Good weekend to all.
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry announced earlier this week that $2.5 million in federal funding is available to community organizations for efforts to educate and connect underserved Pennsylvanians with the Commonwealth unemployment compensation system.
…”Not everyone, in times of need, is aware of our services or is unable to access them”, Secretary of the Department of Labor and Industry Jennifer Berrier said in a statement.
In June, Pennsylvania was one of seven states to receive funding under a federal competitive grant program to “support the efforts of partner organizations to reduce disparities in unemployment benefits and services.”
Funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act Unemployment Insurance Navigator Grants.
“With this federal grant, L&I and its community partners will work to break down barriers faced by historically marginalized communities and ensure that all eligible workers, regardless of background, receive the support they need to overcome. economic difficulties. These federal dollars will reinforce the Wolf administration’s commitment to developing true equity in access to Pennsylvania’s UC system,” Berrier said.
The department said the UC Navigator grant is designed to improve UC access, specifically for immigrants and refugees in Pennsylvania’s largest urban centers – Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, people in low-income communities with limited access to or familiarity with technology, and people with disabilities.
The ministry said the funds given to community organizations can be used for outreach and education efforts, such as courses, workshops, seminars, educational materials, personnel, training and vendor costs for translation, printing and mailing services.
The deadline for organizations to apply for UC Navigator grant funding is August 22, 2022, at 4 p.m.
As always, the top five stories from this week are below.
1. New Pa. Budget Includes $140 Million Increase to State Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program
Inflation is causing price hikes across Pennsylvania, but the new state budget seeks to alleviate a cost for the elderly and disabled.
The $45.2 billion state budget that Governor Tom Wolf signed into law last week, providing for a $140 million increase in the state’s property tax/rent rebate program, an action which will increase payments by 70% for one year.
Pennsylvanians living with a disability, widows age 50 and older, and general residents age 65 or older may qualify. The program has income limits, excluding half of Social Security income, for landlords with annual incomes of less than $35,000 or renters who earn less than $15,000 per year.
2. As GOP lawmaker amplifies call for electoral reform, state officials push back against misinformation
With hotly contested and closely watched elections for the U.S. Senate and governor about three months away, Pennsylvania officials are pushing back against misinformation about voting arrangements they say damages public confidence in the process. .
At the same time, a growing whirlwind of litigation has created uncertainty about the future of the most important addition to Pennsylvania’s ballot access in decades.
Three separate lawsuits in the U.S. Supreme Court, Pennsylvania Supreme Court and Commonwealth Court are challenging the validity of the 2019 law that allowed Pennsylvania voters to vote by mail without an excuse. The state Supreme Court is set to rule on the law’s constitutionality.
3. Pa.Rep. Dean: Trump should face criminal charges for role in Capitol insurgency
A Pennsylvania lawmaker who took part in former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial says the Republican should be ‘held accountable by the rule of law’ for inciting a crowd of his supporters to march on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results.
Trump “gathered the crowd, lit the fuse, and sent them down Pennsylvania Avenue,” and did nothing to stop them for more than three hours as rioters battled with US Capitol and Washington D.C. police and were rampaging through the Capitol sending members of Congress, their staff and former Vice President Mike Pence fleeing for their lives, U.S. Representative Madeleine Dean said Monday.
4.Senate 5 Pa races to watch in 2022 | Analysis
The eyes of the nation are on the high-profile, high-stakes Commonwealth races for U.S. Senate, House and Governor – but majority rule in Washington, D.C. and the executive mansion are not the only things to win in this year’s general election.
Republicans have held a majority in both houses of the General Assembly since 2011. Previously, Democrats held a slim majority in the House from 2007 to 2010. As the two parties vie for power in Harrisburg, multiple races could have a major impact on the composition of the legislature – and its relationship with a new governor.
5. Mastriano courting voters on Gab pushes GOP further right, experts say
Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano’s use of the far-right social media platform Gab.com to engage potential voters is a step towards the extremism that more moderate members of the Republican Party have claimed. responsibility to repudiate, according to political and internet experts.
Mastriano paid $5,000 for campaign advice to Gab.com, according to his campaign finance reports filed in May. Gab was the site where a gunman posted anti-Semitic screeds before the October 2018 shooting when he allegedly killed 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
And this is the week. We’ll see you here next week.
