Category: News

Gov. Shapiro Proposes $2,500 Tax Credit to Recruit New Teachers, Nurses, and Police Officers in PA  (March 5, 2023)

Governor Josh Shapiro has announced he will propose a three-year tax incentive of up to $2,500 a year for newly certified teachers, nurses, and police officers in his upcoming Budget Address. Governor Shapiro understands the critical workforce shortage the Commonwealth faces and is committed to taking action to support workers and businesses.

“I’ll be proposing a new $2,500 personal income tax credit to hire new cops, teachers, and new nurses every year for at least the next three years,” Governor Shapiro told KYW Newsradio and KDKA. “It’s going to help us put more teachers in the classroom, more nurses in the hospital, and more police officers and troopers in our communities.”

Earlier this week, Governor Shapiro also shared that his upcoming budget proposal will include a 50% increase for the Manufacturing PA Innovation Program and a 25% increase in funding for computer science and STEM education through Pennsylvania’s PA Smart Program.

According to Governor Shapiro, building an economy that works for everyone, ensuring that every Pennsylvania child receives a quality education, and making communities across the Commonwealth safer are his top priorities as reflected in his first Governor’s Budget Address on Tuesday, March 7th.

Click to access the PRESS RELEASE.

PCT Announces Open House For Students Interested in Emergency Management and Medical Fields (March 5, 2023)

The Pennsylvania College of Technology (PCT) is pleased to announce Wildcat Rotarfest 2023 on April 11th!  Wildcat Rotarfest will feature a variety of emergency response vehicles including helicopters and ground support vehicles from the United States Coast Guard, Pennsylvania National Guard, the Williamsport Bureau of Police and Drone 50 amongst others! Students will be able to get up close to all vehicles and talk with the actual operators of the equipment! This event will be of special interest to students with an interest in emergency management, emergency response, aviation, and the medical fields to name just a few.

Groups will be assigned a time to visit the Rotarfest and will also have the option of having a campus tour and lunch on-campus.

To register, email the following information to [email protected]:
-Name of your school
-Total number of students you would like to bring
-Designated lead chaperone & their cell phone number

**Please Note: The exhibitors of the day are from emergency response fields and may not be available the entire time due to an emergency happening.  Additionally, helicopter availability may be limited by the weather that day. Space is limited and will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

Gov. Shapiro Appoints Lt. Governor Austin Davis Chairman of the PCCD (March 4, 2023)

On February 28, 2023, Governor Josh Shapiro announced he is appointing Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis as the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). The Shapiro-Davis Administration has made public safety a top priority, working to invest in the safety of our children, families, and neighbors.

Then-Montgomery County Commissioner Shapiro served as Chairman of the PCCD from 2015 to 2017 and served on the Commission from 2011 to 2017. Governor Shapiro believes that all Pennsylvanians, no matter their background, want and deserve a criminal justice system that keeps our communities safe and enforces the laws in a fair and consistent manner.

“I am proud to appoint Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis to lead the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency,” said Governor Shapiro. “For far too long, too many communities have been forgotten and left out of the conversation in Harrisburg. Every Pennsylvanian deserves to be safe and feel safe in their communities and together, Lieutenant Governor Davis and I will work to support the work of law enforcement, invest in our communities, promote anti-violence initiatives and youth programming, and pursue smart reforms to keep people safe across the Commonwealth.”

“A shooting in my neighborhood in McKeesport is what first spurred me to action and called me to public service, back when I was still in high school,” said Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis. “Now it’s 18 years later, and this work is more important than ever. As Lieutenant Governor, I will not allow politics to stand in the way of progress on this issue. Our children are counting on us to get this done. I’m honored that the Governor has put his trust in me to lead the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. We will bring together the top experts, use the latest research, and study best practices from across the country with the goal of preventing gun violence.”

As Chairman, Lieutenant Governor Davis will work to invest in services for Pennsylvania’s youth and violence prevention initiatives and will help drive investment into communities that have been left behind for far too long.

The PCCD serves as the justice planning and policymaking agency for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. By bringing together a wide range of experts in the fields of criminal and juvenile justice, victim services, and related professions, PCCD finds and implements violence prevention solutions. Click to view the PRESS RELEASE.

PA DHS Stands Ready To Help Pennsylvanians With Federal Changes To Medicaid Renewals (March 4, 2023)

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh has affirmed in an op-ed that the Shapiro Administration is ready for the upcoming federal changes to Medicaid renewals that will take effect April 1, 2023. 

Medicaid recipients are required to renew their coverage every year in order to keep their coverage. Under federal rules during the pandemic, DHS still sent annual renewals to recipients but their health coverage did not change even if they became ineligible; this is known as continuous coverage.

A recent federal law has ended this temporary requirement that allowed coverage to continue. Starting on April 1, Medicaid recipients will need to, once again, begin completing annual renewals on-time to maintain their coverage. All Medicaid recipients will need to go through a renewal process around the time of their normal renewal date in the next 12 months to determine if they are still eligible for Medicaid. In some cases, DHS will use recent available case data to automatically complete the renewal. Those households will receive a letter affirming that their renewal is complete and they are eligible for another year of coverage. When that information is not available, DHS will send renewal information to ouseholds which must be completed and returned to DHS within a specified timeframe. 

Acting Secretary Arkoosh emphasized that, despite the April 1 effective date for the end of continuous coverage, no Pennsylvanian will automatically lose their health coverage without first having an opportunity to renew or update their case. She also called on Pennsylvanians to help DHS spread the word in their communities using resources like flyers, social media posts, and web graphics, that are available on the DHS website.

Read Acting Secretary Arkoosh’s op-ed by clicking Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Pa. is ready to help with Medicaid changes. We need your help too.

PDE Informs LEAs of State-imposed Requirements Not Required by IDEA (February 26, 2023)

On February 23, 2023, PDE BSE Director Carole L. Clancy sent a PennLink Message to all LEAs titled Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: State Regulations that Exceed Federal Requirements. The message states that “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended, requires the Pennsylvania Department of Education to identify in writing to local educational agencies (LEAs) regulations, rules, and policies that are state-imposed requirements and not required by IDEA and its regulations (20 USC §1407 (a) (2)). This notice fulfills the requirement to distribute an updated list of state-imposed requirements that exceed IDEA and its regulations.”

To visit the PAPSA website to access a list of regulations, rules, and policies that are state-imposed requirements and not required by IDEA and its regulations, click here.