EBENSBURG, Sept. 27 – State Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, is announcing the co-recipients of the 2017 Charlie Vizzini Volunteerism Award – Tiffany A. Jones and Conner C. Hagins, both of Johnstown. Those 72 nd Legislative District residents will be honored at the 2 nd Annual Charlie Vizzini Award banquet, scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Noon-Collins Inn, 114 E. High St., Ebensburg. The award is named after Charlie Vizzini, who amassed more than 8,000 hours by volunteering in Burns’ legislative office – fielding more than 1,000 constituent service matters and saving taxpayers an estimated $80,000. “Through this award, we’re trying to recognize someone in the district who has volunteered to make the community a better place,” Burns said. “In reviewing this year’s nominations, there is no question that Tiffany and Conner fit that bill. They are fine examples of being unselfish and contributing to the well-being of others.” According to her nomination essay, Jones has been especially active in St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, where as a member of its Youth Group she’s volunteered to help people with yard work, painting, odd jobs and other home-related projects they cannot physically perform or afford. Jones has traveled to a remote part of Peru to deliver toiletries and other items to a village where they conducted a Bible School for youngsters. Her other volunteer Read more
EBENSBURG, Sept. 25 – State Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, will partner with Seniors for Safe Driving to offer a state Transportation Department-approved class at the Portage Senior Center that could earn participants a 5 percent automobile insurance discount for three years. Burns said the discount, mandated by state law, is one benefit of the $16 class scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27, the other being that it sharpens awareness for older drivers. “My office has offered these classes in the past and we’ve had a great reception,” Burns said. “Any time we can do something to save seniors some money, while helping them learn to stay safer behind the wheel, we’ll do it.” The Portage Senior Center is located at 505 Farren St. in Portage. This will be classroom instruction only; no on-the-road driving or classroom testing will occur. Burns said the course is specifically geared toward mature drivers – those 55 or older – and allows them to refresh driving techniques, regain lost confidence and develop a positive driving attitude. Anyone desiring to register or obtain more information is asked to contact Burns’ Portage office at (814) 736-7339. More information on the program can also be found at www.SeniorsForSafeDriving.com or by calling 800-559-4880. Read more
Seniors can get a 5 percent discount on automobile insurance by taking a $16 class Oct. 27 at the Portage Senior Center. Call my office at (814) 736-7339 register. Read more
EBENSBURG, Sept. 20 – Saying more than 700 jobs and specialized care for nearly 225 mentally and physically disabled adults are at stake, state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, is vowing to lead the fight against a bill that would close the Ebensburg State Center . Burns said H.B. 1650, authored by Republican state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff of Centre County, would mandate closure of all five of Pennsylvania’s remaining intermediate care facilities by 2023 – including the one in Ebensburg. Burns said that while he understands the desire to cut costs by moving these residents to home- and community-based settings, he has a deep desire to make sure that the voices of family members are heard before any systemic change is made. “As someone who has visited the Ebensburg facility, I have witnessed the care needs of its residents and heard from many grateful family members,” Burns said. “The current staff does an excellent job dealing with adults who have very serious mental and physical disabilities – and for whom ‘round-the-clock care’ is not just a phrase, but a reality. “Before we go changing a system that has literally kept people alive, sometimes beyond medical expectation, there should be a full vetting and support from all stakeholders – starting with those who have loved ones in the Ebensburg State Center.” Burns said while the bill’s passage does not appear to be imminent – it Read more
EBENSBURG, Aug. 31 – State Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, is urging municipalities to contact his office for help in applying for state grants to assist with traffic signal and rail freight upgrades. Burns said the grant programs, operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, are: The Green Light-Go Program, which provides approximately $40 million annually to assist municipalities with improvements and upgrades to their traffic signal operations, and will accept applications from Sept. 2 through Nov. 9. The 2017 Rail Transportation Assistance Program and Rail Freight Assistance Program, which provide financial assistance for investment in rail freight infrastructure, and will accept applications from Sept. 1 through Sept. 29. “This money is going to be awarded – but to get some of it, you’ve got to apply by the deadlines,” Burns said. “As an elected official, I’ve made it one of my missions to inform everyone in the 72 nd Legislative District of these grant opportunities and to offer my office’s help in the application process.” Toward that end, Burns recently replaced a retiring legislative staffer with Brittany Blackham, an experienced grant writer whose expertise in that area is being offered free to municipalities in Burns’ district. Anyone interested in obtaining grant-seeking help or direction is asked to contact Burns’ office at (814) 472-8021. Burns said additional Read more
EBENSBURG, Aug. 15 – Pending submission and approval of final paperwork, state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, has notified the Cresson Volunteer Fire Co. it will receive a $129,000, low-interest loan through the State Fire Commissioner’s Office to buy a new pumper truck. Burns said the state funding will go toward purchase of a 2018 KME Predator pumper that has a 1,000-gallon tank and a 2,000-gallon-per-minute pump. “I am proud to represent you in the 72 nd Legislative District. I know how important this grant is to you, and I wish you the best of luck with this and all future projects,” Burns wrote. Separately, Burns noted that he’s glad to see his legislative district being successful in obtaining such funding from the office headed by State Fire Commissioner Timothy Solobay, a former Democratic colleague of Burns’ in the state House. Read more
