Burns’ interview will be aired at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, on PCN and on the PCN mobile app. Read more
State Rep. Frank Burns will host a public hearing on the problem of bullying and efforts to curb that damaging behavior. Read more
My package of bills designed to crack down on bullying -- including fining parents up to $750 -- anchors this newsletter. I'm glad that my proposal got state, national and even worldwide attention. Read more
The life and sacrifice of a state policeman killed while working undercover to get drugs off the streets was memorialized in Jackson Township. Read more
Burns introduced legislation calling for a nationwide investigation into the Roman Catholic Church and providing further protections for victims of childhood sexual abuse. Read more
A number of local communities have been selected to receive more than $1.3 million in state grants to help advance critical infrastructure projects. Read more
State Reps. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, and Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, joined with advocates Monday in calling upon their colleagues to swiftly open a “Window To Justice” for past sexual abuse victims. Read more
EBENSBURG, Sept. 7 – State Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, will host a Senior Fair for the 72 nd Legislative District’s senior citizens 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14 at Young Peoples Community Center, 300 Prave St., Ebensburg. Burns hosts the Senior Fair as a way to provide seniors with a wealth of information about their health and well-being. “I look forward to hosting my Senior Fair,” Burns said. “This event is geared toward providing our senior citizens with the most up-to-date information on all the state-related programs pertaining to seniors.” Those who attend will be provided information on senior services, such as the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program. Burns’ staff also will be in attendance to answer questions and provide direction on a host of government-related programs and services. For more information on this event, call Burns’ office at 814-472-8021. Read more
Rep Burns urges residents to attend Sept. 13 courthouse meeting to seek renewal of senior bus service. Read more
EBENSBURG, Aug. 23 – Convinced that the heinous and pervasive sexual abuse of children now documented in all eight Pennsylvania dioceses is not unique, state Rep. Frank Burns wants the U.S. attorney general to launch a nationwide investigation of the Roman Catholic Church. Burns, D-Cambria, plans to introduce a House resolution to that effect, largely because a frequent theme in the Pennsylvania grand jury reports was complicity of local elected officials in keeping such matters under wraps, due to church influence or selfish political concerns. “We cannot trust that attorneys general in other states will have the political will or legal wherewithal to undertake an investigation of this magnitude on their own,” Burns said. “Federal prosecutors are best equipped to scrutinize this venerated institution that violated its members’ trust by allowing abusive behavior to go unchecked for decades.” Burns said the issue strikes home with him, as a graduate of Bishop McCort High School in Cambria County, where a grand jury investigating the Johnstown-Altoona Diocese documented sexual abuse of students that victimized some of his friends and classmates. “Parishioners, especially children, are taught to trust and revere priests, but we cannot allow anyone or any institution to be above the law,” Burns said. Separately, Burns also plans to introduce a bill that would make clear that non-disclosure agreements do not prevent Read more
Please sign this petition urging CamTran and the Cambria County commissioners to restore seniors' bus service to popular destinations. Read more
EBENSBURG, Aug. 22 – Responding to senior constituents’ outrage over the loss of CamTran bus service to some of their favorite destinations, state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, is mounting a petition drive in his Ebensburg, Portage, Patton and Lower Yoder Township offices to restore the cut routes. Burns, who took up the cause on these impassioned seniors’ behalf since they began peppering his offices with complaints several weeks ago, recently met with a dozen of them to hear firsthand how upset they are over the public transit agency’s recent decision. “These taxpayers, now in their golden years, have been victimized by their transit agency’s decision to cut 3,700 rides per year – and they’re not happy about it,” Burns said. “As an elected official, I’m proud to stand with them and launch a petition to restore their bus service.” Burns said his calls to PennDOT pinpointed that CamTran – the acronym for the Cambria County Transit Authority – made the decision to cut Shared-Ride Program bus service to destinations in Somerset, Bedford, Indiana and Westmoreland counties. Because this was a county-level decision, Burns intends to deliver the petitions, which constituents can sign regardless of whether they are a senior citizen, to CamTran and to the Cambria County commissioners. The petition says, “We, the undersigned residents of Cambria County, request that CamTran and the Read more
