Lt. Gov. Davis highlights state budget investments for safer communities

WILKES-BARRE — Lt. Gov. Austin Davis this week highlighted how the newly signed, bipartisan state budget will help make Pennsylvania communities safer through more investments in violence intervention and prevention programs.

“Addressing the epidemic of gun violence requires a comprehensive approach, including supporting law enforcement, addressing the root causes and funding community-based solutions, said Davis, who chairs the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). “We also must support victims and survivors, to help them heal from their trauma and repair our communities. The bipartisan state budget does all of that and more.”

Last week Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the 2024-25 state budget, which:

• Invests $45 million in proven community-based programs to reduce violence through PCCD, including doubling state funding for the successful Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) program with a $5 million increase, which supports a wide range of models focused on reducing community violence and relies on community groups that are most in tune with specific local needs;

• Invests $11.5 million to create a statewide Building Opportunity through Out of School Time (BOOST) program through PCCD, which will aim to reduce community violence by providing more after-school learning opportunities for young people;

• Includes a $5 million increase for the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund at PCCD, which provides resources for places of worship, community centers, and other entities to equip themselves with security measures;

• Increases funding for domestic violence services by an additional $2.5 million through the PA Department of Human Services (DHS).

The bipartisan budget also includes an infusion of $5 million in state dollars into the Crime Victims Compensation Fund, which PCCD administers.

Sen. Baker: Modernizing the scope of practice of athletic trainers in Pennsylvania

Athletic trainers can now deliver a wider scope of health care services to more individuals, thanks to legislation sponsored by Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township.

“The science behind preventing, diagnosing, treating and rehabilitating athletic injuries has advanced remarkably,” Baker said. “Athletic trainers are the front-line workers in this arena. These bills represent a solid team effort to make sure that athletic trainers are sufficiently prepared and afforded the scope of practice to best ensure the health and competitiveness of our athletes and those involved in other activities.”

Senate Bills 559 and 560 — now Acts 83 and 84 of 2024 — permit athletic trainers to practice specific invasive procedures under a written protocol with a licensed physician, more closely reflecting the advancements in education, knowledge, skills and training the profession has experienced in the last 20 years.

Specific changes include adding members of the performing arts and military, and recreationally active people to the list of individuals athletic trainers can treat, as well as the clarification of specific procedures, some lifesaving, that athletic trainers are able to perform.

The new laws will also aid in retaining graduates and supporting the creation of new job opportunities, ensure quality patient care for physically active residents of all ages, and ultimately provide a highly qualified medical professional with a chance to help mitigate the current healthcare crisis.

“We are grateful for the group effort to get this accomplished,” Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers’ Society Past President Dr. Nicole Cattano said. “Our members demonstrate the valuable role athletic trainers play in healthcare daily. It is a ‘great’ day in the commonwealth.”

To learn more about the athletic training profession and the PA Athletic Trainers’ Society, visit www.gopats.org .

Casey bill would clean up abandoned oil/gas wells, create good-paying jobs

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, this week co-sponsored the bipartisan Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act (AWRRDA) to advance methods for detecting and remediating abandoned oil and gas wells, which put Pennsylvania’s environment and communities at risk.

This legislation would establish a research program at the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) to develop improved ways to identify abandoned wells and understand the impact of their pollution on the environment and on Americans’ health and safety.

Identifying and plugging abandoned wells will create good-paying jobs and protect the Commonwealth’s beauty and natural resources for generations to come.

“The only way to protect our Commonwealth from abandoned wells’ dangerous methane emissions is to make sure that we can find and plug all the wells,” Casey said. “This legislation will help us to locate more wells and better understand their impact on our communities.”

The Abandoned Well Remediation, Research, and Development Act would support DOE efforts to develop efficient, economical, and sustainable methods to identify and plug abandoned wells.

This legislation would create an abandoned well research program at DOE that focuses on a range of key technology areas to further understand methane emission rates, low carbon lightweight cement, technology to improve remote plugging, ways to re-purpose wells for geothermal power, and technology to understand impacts of abandoned wells on groundwater.

Rep. Meuser co-sponsors resolution regarding ‘disaster’ at southern border

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, this week co-sponsored H.Res. 1371 — a resolution that strongly condemns the Biden Administration for failing to secure the U.S. border.

This resolution criticizes the open border policies and willful neglect of our border laws that Meuser said has led to the nearly 10 million illegal immigrants that have come across the border since President Biden came into office.

Meuser said Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have documented 7.9 million nationwide encounters with illegal immigrants since President Biden was sworn in, and the agency estimates an additional 2 million “got-aways” have successfully evaded CBP agents and made it into the interior of the country undetected.

“Alarmingly, CBP does not know who these individuals are or where they went in the United States,” Meuser said.

Meuser also said the situation has also resulted in a dramatic increase in drug trafficking, particularly deadly fentanyl, and heightened crime in border cities. Statistically, Meuser said illegal border crossings are at record levels, creating a dangerous environment for both American citizens and immigrants.

“The situation at our southern border has become a catastrophe due to the Administration’s open-border policies,” Meuser said. “This Administration is directly responsible for the current crisis. I am pleased that this resolution passed the House and look forward to holding the Administration and progressive Democrats accountable for their handling of the border crisis.”

Meuser said H.Res. 1371 was adopted in the House by a bipartisan vote of 220-196.

Sen. Casey, Sen. Braun bill would expand access to comprehensive care

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), Chairman and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, this week introduced the bipartisan PACE Anytime Act.

The bill will expand access to the PACE program, which provides thousands of lower-income seniors and people with disabilities with comprehensive care. PACE is a fully integrated care model that provides care through an interdisciplinary team, including medical and dental care, meals and nutritional counseling, occupational and physical therapy, prescription drugs, social services, and transportation.

PACE programs provide services primarily in adult day health centers, allowing individuals to stay in their homes and communities. Currently, eligible older adults and people with disabilities can only enroll in a PACE program on the first of every month—the PACE Anytime Act remove enrollment barriers by allowing eligible individuals to enroll anytime during the month.

“PACE programs allow seniors and people with disabilities to receive all of their essential care while remaining in their communities,” said Chairman Casey. “While the PACE program provides high-quality, comprehensive care, limited opportunities to enroll have made the program unnecessarily difficult to access. My new bill will make it much easier to enroll in the PACE program and give seniors and people with disabilities the flexibility to receive the care they need.”

“Older Americans should be able to receive the care they need in their communities without cumbersome barriers,” said Braun. “The PACE Anytime Act would increase flexibility for low-income seniors and people with disabilities to enroll in the PACE Program.”

The PACE program provides comprehensive care for low-income seniors and people with disabilities ages 55 and up by integrating Medicare coverage and Medicaid long-term care. PACE’s interdisciplinary approach and wrap-around care enables nearly 70,000 Americans across 32 states and the District of Columbia to remain in their homes, which is overwhelmingly where they prefer to live.