Here's my letter notifying the Cresson Volunteer Fire Co. of the approval of a $129,000, low-interest state loan for their purchase of a new pumper truck. Read more
EBENSBURG, Aug. 7 – Ever-mindful of stretching state dollars for maximum impact, state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, is replacing a retired employee with an experienced grant writer who will offer those services free to 72 nd Legislative District municipalities. Burns, who has made a habit of reminding municipalities to apply for state grants while offering general assistance through his legislative offices, said the addition of Brittany Blackham starting Aug. 30 takes those offerings to a new level. “As I scoured resumes looking for the best fit, what jumped out at me was Brittany’s experience and savvy in securing and managing grants from national corporations and local foundations,” Burns said. “As a grant writer for a nonprofit, she’s skilled in all phases of the process and can readily share that expertise with our municipalities that have questions or need hands-on help.” Burns said Blackham, who had an 80-percent success rate as a nonprofit grant writer and earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh, is replacing legislative assistant John Lushko, a district office employee who recently retired. She will also perform many of Lushko’s constituent service-related duties. Blackham has additional experience as a writing and reading comprehension tutor for disadvantaged children, a creative writing instructor for middle school students, and in customer service at the university level, Burns said. Read more
EBENSBURG, Aug. 2 – As he’s voluntarily done before, state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria , is again refusing to accept a state paycheck during the current budget stalemate – a position confirmed in a letter circulated today from the House comptroller. “This letter will confirm that my office is holding your paychecks from July 1 until the rest of the budget is passed,” wrote comptroller Mary-Jo Mullen in the Aug. 2 correspondence. Burns said that he’s traditionally gone without a paycheck as long as the state budget is unfinished, most notably during the nine-month impasse of 2015-16, because of a strong belief that legislators should set an example. “I firmly believe that if the legislature didn’t get paid until this work was done, we wouldn’t keep having these budget impasses,” Burns said. “I may be in the minority in thinking like this, but my conscience won’t let me accept a payday from the taxpayers as long as this fundamental part of our job remains unfinished.” Burns said it’s philosophically and morally disingenuous for the legislature to approve a spending plan by the July 1 fiscal year deadline, but fail to pass the necessary revenue-raising legislation to complete the package. “This abdication of a fundamental duty is something my constituents are very upset about, and rightly so,” Burns said. “To them, it’s not a Democratic thing or a Republican Read more
As he's done in the past, Rep. Burns is refusing to take a paycheck until the state budget is finalized with a revenue package. Here's the letter from the House comptroller confirming this. Read more
EBENSBURG, Aug. 1 – A state grant of $192,750 will bolster the pre-kindergarten education efforts of Community Action Partnership of Cambria County, state Rep. Frank Burns announced today. Burns, D-Cambria, said the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program funding flowing from the Pennsylvania Department of Education provides state funds to supplement federal allocations in the effort to expand high quality, pre-K services. “This money goes to existing Head Start grantees, such as our Community Action agency, to help them enroll additional 3- or 4-year-old children, or to expand full-day or full-year programs,” Burns said. “The value of getting an early start with education is well-documented, so any time our county secures additional funding for this purpose is cause for celebration.” Burns said participating Head Start programs have demonstrated the need for additional Head Start services in their service area; the ability to expand, either independently or in cooperation with a local school district, a licensed child care center or registered family child care home; the ability to comply with federal Head Start and state child care requirements for Head Start-provided extended day services, if applicable; and the ability to work collaboratively with child care, if a child care collaboration is used for extended day services. Read more
Being a Democrat who unapologetically supports law enforcement doesn’t get me universal support in the halls where I work, but when each day’s news seems to chronicle a fresh attack on police, how can you not sympathize with the difficulties they face doing even routine facets of their jobs? The latest incident that left me shaking my head occurred in Philadelphia, where 500 young people who showed up for a party at a playground – without having the required permit for a gathering that large – took umbrage when police showed up to disperse the crowd. Instead of listening to police orders to clear the premises, as they should have done, news reports say the youths reacted with violence and disrespect , throwing bottles at police and generally being defiant. I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up, I was taught to respect the law and those who enforce it. Even as a teenager, if I had ever ended up part of a large crowd at an unpermitted event, and the police arrived and told us to skedaddle, the first reaction from my friends and I would not have been to start chucking bottles at them. We’d have high-tailed it out of there, considering ourselves lucky to not have been cited for some unlawful gathering, for engaging in disorderly conduct, or worse. We’d have been terrified to the core at the mere thought that our parents might be called to come pick us up at a police station or bail us out of jail. But times have Read more
