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| Mehaffie Message |
| The latest news from the State Capitol |
House Votes to Empower Victims
In a historic, bipartisan vote, the House passed legislation that would empower victims of sexual abuse by eliminating the criminal statute of limitations for prosecutions of sexual abuse of minors and extending the civil statute of limitations for lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of minors until the victim reaches 50 years of age. Among its most notable provisions, the House voted to open a two-year statute of limitations window for those victims claiming abuse who are beyond the age of 50. According to statistics, one-third of victims of child sex abuse disclose the incidents when they are still children, while another one-third never disclose. For the remaining one-third, studies show that the average age to disclose is 52. This legislation, Senate Bill 261, includes several of the recommendations outlined by the state attorney general after the August release of a report alleging widespread coverup of sexual abuse within the Catholic church across the state and dating back generations. The bill now goes back to the Senate for concurrence.
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Register Now for My 2018 Veterans Breakfasts
In honor of the servicemen and servicewomen of the 106th District who put their lives on the line to serve our country, I will be hosting two Veterans Breakfasts in 2018. We had such a great turnout at my 2017 breakfast that we decided to hold two events this year to ensure all interested veterans in the district can attend.
The first Veterans Breakfast is for veterans residing in continuing care communities and personal care homes only. The event will take place on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Lower Swatara Fire Department, located at 1350 Fulling Mill Road, Middletown.
The second Veterans Breakfast is open to all other veterans residing in the 106th District. It will take place on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, from 8-10 a.m., also at the Lower Swatara Fire Department.
Reservations for these events are required and can be made by contacting my Hershey office at (717) 534-1323. Accommodations will be made for disabled veterans requiring the assistance of another person.
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PA Treasury Holding Military Decorations
The Pennsylvania Treasury announced the launch of a new state website dedicated to reuniting military decorations that have been reported as unclaimed property with their rightful owners. The new search function allows users to search their names, or the name of a loved one, to see if Treasury is holding a military decoration as unclaimed property. In addition, users can look through a photo gallery featuring some of the decorations that are in the unclaimed property vault, as well as medals that have been returned to their rightful owners. Military decorations are often reported to Treasury as contents held in a safe deposit box that has gone unclaimed or abandoned. Since 2017, Treasury has returned 58 service decorations, some of which have been in Treasury’s custody for decades, including Purple Hearts, to their rightful owners. Treasury continues to search for the owners of over 500 unclaimed military awards. To search for unclaimed military decorations, click here.
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I was pleased to present a certificate of recognition to 106th District resident Carl Rohr for his recent participation in the Transplant Games of America. Carl was part of Team Pennsylvania-Philadelphia and he played pickleball, volleyball and bowling; and ran a 2K race; and took part in track and field at the games in August. He had a heart transplant in 1997.
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Organizations Given Option of Carrying EpiPens
To help save lives in emergency situations, the House unanimously approved legislation this week that would allow law enforcement and a variety of organizations and businesses to carry epinephrine auto-injectors, known as EpiPens. House Bill 126 would permit a number of entities – law enforcement, recreation camps, colleges, universities, day cares, youth sports leagues, amusement parks, restaurants, places of employment and sports arenas – to stock a supply of EpiPens in the event a patron comes in contact with an allergen and has an anaphylactic reaction, which could be fatal. Under the bill, a designated employee must receive training in how to recognize signs and symptoms of severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis; standards and procedures for the storage and administration of an epinephrine auto-injector; and emergency follow-up procedures. Immunity would be granted for those who reasonably administer the EpiPen in good faith. Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) reports that as many as 15 million individuals have food allergies, and 6 million of those individuals are children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the prevalence of food allergies in children increased by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. The bill has been sent back to the Senate for agreement.
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JT Mullins, a Hershey High School senior, served as a guest page on the floor of the House of Representatives Wednesday. As part of his duties, JT performed a number of messenger duties, transferring documents among representatives during session. Thanks for joining us for the day, JT! I hope you enjoyed the experience.
