6,521,000. Resident employment declined by 18,000 while the unemployment count increased by 3,000.

Total nonfarm jobs rose 7,900 to 5,891,100 in July. The largest movement was a gain of 3,100 in education and health services. The largest drop was 1,600 in both financial activities and professional and business services.

Over the year, total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were up 58,000 (up 1 percent). The largest increase from last year was in education and health services (up 28,000), while the largest decline was in mining and logging (down 9,300).

DCED Accepting Neighborhood Assistance Program Applications

The Department of Community and Economic Development is reminding eligible applicants to apply for Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) assistance.

NAP provides tax credits to encourage community organizations to invest in projects that serve distressed areas or support conservation efforts. The application deadline is September 16, 2016.

The 2016-17 budget provides $18 million in NAP funding within the tax code. NAP includes five main components:

Neighborhood Assistance Program includes projects serving distressed areas or that support neighborhood conservation, which fall under one of the following categories: affordable housing programs, community services, crime prevention, education, job training, or neighborhood assistance.

Special Program Priorities targets specific problems and projects which the state has designated as priorities in a distressed area.

Neighborhood Partnership Program is comprised of long-term collaborations (five years or more) of business, government, and community leaders to produce a comprehensive, asset-based and relationship-driven approach to community development.

Charitable Food Program is designed to help regional food banks and emergency food providers. CFP funding is supplied through tax credits given to businesses making contributions to an approved provider.

Enterprise Zone Program is an incentive program that provides tax credits to companies investing in the rehabilitation, expansion, or improvement of buildings or land located within designated enterprise zones.

View the guidelines for each of the NAP components. For more information about NAP, visit dced.pa.gov/nap or call (866) 466-3972.

Interactive Map Details Department of Corrections Admissions

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) recently unveiled an interactive map showing admissions by committing county and year.

The interactive map, which is available on the DOC’s website, www.cor.pa.gov, provides statewide admissions totals for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015, broken down by type of admission, such as new court commitments and parole violators. In addition, individual county information includes gender, race and risk scores.

The risk score is a risk screening tool is used by DOC staff to determine an offender’s general risk to re-offend after his/her release from prison. Individuals are classified as low, medium or high risk for re-offending.

DCNR Survey Seeking Feedback from ATV Enthusiasts

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is seeking participation of ATV riders and owners in an online survey. The online survey will help better gauge ATV use across Pennsylvania and plan for future riding opportunities in the state.

The survey, which will remain active through September 15, is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2016_PA_DCNR_ATV_USER_SURVEY.


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Offices of Senator Scott E. Hutchinson

HARRISBURG

Senate Box 203021
170 Main Capitol
Harrisburg, PA 17120
(717) 787-9684
FAX: (717) 787-6088
TTY: (877) 659-4483
WARREN

22045 Route 6
Warren, PA 16365-7952
(814) 728-2100
FAX: (814) 728-2102

BUTLER

110 East Diamond Street
Butler, PA 16001
(724) 282-1234
FAX: (724) 282-6852
OIL CITY

302 Seneca Street
Oil City, PA 16301
(814) 677-6345
FAX: (814) 677-6331