State Senator Lisa Boscola

Boscola announced six affordable housing projects in the 18th Senatorial District have been approved for up to $1,021,221 in funding through the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE), which is managed through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

Funding for the PHARE program comes from three main sources: portion of the impact fee from natural gas drilling, a portion of the realty transfer tax and money from the National Housing Trust Fund. The six projects in the 18th Senatorial District were funded through the realty transfer tax.

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency approved $2,641,726 in grants to Lehigh and Northampton counties, the Bethlehem Area School District, as well as to local nonprofits to assist with criminal justice and prevention programs. The funding awards were approved through the Children’s Advocacy Center Advisory Committee, the County Adult Probation and Parole Advisory Committee, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Committee and the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee.

$50,000 in state funding was approved for the Hellertown Library to aid the library with funding issues currently unresolved between the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township.

The Pa. House Transportation Committee has amended Boscola’s legislative proposal that would require drivers to remove ice or snow from their vehicles within 24 hours following heavy snow or ice storms, into Senate Bill 1094, and unanimously reported the legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives. Earlier this session, Senate Bill 114, Boscola’s stand-alone proposal, passed the senate and will now head to the governor’s desk for his signature.

Senate Bill 1171 is headed to the Governor for his signature following a favorable vote (32-18) today in the Senate Chamber.

Senate Bill 1171 passed 32-18 in the senate and is headed for the governor’s desk. It make an adjustment to the statutory language regarding heavy hauling permits on pulpwood and wood chips. It fixes a flaw in current law that restricts permit holders to the use of tractor-trailers with limited axles. When enacted, the provision contained in this bill will enable heavy haulers the option to choose equipment with additional axles. This is important for public safety because additional axles can provide increased braking power while spreading the vehicle’s weight over a larger surface area, reducing the impact of the load on road surfaces, reducing roadway maintenance costs, and improving a hauler’s ability to come to a controlled stop.

State funding totaling $177,939 has been secured for the Bethlehem Police and Fire departments to assist with public safety efforts. The Bethlehem Police Department will be receiving $102,939 to expand its automated license plate reader camera system to three additional intersections and the Bethlehem Fire Department will be receiving $75,000 for the purchase of air purifiers for Fire/EMS vehicles and stations.

The Bethlehem Police Department will be using the grant funds to expand its use of automated license plate readers to three additional intersections near the Wind Creek Casino, at New and Third streets on the city’s Southside and at Union Blvd and Club Avenue in West Bethlehem. Data collected by ALPR’s can play a critical role in investigating crimes, as it can show police where a plate has been in the past, determine whether a vehicle was at the scene of a crime, identify travel patterns, and even discover vehicles that may be associated with each other.

The Bethlehem Fire Department will be purchasing air purifiers that will be outfitted on all fire and EMS vehicles along with each station. Fire Department personnel face a wide range of air contaminants that can affect their job performance and their health both in the short and long terms. Air purifiers can provide protection from toxic VOC’s, pathogens and particulates.

State Rep. Jeane McNeill

McNeill reminds local veterans that her monthly veterans support program will be held Sept. 19 at her district office, 1080 Schadt Ave., Whitehall.

A representative from the American Legion Service Office Outreach program will be in her office to provide information on education, health care and death benefits.

Appointments are available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the third Monday of each month. To schedule, call 610-266-1273.

McNeil and State Rep. Tina Davis have introduced H.B. 2120, which would require lodging hosts to disclose the presence of recording devices on properties, preventing guests in Pennsylvania from unknowingly being recorded, as in a recent incident in Philadelphia.

Currently, Pennsylvania does not have a law addressing undisclosed recording devices such as hidden cameras in host-lodging sites. An individual found to be using hidden recording devices without disclosing their location would be charged with a felony under the bill.

McNeill applauds the historic $1.1 billion increase in education funding that was part of the bipartisan budget deal which recently passed the House of Representatives. These Basic Education Funding amounts will be awaded to the following school districts in the 133rd Legislative District: Catasauqua Area School District - $5.29 million (7.0 percent increase over last year); Salisbury Twp. School District - $3.14 million (14.7 percent increase over last year); and Whitehall-Coplay School District - $10.6 million (16.1 percent increase over last year).

McNeill added other positive highlights in the state spending plan include $140 million for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program and increased investments for long-term living and nursing facilities, as well as funding for clean streams, and water and sewer projects.

State Rep. Susan Wild

Wild voted to pass H.R. 2471, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, which includes:

• $530 million for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA);

• $10 million for the Child Abuse Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) and State Grants and Community Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) program;

• $411 million for the Social Security Administration.

U.S. Senator Bob Casey

Key priorities have been included in the PREVENT Pandemics Act, legislation intended to strengthen the nation’s public health preparedness and response in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PREVENT Pandemics Act passed in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and is headed to the Senate floor for consideration by the full Senate. Provisions include:

• The Building a Sustainable Workforce for Healthy Communities Act, which provides funding to recruit, hire and train community health workers. Studies show that community health workers can better identify and address the specific health needs of their communities, promote healthy behavior and reduce hospitalization.

• The GAIN TOOLS Act, which expands eligibility of treatments to fight antimicrobial infections to include biological products, which are not currently considered “drugs” under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and therefore not eligible for incentives previously established for so-called “qualified infectious disease products.”

• Provisions of the PREVENT Medical Device Shortages Act to strengthen medical device supply chains and expand notification requirements during medical device shortages, giving the Food and Drug Administration better tools to help prevent or mitigate shortages.

• The SUPPORT Act, which directs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to support access to mental health and substance use disorder services during public health emergencies.

The Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority will receive $12,544,967 in new funding from the American Rescue Plan. The American Rescue Plan, passed in March 2021, provided relief to families, businesses, local governments and others to help ease the burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over $6 million in federal funding for Lehigh Valley airports. Lehigh Valley International Airport is receiving $4,6 million to rehabilitate their runway and runway lighting and Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport is receiving $1,646,744 to rehabilitate its runway and taxiway. Both projects will improve airport safety and passenger experience while creating jobs in the Lehigh Valley. An additional $5 million in new funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act from the FY22 Airport Terminal Program will be used to help complete Lehigh Valley International Airport’s ongoing project to complete a terminal connector. The project includes a new four-lane Transportation Security Administration screening checkpoint to address capacity limitations and insufficient space to accommodate existing passenger volume and the necessary security screening equipment.

On top of this funding, Lehigh Valley International Airport has received over $11,500,000 in federal investments since the start of 2021.

Senate Finance Committee voted out Casey’s ABLE Age Adjustment Act, legislation to help people with disabilities save for the future. Introduced by Senators Casey and Jerry Moran (R-KS) in February, the ABLE Age Adjustment Act would build on Casey’s 2014 ABLE Act and enable more people who become disabled as adults to qualify for ABLE accounts, which make it possible for people with disabilities to save money without risking loss of their federal disability benefits. The ABLE Age Adjustment Act has been included in the Encouraging American Retirement Now (EARN) Act and will now head to the full Senate for consideration.