WISHING YOU A HAPPY & SAFE FOURTH OF JULY

This Fourth of July, we celebrate the generations of Americans who built, protected, and strengthened our nation — from those who sacrificed to preserve our freedoms to the everyday heroes who make our communities better places to call home.

Here in Erie County, we’re proud to honor our history, celebrate our shared story, and continue building a stronger future together.

Happy Independence Day + happy 250th birthday, America!

If you're looking for events happening here at home, you can find details on Erie’s July Fourth events here.

STATE BUDGET UPDATE

For the fourth consecutive year, the Republican-controlled state Senate failed to deliver an on-time state budget by the June 30th deadline.

The House did its job by passing a budget bill and sending it to the Senate back in April. Instead of staying in Harrisburg to finish the job, Senate Republicans packed up and went home Tuesday, leaving Pennsylvanians, schools, local governments, nonprofits, and businesses facing continued uncertainty.

When there’s work left to do, you stay until it’s done. We were elected to do a job – not to put summer vacation ahead of our responsibilities.

EXTREME HEAT IS NO JOKE

Take a few simple steps to protect yourself and those around you:

🥤Stay hydrated.

☀️Limit time in direct sunlight.

✅Check on seniors, neighbors, and vulnerable loved ones.

👕Wear lightweight clothing.

🚸Never leave children or pets in a parked vehicle—even for a minute.

Know the warning signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. If someone becomes confused, loses consciousness, or has a body temperature above 103°F, call 911 immediately.

BRIG NIAGARA HOMECOMING

You can find the details on the homecoming events on the Brig of Niagara here.

PROTECTING PETS IN HOT WEATHER

Hot weather can be dangerous for pets. As one of the original authors of Act 10 of 2017 (Libre's Law), which strengthened Pennsylvania's animal cruelty laws, I encourage everyone to know the law and take a few extra steps to keep their pets safe this summer.

Pennsylvania law requires dogs tethered outdoors to have access to water and shade and limits tethering to 30 minutes when temperatures reach 90°F or higher. Law enforcement officers can also rescue pets left in dangerously hot vehicles. Animal neglect can result in fines, criminal charges, forfeiture of the animal, and even jail time.

Remember:

💧Keep fresh water available.

🌳Limit excessive outdoor activity and seek shade.

♨️Test the pavement — if it’s too hot for your hand for 7 seconds, it’s too hot for your pet’s paws.

🚗NEVER leave a pet (or anyone) in a parked car.

Please spread the word.

SAVE THE DATE, AUG. 17

Join us next month on Monday, August 17th from 9 a.m. to noon for a one-stop-shop event connecting seniors, caregivers, and families with valuable resources, services, health information, veteran benefits, technology assistance, consumer protection support, and so much more.

Last year’s event brought out more than 1,400 attendees, and we’re looking forward to making this year even bigger and better.

Bayfront Convention Center
1 Sassafras Pier
Erie, PA 16507

Please spread the word, or contact my office if your organization would like to participate.

HOW WE VOTED

The House returned to Harrisburg each week in June, and the House will return to Harrisburg at the call of the Speaker. While the House passed a bipartisan budget bill in April, Senate Republicans left town Tuesday after failing to agree on or pass a budget.

The House passed numerous bills this week. We passed HB 2014 to increase opportunities for minors in emergency services; HB 2037 to prohibit public officials and direct family members from benefitting financially from cryptocurrency, meme coin, NFT and stablecoin; HB 2512 to ensure rideshare fair pricing; HB 2359 to ensure transparency in data center development and limit non-disclosure agreements; HB 2558 freed broadcast workers from suppression of wages and stifling career growth by prohibiting non-compete agreements.

You can see how we voted on all bills this week by going here.

STATEWIDE WORK WITH POLICY COMMITTEE

As Chairman of the PA House Democratic Policy Committee and a member of the House Majority Leadership team, I travel across the state with the Policy Committee to hear from workers, seniors, advocates, business leaders, and officials on emerging issues and initiatives. We examine how policies are working for people across the state and identify opportunities to advance reforms that would help even more residents.

The committee has held 71 hearings, hosted by 49 different leaders, across 47 neighborhoods so far, this legislative session.

UP NEXT: The committee kicks off eight weeks of summer and fall travel when we host events in Allegheny County from July 20-22.

AMERICA 250 EVENTS IN ERIE

This year’s America250PA celebration events began this month. The celebration continues with an August event:

🎉 The America250 Birthday Bash on the Bayfront on August 21st

Additional events throughout the year will feature library reading challenges, local history programming, trivia nights, and more as Erie County celebrates our shared history while bringing communities together for the future.

You can learn more and stay updated by visiting eriecounty250.org.

America250PA, alongside partners throughout Pennsylvania and across the nation, is rolling out free and low-cost activations to help communities celebrate the U.S. Semiquincentennial this summer.

Learn more about these activations here.

FIGHTING FOR AFFORDABILITY

The House Majority Leadership team is committed to fighting for a Pennsylvania we can all afford. Since taking control of the House, we have passed seven tax cuts.

We aren't afraid to roll up our sleeves and get to work. That means putting in the long hours in Harrisburg, even when Senate Republicans go home on a Tuesday, as they did this week. It also means traveling across the state, as House Majority Leader Matt Bradford did last month, to meet with workers and industry leaders and hear directly from them about the issues affecting their communities.

WE ARE READY TO HELP YOU

So far this year my dedicated team closed more than 7,100 cases. We have completed nearly 650 Property Tax & Rent Rebates, returning $420,000 to the region. If you need help filing your Property Tax/Rent Rebate, trust the professionals — we’re here to make it easy.

Stop by our Millcreek office or contact us if you have questions. A member of my team can also be reached at the Fairview Township Building on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

MY OFFICE CAN HELP YOU

If you need assistance with state programs, my office can help!

Last year, we:

helped 1,200+ people apply for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program,
resolved 4,500+ issues with PennDOT, and
completed 38,000+ items of casework.

Trust the professionals! Bring your issues to my team, we can help.