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Senator Scott Hutchinson

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December 2016

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


Enjoying Reading Time at Lifesteps Butler

On November 1, I had the pleasure of reading to a group of children at Lifesteps’ Butler facility. The event and facility tour were organized by the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children (PAEYC). PAEYC works to improve the quality of educational services provided to children and to educate parents and those involved with children about the best practices in early childhood education. PAEYC helps children from birth to age nine and works in 10 counties across southwestern Pennsylvania.

Program Encourages Hunters to Help Families in Need

Deer hunting is a rich tradition for thousands of families across the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania’s Hunters Sharing the Harvest program offers hunters a way to donate a portion of their venison to help local families in need.

Hunters Sharing the Harvest, now in its 25th year, annually supplies approximately 100,000 pounds of processed venison through a network of 20 regional food banks and 5,000 local provider charities, including food pantries, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters. The donations help to provide the equivalent of more than 500,000 meals annually to feed the nearly 1.8 million Pennsylvanians – or 1 out of every 7 residents – who are considered to be food insecure.

Hunters can take their deer to any participating deer processor and choose the amount of venison they would like to donate to local charities to help families who are less fortunate. Sportsmen can donate as little or as much venison as they would like.

A list of participating processors is available here. Additional information about the program is also available at www.sharedeer.org

Mobile Veterans Center to Visit Warren on December 16

I am pleased to announce that a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs “Mobile Vet Center” (MVC) will be stationed at the Warren Visitor Center on Friday, December 16, to answer questions and help local veterans receive the services they deserve.

The MVC will be open at the Visitor Center, which is also the home of my Warren District Office, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The address is 22045 Route 6, Warren, PA 16365.

The MVC provides a gateway to the VA’s programs and services to veterans who don’t have convenient access to their permanent facilities. I encourage all veterans to stop by to have their questions answered and learn about the services that are available to them.

Butler County to Host Forum on Opioid Crisis

In an effort to work toward solutions addressing the opioid/drug epidemic impacting Butler County, the Butler County Commissioners, the county’s courts, law enforcement, school districts, and faith based organizations have formed a Drug/Opioid Leadership Team. The team will host a public forum from 7-9 p.m. on December 8 at the Mars High School Auditorium.

New Capitol Website Launched

Web users can learn more about the history of the State Capitol Building and the General Assembly through a website: www.pacapitol.com. The Keystone Classroom includes sections such as “Teachers’ Tools” and “Kids Corner.” Coming soon, the website will also have the capability to offer a virtual tour of the capitol and to allow people to schedule live tours of the building.

Groundbreaking for Iron Mountain’s Welcome Center

I had the pleasure of joining Representative Tedd Nesbit and Butler County Commissioners Kim Geyer, Leslie Osche and Kevin Boozel at a ribbon cutting ceremony for Iron Mountain’s new welcome center at its Boyers facility in Butler County. Iron Mountain, and other data centers in Pennsylvania, will benefit from an equipment tax credit that was passed as part of the 2015-16 state budget.

DEP Accepting Applications for Clean Diesel Grants

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting applications for the Pennsylvania State Clean Diesel Grant Program. More than $500,000 will be made available to school districts, municipal authorities, political subdivisions, state agencies, nonprofit entities, corporations, and limited liability companies or partnerships incorporated or registered in Pennsylvania that operate diesel fleets.

To apply for a grant or for more information, visit www.dep.pa.gov/Business/Air/BAQ under the heading “Grant Availability.” All applications must be postmarked on or before December 28, 2016. Faxes and electronic copies will not be accepted. Since the program's inception in 2008, DEP has awarded more than $1.7 million in grants.

Website Provides Help for Veterans, Active Military and their Families

I am pleased to announce that a new website is now available to help veterans, military members and their families find services and benefits available in their county. The Network of Care (http://veterans.networkofcare.org) is a one-stop shop for a wide variety of important information relating to local, state and national social services.

The site provides local information provided for each county in Pennsylvania that includes:

  • Crisis intervention and emergency services.
  • A state-of-the-art library of all conditions, injuries, medications, treatments, assistive devices, assessment tools and online recovery programs.
  • A “Job Board” that highlights jobs by category that are reserved for veterans.
  • Peer support and advocacy.
  • Community calendars and more.

PEMA Accepting Submissions for Poster and PSA Contests

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is now accepting submissions from students for a poster and video public service announcement (PSA) contest featuring weather safety messages.

The theme for the poster contest is “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors” and it is open to all students in grades 1 through 6. The deadline is March 7, 2017 and the winning poster will be featured in state parks across the Commonwealth.

The theme for the PSA contest is “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” and it is open to all students in grades 7 through 12. The deadline to submit a PSA is January 31, 2017 and the winner will work with the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters to develop a broadcast quality television commercial.

More information and entry forms are available at: www.ReadyPA.org/contest.

State Police Announce Thanksgiving Holiday Enforcement Results

The Pennsylvania State Police investigated 931 crashes during the five-day Thanksgiving holiday driving period from Nov. 23 through Nov. 27, 2016. The total represents a decrease of 8.1 percent compared to the 1,013 crashes investigated during the Thanksgiving holiday driving period in 2015.

Of the 931 crashes investigated, 61 were alcohol related, 271 people were injured, and six people were killed. Two of the six fatal crashes involved alcohol.

Troopers made 610 DUI arrests over the long holiday weekend, up from 558 in 2015. They also issued 13,941 speeding citations, 1,264 citations for people for not wearing seat belts, and 183 citations to drivers for not securing children in safety seats.

These statistics cover only those incidents investigated by state police and do not include statistics on incidents to which other law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania responded


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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: 800-364-1581
 
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

229 Elm Street
Suite A
Oil City, PA 16301
(814) 677-6345
FAX: (814) 677-6331