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Capitol Report
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#Listrak\DateStampLong#
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The latest news from the State Capitol
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Please do not reply directly to this email, as it returns to an unmanned account.
You are welcome to contact me through this link.
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I would like to extend the warmest holiday wishes to you and your family. May you have a wonderful and safe season that is full of peace and cheer.
My district office will be closed Wednesday, Dec. 24 through Friday, Dec. 26, and also Wednesday, Dec. 31 and Thursday, Jan. 1.
PennDOT Driver License Centers will be closed Thursday, Dec. 25, for Christmas Day and Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, for New Year’s Day. Customers may still obtain a variety of driver and vehicle products and services online through PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website.
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District Happenings
Be sure to check out my Facebook page for a recap of all district events and celebrations, including the ribbon-cutting ceremonies to welcome two businesses to the area:
• Northwell Health to the District
• Northeast Regional Crisis Stabilization Center
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PA Budget Invests in Reading Education
With only about one-third of our fourth graders reading at grade level in Pennsylvania, this year’s state budget makes a $10 million investment in improving literacy education.
The 2025-26 Public School Code will require school entities – including school districts, intermediate units, area career and technical schools, charter schools, cyber charter schools and regional charter schools – to use evidence-based reading instruction, screen students early and intervene when a child is struggling.
The changes must be in place by the beginning of the 2027-28 school year.
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Fairness in Women’s Sports Update
House Republicans are still working to protect the rights of girls and women to compete on a level playing field by prohibiting biological males from participating in women’s sports.
And Majority House Democrats are still too afraid to call it up for a vote.
This week, the House Education Committee again dodged a vote by re-referring two bills to address this issue – the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act (House Bill 158) and the Dads Defending Daughters bill (House Bill 1849) – to the House Judiciary Committee. This is NOT a judiciary issue but is being done solely to avoid a discharge resolution that would force the committee to bring the bills up for a vote.
Polls indicate 80% of people, regardless of political party, support women’s sports being for biological women only. Athletic competitions give women the opportunity to demonstrate their strength and skill, while also providing opportunities for recognition ranging from accolades to college scholarships. We owe it to our female athletes to ensure these rights and opportunities are protected.
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Help Kids Protect Their Devices
Online safety starts with protecting your kids’ devices from hackers and scammers.
The Federal Trade Commission offers these steps to help keep kids safer and encourages parents to teach their children about how to secure their devices and build good online habits:
• Set automatic updates on phones, tablets and laptops to protect your kids’ apps, web browsers and operating systems.
• Use strong passwords. Make sure your kids’ accounts and devices are protected by unique passwords. Consider helping teenagers set up and use a password manager, or the device’s password generator. Remind them not to leave devices unattended in public places.
• Secure your home wi-fi network. Change your router’s default name and password. Turn off remote management, and log out as the administrator once the router is set up.
• Use parental controls to help reinforce good online habits and create safer spaces for kids to learn and play online. And, to have a better handle on what kids might be spending online, consider using parental controls to disable in-app purchases or require a password for all purchases on phones or tablets.
Learn more information about protecting kids online while enhancing their safety, privacy and healthy development at ftc.gov/KidsOnline.
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