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In this Update:
A Legislative Win for Taxpayers
Last week, Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced the tremendous success of Pennsylvania’s new tax appeal and mediated settlement process, and I couldn’t be more proud to see these results. When I introduced Senate Bill 1051, which became Act 123, the goal was to make the system fairer, faster, and more efficient for taxpayers and businesses. The first year proves we delivered: over 150 cases were decided on their merits instead of being dismissed on technicalities, and nearly half of mediated disputes were resolved amicably at no cost to taxpayers. These reforms are saving time and money while making Pennsylvania more competitive. I want to commend Treasurer Garrity for her outstanding leadership in implementing these changes and ensuring their success. You can read more about it here. Returning Whole Milk to Schools
Last June, I joined my Pennsylvania Senate colleagues in voting to approve a resolution urging Congress to pass the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. Whole milk provides 13 essential vitamins to help build strong bones and maintain a healthy immune system. The evidence is overwhelming that both 2% and whole milk should be offered to our students in schools. We applaud the recent enactment of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act at the federal level, which allows U.S. schools to now offer whole and 2% milk as options for students, in addition to the current reduced-fat, low-fat and fat-free milk. The bill was in response to enactment of federal legislation in 2010 that permitted only low-fat and fat-free milk options in public schools. Within the first two years of the law taking effect, 1.2 million fewer students drank milk with their lunches. Pennsylvania ranks second in the number of dairy farms and eighth in total milk production, making this change a great positive for children while also supporting our dairy farmers! Jan. 31 Submission Deadline for Student Anti-Litter Contest
Students in grades K–6 have until Jan. 31 to submit entries for the latest Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful “Litter Hawk” anti-litter campaign. This year’s theme is Celebrate America250 – Keep It Beautiful, incorporating the nation’s semiquincentennial. Students can craft their message through art, writing or video. Winners will be announced in April and will be invited to take part in a Capitol ceremony. Contest details and application can be found here. Take Part in the Wild Turkey Sighting Survey
Pennsylvanians are asked to report wild turkey flocks they encounter to help the state Game Commission with winter research, population monitoring and leg-banding efforts to track survival and harvest rates. If you’d like to take part, please report the location of any turkey flocks you see through March 15 on this webpage. Game Commission crews will assess sites for the potential to trap turkeys. Turkeys will not be moved; they’ll simply be leg-banded and released on site. Trapping turkeys during winter is part of the Game Commission’s ongoing population monitoring. National Blood Donor Month
The American Red Cross reports a blood shortage as requests from hospitals exceed the available supply, drawing down the blood supply by about 35% over the past month. The shortage is especially serious for platelets and type O, A negative and B negative blood. Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. It is essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses and traumatic injuries. Whether a patient receives whole blood, red cells, platelets or plasma, this lifesaving relies on friends and neighbors making donations.
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