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In this Update:
Senate Votes for the Save Women’s Sports Act
With a bipartisan vote, the Senate passed legislation to protect athletic opportunity, competitive fairness and safety for female athletes across Pennsylvania. The Save Women’s Sports Act would ensure athletic teams designated for girls and women are reserved for biological females in K-12 and collegiate sports across the commonwealth. Senate Bill 9 would reinforce the original intent of Title IX by ensuring female athletes are not denied scholarships, placements or opportunities due to unfair competition from biological males. It is now headed to the House of Representatives for consideration. Honoring Our Law Enforcement Community, Fallen Officers
We owe a special debt of gratitude to all the courageous men and women who serve and protect our communities in law enforcement. This week, I was honored to participate in the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Pennsylvania State Lodge’s Police Memorial Ceremony at the Pennsylvania Capitol Building. As part of this solemn ceremony, I presented the FOP with a Senate Resolution I authored along with my colleague Senator Joe Picozzi designating the week of May 11-17 as “National Police Week” and May 5 as “Police Officers’ Memorial Day” in Pennsylvania. May God bless all the brave men and women who wear the uniform and work every day to keep us safe! Strengthening PA’s Sexual Offender Registry
The state Senate took an important step this week to better protect Pennsylvania children by voting to strengthen the state’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). The bill – which I authored with Senator Lisa Baker – would add the crime of sexual assault by a sports official, volunteer or employee of nonprofit association as a Tier II sexual offense, requiring individuals convicted of this offense to register as a sexual offender. Under current law, those convicted of this offense are not required to register as sex offenders. More information about our bill is available here. Senate Committee Approves Scholarships to Help Students in Failing Schools
To expand education access and reform outcomes in Pennsylvania’s most challenged schools, the Senate Education Committee this week advanced bipartisan scholarship legislation. The bill, also known as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) scholarship program, now heads to the full Senate for consideration. Senate Bill 10 would establish scholarship accounts for eligible students, allowing them to pursue educational opportunities outside of their assigned public school. The program would be administered by the Pennsylvania State Treasury and funded through appropriations, grants, donations or other contributions from public and private sources. Eligible students must live within the attendance boundary of a school that ranks in the bottom 15% statewide based on academic performance and come from households earning less than 250% of the federal poverty level. Funds in a student’s PASS account could be used for tuition, school-related fees or special education services at a nonpublic school. Learn more about scholarship amounts, which vary from $2,500 to $15,000 based on the student’s grade level. Universal FAFSA Bill Clears Key Hurdle
A bill I authored to help Pennsylvania families make informed decisions about pursuing college and job training programs was approved by the Senate Education Committee this week. The legislation would require high school seniors to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which determines eligibility for federal, state and school financial aid programs. Completing the FAFSA ensures families have access to vital information on aid packages for higher education, career and technical education, certificate programs, and more. States that have implemented similar policies have seen FAFSA completion rates skyrocket by as much as 26 percent. More details on the bill are available here. Creating a universal FAFSA policy will work hand-in-hand with the landmark Grow PA Scholarship Program created as part of the current year’s state budget. The program encourages young people to pursue careers in high-demand industries in Pennsylvania after graduation. You can learn more about Grow PA or apply here. License Plate Replacement Event Scheduled in Quarryville May 28
Local motorists who have a damaged or unreadable license plate can receive assistance to replace it during event I am hosting in Quarryville on Wednesday, May 28, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event will be held at the Quarryville Borough Building, located at 300 St. Catherine Street. There is no fee for this service. Local law enforcement will help with appropriate paperwork, and once PennDOT receives it, they will mail a replacement plate to your home address. To pre-register, please call my Strasburg office at 717-397-1309. PA Treasury Continues Working to Return Money to the People
More than 40,000 Pennsylvanians may soon find a check in their mailbox for money they didn’t know they had, thanks to legislation passed by Senate Republicans. PA Money Match is a new law that allows Treasury to automatically return certain unclaimed property. The program includes properties valued at $500 or less that belong to a single owner. Those with eligible properties will receive a letter in the mail to confirm their address. About 45 days later, they’ll receive a check for their property. PA Treasurer Stacy Garrity is working to return more than $4.5 billion in unclaimed property, which includes dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, rebates and insurance payments. The average claim is worth more than $1,000. Because PA Money Match will not automatically return properties exceeding $500 or those that may have more than one owner, you are still encouraged to regularly use Treasury’s website to check if you have unclaimed property. Happy Mother’s Day!
Mothers are the backbone of our communities. Whether they sat in the stands cheering us on at our games, brought cupcakes to every PTA bake sale or roughed it in the woods with our scout troop, they put action to their love. On Mother’s Day, we recognize the special women who love and care for us at all stages of our lives. Their support sets us up to be happy, healthy members of society.
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