EBENSBURG, July 25 – State Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, today issued the following statement regarding state Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s filing of a felony charge against a Catholic priest in nearby Westmoreland County yesterday: “The attorney general, using the investigating grand jury system, is examining child sexual abuse by priests throughout the commonwealth – and rightly so,” Burns said. “There is no excuse for a person in authority taking advantage of a child in this most psychologically damaging of ways, and the message being sent by Mr. Shapiro in this case is that even if the abuse took place in the early 1990s, if the law allows, your day in court is coming. “As a Catholic, I take no particular glee in watching these chickens come home to roost across our commonwealth. But also as a Catholic – and one who attended a parochial high school where similar abuse was previously documented – I am compelled to seek and support justice on behalf of my friends and classmates and others who were victimized in this most inappropriate way.” In the wake of last year’s revelation of widespread child sex abuse in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese spanning decades, Burns has called for revising the statute of limitations for such crimes . Read more
My May 2017 Newsletter includes an item on my effort to secure PHEAA scholarships for volunteer firefighters and EMS providers. Read more
EBENSBURG, June 27 – State Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, is accepting applications from July 1 through 20 at his Ebensburg office for the second annual Charlie Vizzini Volunteerism Award, which will honor an outstanding volunteer in the 72 nd Legislative District. Burns presented the inaugural award last year to Charlie Vizzini, who amassed more than 8,000 hours by volunteering in Burns’ legislative office – fielding more than 1,000 constituent service matters and saving taxpayers an estimated $80,000. “The plan then was to make this an annual award, given to someone in the district who has volunteered to make the community a better place,” Burns said. “If you are – or know someone who is – one of those people, please submit a nomination.” To be eligible, one must: Be a resident living within Burns’ 72 nd Legislative District; Regularly volunteer to make the community a better place to live; and Be able to verify any stated volunteerism. Written nominations should include: The name and contact information of the person making the nomination, and the name and contact information for the person being nominated. An essay of no more than 1,000 words explaining why the person deserves the award and what they have done for their community. Nominations should be mailed or delivered to Burns’ Ebensburg office, 119 South Center St., Ebensburg, PA 15931. No nominations Read more
EBENSBURG, June 21 – State Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, is advising 72 nd Legislative District entities that the state Department of Environmental Protection is accepting grant applications for innovative, advanced fuel and vehicle technology projects that produce cleaner advanced alternative transportation within the state. The Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program can assist school districts, municipal authorities, nonprofits, corporations, LLCs, and partnerships registered to do business in Pennsylvania by offsetting the costs of implementing alternative fuel-using transportation projects. DEP is offering AFIG grants in the following categories: Vehicle Retrofit or Purchase – To offset the incremental cost of purchasing alternative fuel vehicles or retrofitting existing vehicles to operate on alternative fuels; Alternative Fuel Refueling Infrastructure – To assist in the costs to purchase and install refueling equipment for fleet and workplace, home or intermediary refueling; and Innovative Technology – To support research, training, development, and demonstration of new alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles. DEP will accept AFIG applications throughout 2017, but the first submission period deadline is 4 p.m. Friday, July 14, and the second submission deadline is 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15. AFIG guidelines and application instructions are available at Read more
Glad to gain a valuable ally in the fight against opioid abuse. I served with Attorney General Josh Shapiro in the House and sent him a letter in February asking Pennsylvania to sue Big Pharma. Read more
EBENSBURG, June 15 – Encouraged by news that Pennsylvania’s Attorney General has joined a consortium of state top prosecutors investigating drug manufacturers’ role in the opioid crisis, state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, is hopeful the findings will spur the lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies that he called for earlier this year. Burns said today’s announcement that Attorney General Josh Shapiro is among those investigating possible unlawful practices in the marketing and sale of opioids falls directly in line with letters Burns sent to Shapiro and Gov. Tom Wolf in February. “I urge you to file a lawsuit against any and all pharmaceutical companies responsible for this crisis because of their negligence in informing consumers of the dangers of these types of drugs and their ruthless promotion of their use,” Burns wrote. “’Big Pharma’ is lining its pockets and the wallets of doctors who prescribe these medications, while the number of people addicted and affected in the commonwealth continues to rise.” Regarding today’s news, Burns said it’s clear that drug manufacturers’ role and potential legal culpability in the opioid plague have gotten the attention of Shapiro, his former Democratic colleague in the House of Representatives. “I commend the attorney general for making this bold move – and if the evidence leads where I think it will, I encourage Mr. Shapiro to file Read more
Rep. Frank Burns reports that Cambria, Cresson and Jackson townships have been approved for community development grants totaling almost $272,000. “Improvement initiatives funded with these grants are important to keeping the region up to date," Burns said. Read more
My bill that would require drug overdose survivors to seek treatment within 30 days is getting attention across the state. Here's a TV news segment that perfectly encapsulates why I'm doing this. Read more
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