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| Legislative Report |
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The latest news from the State Capitol |
Mon Valley Moment: Imagine the Opportunities!
This week’s Mon Valley Moment is all about my recent trip to the PA Farm Show! This year’s Farm Show theme was, “Imagine the Opportunities.” During my visit to the Farm Show, I had a great time talking with constituents from the 49th, interviewing Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and attending a legislative luncheon. At that luncheon, I had the chance to discuss more opportunities for our district.
Watch this week’s Mon Valley Moment for more information!
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House Passes My Bill to Honor Sgt. 1st Class Thomas McDonough
I am excited to share that the House has passed my bill to honor SFC McDonough by designating a bridge on a portion of State Route 8042 over U.S. Route 40 in Washington County as the “SFC Thomas McDonough Memorial Bridge.”
Our community is grateful for the service and sacrifice that he gave for our country and our freedom. Is it my hope that this bridge designation will be a constant reminder to us of this man’s great service to our country.
A native of West Brownsville in Washington County, McDonough enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 where he served with the Ordnance Bomb Disposal Detachment, 1st Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company, 8th Cavalry Regiment in both WWII and the Korean War.
McDonough gave his life in service to the country on Sept. 6, 1950.
House Bill 1915 now goes before the state Senate for consideration.
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Judiciary Committee Advances Bills to Combat Human Trafficking
With the Commonwealth ranked 10th in the nation for human trafficking, the House Judiciary Committee this week advanced a package of bills that would combat the crime and ensure justice for victims. The bills are expected to come before the full House for a vote next week.
Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. The International Labour Organization estimates human trafficking is a $150 billion industry, of which $99 billion belongs to sexual exploitation.
Several bills aim to increase penalties or expand definitions of crimes related to human trafficking, while another would expand the list of sexual offenses that require offenders to participate in a program of counseling and therapy designed for incarcerated sex offenders.
Other measures would prohibit defendants from introducing evidence of a human trafficking victim’s past sexual victimization; expand opportunities for expert testimony in human trafficking cases; and require courts to consider human trafficking convictions when considering child custody.
Finally, the committee approved a resolution to recognize the month of January 2020 as “National Human Trafficking Awareness Month” in Pennsylvania. Click here to learn more about this crime and our efforts to address it.
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House OKs Bill to Prevent Repeat DUI Offenses
Working to improve public safety, the House has approved a measure to require courts to evaluate repeat DUI offenders for the suitability of a substance monitoring program as a condition of bail.
A substance monitoring program prohibits the individual from using alcohol, controlled substances or both while also being required to use or participate in any of the following for no less than 90 days as a condition of bail: a continuous alcohol monitoring device; a remote breath testing device or any other alcohol monitoring technology or device; or random drug testing or another controlled substance monitoring device.
Recidivism rates for repeat DUI offenders who wore a device for at least 90 days are 50% less than those who did not.
A repeat DUI offender is an individual who is pending adjudication for a DUI and has one or more prior DUI convictions within the past 10 years; or is pending adjudication for two or more DUIs.
House Bill 916 now moves to the Senate for consideration.
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Tackling Medicaid Fraud, Abuse
To ensure taxpayer dollars are helping people truly in need and not being used fraudulently or misspent, a bipartisan group of lawmakers this week unveiled a comprehensive package of bills to stop fraud and abuse within the state’s Medicaid program.
The package of bills is the direct result of a grand jury report on fraud in Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance Program, also known as Medicaid, released by the Office of Attorney General and a report recently released by the House Government Oversight Committee.
The measures would create a state version of the federal False Claims Act to recoup additional funds from false claims made against Medicaid; require state agencies to assess their program expenditures to determine how susceptible they are to improper payment; create a state-level Do Not Pay system to stop improper payments before they are made; establish requirements for contracts with Medicaid Managed Care Organizations; and increase penalties for fraudulent claims.
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Sign Up to Continue Receiving My Weekly Email Updates
If you would like to continue receiving my legislative updates throughout the 60-day blackout period that limits what I can send you before an election, click here and simply enter your email. This will guarantee that you keep receiving my weekly updates. Please know that your information will not be shared with any third party.
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Completing the Census is Easier Than Ever
Each decade, the federal government counts the number of people in each state to help determine how many seats the state gets in the U.S. Congress and how to distribute more than $675 billion in funding to states, counties, municipalities, school districts and social service programs and organizations.
Being counted in the Census helps to improve our communities, roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, fire and police departments, parks, playgrounds and more.
Beginning in March, Census letters will be mailed. For the first time, people can respond to the Census online. There will also be a toll-free number so residents can share their information verbally. The traditional method of filling out the paper questionnaire will also be an option.
People can be confident that the Census Bureau will not share their information with anyone, including federal, state or local authorities of any kind, including law enforcement, immigration or landlords. There are no exceptions to this law, which is enforceable with five years in jail and a fine of $250,000.
Learn more at www.pa.gov/census/.
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| Office Locations |
| Belle Vernon, 10 Main St. Belle Vernon, Pa 15012 (724) 929-2660 / California, 130 Woodland Court, Brownsville, Pa 15417 (724) 938-5355 |
| B-15 Main Capitol, PO Box 202049, Harrisburg PA 17120-2049 | (717) 783-8655 / 3-8655 |
| Email Address: BCook@pahousegop.com |
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