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Summer Food Drive
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When you ask residents of the #150th Legislative District to help their neighbors in need, they go above and beyond!
Thank you to all who donated to our July food drive in support of Daily Bread Community Food Pantry. Your generosity directly impacts members of our community.
Special thanks to West Norriton Township, Skippack Township, Lower Providence Township, UPT Montgomery County, Collegeville Borough, Lower Providence Community Library, and UPT Parks and Rec for hosting collection bins so residents could conveniently donate.
#CommunitySpirit #LendAHand
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Protecting the Sanctity of our Right to Vote
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The rhetoric surrounding the sanctity of our right to vote has been discussed in every information silo imaginable over the course of the last several years. I have heard from many of my constituents that they feel disoriented and exhausted from the constant barrage encompassing a right that simply cannot be taken for granted.
To put these words into actions, I will be in Washington, D.C. advocating with state legislators and voting rights activists to demand that Congress and President Joe Biden pass the For the People Act. As a member of the State Government Committee, I recognize that our democracy is at a critical juncture.
We must resist the voting suppression techniques seen in state legislatures throughout the country, including here in Pennsylvania. I am looking forward to taking part in these events and meetings with federal lawmakers to underscore the urgent need to pass legislation protecting the right to vote before the end of summer and undo anti-voter laws in time for the 2022 midterm elections.
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Survey on School Infrastructure Capital Costs
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Pennsylvania schools and our students’ education have long been held hostage to yearly budget negotiations on school funding that make capital projects challenging to budget for. Moreover, the financial and capital costs that our schools face are not fully known – and this issue has only gotten worse as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to ensure that future budget discussions take into account the actual capital needs of our schools, we must first understand what those financial requirements are so we can provide for them. The legislation I am introducing would set up a one-time survey for school districts to report their deferred, current, and anticipated capital needs. It would then require the Department of Education to compile the information and report the total capital and infrastructure requirements of schools to the General Assembly.
That report would break down the capital needs by those which school districts have already paid for and those which are predicted through the 2025-2026 school year. As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 disruption, our schools have found themselves taking on new responsibilities, unexpected costs, and preparing for a new way of educating students. This has affected every teacher, every student, and every parent in our state. As we move forward to support our schools and students, is important to have the best possible information on the state of our schools to make policies affecting them.
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MontcoStrong Nonprofit Grant Program
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The MontcoStrong 2021 Nonprofit Resiliency Grant Program application window has opened and will close at noon on August 10, 2021. A total of $5 million will be made available to nonprofit agencies who suffered disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please note there are several differences from the previous MontcoStrong nonprofit grant program administered in 2020. Most notably, the types of organizations that are eligible, the eligible use of funds, and the amount of grant dollars an organization can apply for have changed. More information on program guidelines can be found here.
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Raise the Wage
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We surpassed a grim milestone for PA workers this year. It has been 15 years since the state legislature has raised the minimum wage.
In fact, PA remains stuck at the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour, even as every state around us has raised theirs. I plan to keep advocating and fighting for an increase in this dangerously low hourly wage once session resumes this fall. It’s time to start paying our workers a family sustaining wage that allows them to live and thrive here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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COVID-19 Delta Variant
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As we continue working toward putting the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, I urge caution as the nation and commonwealth have seen a slight uptick in cases due to the spread of the hyper-transmissible Delta variant.
While Pennsylvania’s vaccine numbers rank in the top 10 nationally, there is still work to be done in the fight against COVID-19. If you still need to get vaccinated, here are Montco’s vaccine clinics.
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Please continue to stay safe, healthy and well-informed.
And, if you have questions about any state-related issue, please contact my office at 484-200-8263 or email RepWebster@pahouse.net.
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