Senator Pennycuick E-Newsletter

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In this Update:

  • Pennycuick, Mensch and Mackenzie Present ‘PerkUp’ with $10,000 Verizon Grant
  • PennDOT Awards $3 million to Improve Mobility on Route 29
  • Measures Taken to Prevent Tax Hikes and Create Jobs
  • Appropriations Monthly Update Highlights Five-Year Budget Outlook, Inflation
  • Reports Outline Natural Gas Costs and Readiness this Winter
  • Making the Holidays Brighter for Military Families and Veterans
  • Celebrating and Protecting Our Bill of Rights
  • Happy Hanukkah 

Pennycuick, Mensch and Mackenzie Present ‘PerkUp’ with $10,000 Verizon Grant

Senator-Elect Tracy Pennycuick (R-24) ​was joined this week (12/14) by former Senator Bob Mensch, Representative Milou Mackenzie (R-131), and the Upper Perkiomen Valley Chamber of Commerce,​in the presenting of a Verizon Foundation grant in the amount of $10,000 for the ‘PerkUp’ Education Initiative.

‘PerkUp’ is a comprehensive community and economic development plan designed to broadly address the needs of the Upper Perkiomen Valley. This grant, contributed by one of its many partners, is intended to assist in the goal of providing local educational opportunities.

“A good education is both the most valuable investment and foundation for the future, said Senator-Elect Tracy Pennycuick. “We need to invest in our children and ensure they are given the opportunities they need in order to prosper. It is great to see such a collaborative effort working towards one common goal; seeing our children and communities thrive.”

Although ‘PerkUp’ is now its own 501(c)3 corporation, their leadership and goals are still supported by the UPV Chamber. Education has always been a priority for The Chamber, but ‘PerkUp’ has allowed for it to serve as a focal point for its efforts made towards enhancing educational opportunities.

Pictured from left to right: Michele Fillippo (PerkUp Project Coordinator), Representative Milou Mackenzie (R-131), Robert McGucklin (Verizon Representative), Senator Elect-Tracy Pennycuick, Former Senator Bob Mensch, and Leanne Engle (Executive Director of the Upper Perkiomen Valley Chamber of Commerce).

PennDOT Awards $3 million to Improve Mobility on Route 29

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has awarded a $3,239,911 contract to H & K Group, Inc. in Skippack, PA, to improve mobility on Route 29 (Main Street) between 10th Street and 11th Street in Pennsburg and Red Hill boroughs, Montgomery County.

Under this contract, PennDOT’s contractor will remove the superstructure and its upper portion of the existing 94-year-old Route 29 (Main Street) bridge over the former abandoned Perkiomen Railroad. This will eliminate the thru girder beams at the edge of the travel lanes to help elevate crashes and improve safety along the corridor.

Other safety features include constructing sidewalks along both sides of the roadway to improve pedestrian access; re-aligning the vertical profile to improve sight distance and reduce rear-end type crashes; and installing upgraded signage, guiderails, and pavement markings.

A detour plan will be implemented for motorists and pedestrians. To address speeding and traffic congestion near the work area, the project will include changeable message signs, speed humps, temporary traffic signals, and other measures.

The project is financed with 100% state funds, and construction is expected to begin this winter and finish in fall 2023.

Measures Taken to Prevent Tax Hikes and Create Jobs

In the 2021-22 legislative session, the General Assembly enacted measures that shielded Pennsylvanians from tax hikes and reduced the burden on job creators to bring good-paying and family-sustaining jobs to our commonwealth.

We cut the Corporate Net Income Tax to attract employers to Pennsylvania, modernized expense deductions allowing small business owners more flexibility and tax planning opportunities, and provided tax incentives for small businesses to grow and invest in Pennsylvania.

Other steps taken to expand job growth included establishing the Pennsylvania Economic Development for a Growing Economy (PA EDGE) tax credit program and other targeted initiatives directly linked to creating jobs for Pennsylvanians.

I’ll continue to work in the 2023-24 legislative session to ease the tax burden on Pennsylvania families and enact measures that promote job growth.

Appropriations Monthly Update Highlights Five-Year Budget Outlook, Inflation

Each month, the Senate Appropriations Committee provides an update on the state’s current revenue performance, as well as information on issues of financial importance for Pennsylvania in the months and years to come. These reports help inform the decisions we make in Harrisburg, while providing a critical layer of transparency for you to know how your tax dollars are being utilized.

This month’s edition highlights the state’s five-year budget outlook, as well as the impacts of inflation, the state’s new revenue reporting system, and more. Monthly Report

Reports Outline Natural Gas Costs and Readiness this Winter

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has released its 2022 Winter Readiness Overviews covering the reliability and expected cost of natural gas service this winter.

According to the Readiness Report from the Energy Association of Pennsylvania, home heating costs are expected to rise significantly over the winter, driven by an estimated 5% increase in consumption (for households that use natural gas as their primary heating fuel), along with a 28% rise in natural gas prices compared to last winter. 

Additionally, all of Pennsylvania’s major natural gas distribution companies indicated that they have sufficient supplies and procedures in place to ensure reliable natural gas service this winter. You can find details and local utility reports here.

Making the Holidays Brighter for Military Families and Veterans

Please consider making the holidays brighter for veterans, service members and their families with a tax-deductible donation to any of these support programs run by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

Military Family Relief Assistance Program provides financial assistance, in the form of grants, to eligible Pennsylvania service members and their eligible family members who have an immediate financial need based on circumstances beyond their control.

Veterans’ Trust Fund issues grants to statewide charitable organizations that assist veterans, veterans service organizations and county directors of veterans affairs to help veterans in need of shelter and necessities of living.

You can also give to Residents’ Welfare Funds at any of the DMVA’s six veterans homes to keep our residents active, healthy and engaged.

You can donate online or by mail to: DMVA Office for Veterans Affairs, Bldg. 0-47, Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA 17003-5002.

Celebrating and Protecting Our Bill of Rights

The right to free speech, the right to bear arms and eight other amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up our Bill of Rights. This week, we celebrate its Dec. 15, 1791 ratification and pledge to defend these rights forever.

Happy Hanukkah

To everyone observing Hanukkah, I hope these eight days bring you joy and a sense of rededication.

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