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Emergency Alert to Sound Test Next Week
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on Oct. 3. The wireless portion of the test commences at 2:18 p.m. EDT, and the EAS portion follows at 2:20 p.m. EDT. The test will assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure for distribution of a national message and determine whether improvements are needed. The WEA test message will be sent to cell phones that are connected to wireless providers participating in WEA. During this time, WEA compatible cell phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower and whose wireless provider participates in WEA should be capable of receiving the test message. Some cell phones will not receive the test message, and cell phones should only receive the message once. The EAS test is made available to EAS participants (i.e., radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers, and wireline video providers) and is scheduled to last approximately one minute. The test message will be similar to regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar. The WEA system is used to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children and other critical situations through alerts on cell phones. The national test will use the same special tone and vibration as with all WEA messages (i.e. tornado warning, AMBER Alert). Users cannot opt out of receiving the WEA test.
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Elk Cam Goes Live
The Pennsylvania Game Commission again has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, in a field that typically is a hub of elk activity as the bugling season this fall heats up. Video and sound from the camera are being live-streamed at www.pgc.pa.gov, and viewers can expect not only to see elk, but turkeys, deer and other wildlife as well. The live stream, which is provided by the Game Commission’s partner, HDOnTap, is the latest in a string of real-time wildlife-watching opportunities offered by the Game Commission. The page also contains information on Pennsylvania’s elk, where to view them and links to the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors website, which includes all sorts of helpful information for anyone visiting elk country. The live stream is slated to run until the end of the bugling season, likely sometime in mid-October. The top time to see elk on camera is late in the afternoon.
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I was pleased to welcome Speaker of the House Mike Turzai this week for tours of three wonderful institutions in the 106th District. Thank you to the Milton Hershey School, Penn State Children’s Hospital and The Vista School for taking the time to show us around and talk to us about all the great things you are doing in our community.
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Congratulations are in order for a local favorite, Kuppy's Diner, which celebrated its 85th anniversary last month! I presented a House of Representatives citation to owner, Greg Kupp. Kuppy's is truly a family business, with five generations of the Kupp family having worked at the diner. Greg and Carol Kupp are the fourth generation running the diner and their daughter, Rachel, also works there.
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I recently joined two of my House colleagues and fellow members of the Pennsylvania Nuclear Energy Caucus on a tour of Three Mile Island. Following the tour, we met with Exelon workers and had a good conversation about where things are headed with future legislation intended to preserve the positive impact nuclear energy and Three Mile Island have on our communities and the Commonwealth in general. I look forward to providing residents with more information about those efforts in the near future. Pictured (from left) are me; Rep. Dave Hickernell (R-Lancaster/Dauphin); Jeannie Morris, Exelon senior manager of state government affairs; and Rep. Frank Ryan (R-Lebanon).
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My colleague, Rep. Martina White, introduced a House resolution declaring 2018 as the “Year of the Pennsylvania Woman” to celebrate the accomplishments of the many strong and courageous women in our Commonwealth. This resolution focuses on the positive accomplishments of women achieving greatness in their fields. A “Year of the Woman” reception was recently held at the Capitol to recognize women from across the state who are doing great work in their communities and careers. I had the honor of recognizing Wendy Loranzo (pictured above). Wendy founded the Elizabeth Loranzo iCare Foundation in memory of her daughter, who died of an overdose of heroin laced with fentanyl. Through her work, she is saving lives and providing crucial support and awareness to those affected by the opioid crisis. Wendy is a true inspiration to the 106th District and to the hundreds of individuals her foundation has helped. Learn more about the iCare Foundation here.
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| Office Locations |
| 250 W. Chocolate Avenue, Suite 2 | Hershey, PA 17033 | Phone: (717) 534-1323 |
| 159-B East Wing | PO Box 202106 | Harrisburg, PA 17120-2106 | Phone: (717) 787-2684 |
| Email Address: TMehaffie@pahousegop.com |
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