CRESSON, Aug. 17 – Surrounded by the sisters, nephews and nieces of a Vietnam War hero killed in action while loading injured fellow Marines onto a medical helicopter, state Rep. Frank Burns presided over dedication of the Cpl. Robert J. Sherwood Jr. Memorial Bridge this morning at Cresson American Legion Post 238. Burns noted that Sherwood, who was born in Altoona but resided in Cresson when he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, died at 19 after being mortally wounded in the 1967 skirmish in Quang Tin province. “Corporal Sherwood embodied the highest American ideals, that being love of country and a willingness to sacrifice his own life in an attempt to aid members of his unit after they came under enemy attack while on patrol,” Burns said. “He did not duck and cover; instead, he threw himself in harm’s way, a noble decision that cost him his own life. We should all have such a dedicated friend.” The renaming of the bridge in Sherwood’s honor was legislatively initiated by Burns as H.B. 1251 and became law with passage of Act 9 of 2018. The bridge is located on a portion of Pennsylvania Route 53 over U.S. Route 22 in Cresson Township. Sherwood’s sisters Nora Sherwood, Ella Conigy and Donna Sherwood are among the family members who attended the ceremony. Nieces Eunice Wilkins, Regina Hill and Jessica Link were also on hand, along with nephews Gregory Gaida and Steve Gaida Jr. Burns noted that Sherwood is honored on Read more
EBENSBURG, Aug. 14 – In response to state Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s release today of a statewide grand jury report on child sexual abuse and related cover-ups in an additional six Roman Catholic Church dioceses in Pennsylvania, state Rep. Frank Burns issued the following statement: “After a separate grand jury report in 2016 that detailed widespread but equally appalling conduct in the Altoona-Johnstown Roman Catholic Diocese, I became a staunch advocate for lengthening the statute of limitations for such crimes – and now I am even more angry and determined to see that the law is changed so victims can get the closure they deserve. “For more than two years I’ve stood with allies, such as state Representative Mark Rozzi of Berks County – himself a victim of sex abuse at the hands of a priest – and my longtime friend Shaun Dougherty, who was similarly abused starting at age 10, to keep this issue front and center in the body politic. “Now that this type of heinous and damaging behavior has been documented in the rest of Pennsylvania, perhaps we’ll have the critical mass needed in the legislature to advance the changes that Representative Rozzi, my good friend Shaun, I and many others know are needed to help victims find closure. “We now know that these abuses were not confined to one region, but took place in six additional dioceses that cover 54 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. And in each one Read more
Fighting to restore popular bus service destinations for seniors and a reminder to attend my Sept. 14 Senior Fair in Ebensburg are two highlights of this newsletter devoted to senior issues. Read more
HARRISBURG, Aug. 7 – State Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, is hosting a complimentary spaghetti lunch for veterans from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26 at the Cresson Volunteer Fire Co., 223 Ashcroft Ave., Cresson 16630. Guests are welcome, but only veterans with a military ID qualify for the free lunch. Guests can eat for $5. To RSVP by Friday, Aug. 17, please call Burns’ Portage office at 814-736-7339. Burns has hosted the free meal for veterans in the past, as a way of showing appreciation for the sacrifices veterans have made in service to the country. “My staff and I love hosting this event for our veterans,” Burns said. “It’s the least we can do to honor their service and thank them for dedicating their lives to our safety.” Veterans will also have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have about state programs and services. Read more
My success in getting the state to confiscate Timberland work boots from prisoners, after that footwear was used in the beating and kicking death of a corrections officer, is detailed in this newsletter. Read more
An invitation for veterans to attend my free spaghetti luncheon on Aug. 26 and my bridge namings in honor of three veterans and one state policeman are featured in my latest Veterans Newsletter. Read more
My continued support of child sex abuse victims and my call for welfare reform highlight my Summer 2018 newsletter. Read more
Bringing an additional $15 million to the 72nd Legislative District and welcoming Attorney General Josh Shapiro to our "Push Out the Pusher" campaign are highlights of my 2017 Year in Review newsletter. Read more
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