Tag Archive for: pa

Online Voter Registration (OVR)

 

Governor Tom Wolf marked the third anniversary of the inauguration of on line voter registration (OVR) in the commonwealth. The reform has made it easier and more convenient for Pennsylvanians to register to vote.

Since Aug. 27, 2015, 1,092,407 Pennsylvanians have taken advantage of online voter registration to file new voter registrations and 426,489 to make changes to their existing registrations at register.votesPA.com

Pennsylvania’s OVR system, available in English and Spanish. It is more secure because electronic applications go directly to the county voter registration office. Paper applications go through several hands before reaching the correct destination. The OVR system contains the latest in security and is constantly monitored and updated.
In addition, state and county election officials have found that electronic voter registration applications have improved accuracy, reduced time-consuming data entry and provided cost savings to the state.

October 1, 2018 was #NationalVoterRegistrationDay. Register to vote at: register.votesPA.com

*AUCP does not own the rights to this document. Adapted from PA Govenor News, posted on August 27th, 2018.

Resurface PA Initiative 2018

PennDOT has made great progress with its goals to repave work on interstates and attack potholes across Pennsylvania. PennDOT has increased the speed of it work to reach to roads and highways throughout the state that we would not have been able to reach in a regular maintenance year.”
Under the Resurface PA initiative, PennDOT will work across the state’s 40,000 miles of PennDOT-maintained roads, the nation’s fifth largest system. Altogether there are 17 interstate paving and preservation projects covering 255 miles happen at least two years sooner than scheduled, with projects beginning this year and next year. These projects, which will preserve the pavement surfaces for at least five to six years, build on the 85 interstate projects covering more than 775 miles that are underway or expected to begin or finish this year.

Motorists can report potholes and other highway-maintenance concerns on state routes at www.customercare.penndot.gov or by calling PennDOT’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-FIX-ROAD (1-800-349-7623). Be as specific as possible when providing locations of maintenance concerns. Report the county, municipality, street name, and state route number, which can be found on small black and white signs posted along state highways. In addition, a description of any familiar landmarks would be helpful for PennDOT to locate the problem area.

Maintenance concerns will be corrected as soon as possible. Emergency road repairs, such as road wash-outs, are handled on a top-priority basis.

The 1-800-FIX-ROAD number should not be used to report traffic accidents, disabled vehicles or other emergencies. Motorists should continue to call 911 to report these types of emergencies.

 

*AUCP does not own the rights to this document. Adapted from PA Govenor News, posted on September 17th, 2018.

Hurricane Florence’s Impact in Pennsylvania

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The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency supplemented staffing in the Commonwealth Response Coordination Center to monitor conditions as remnants of Hurricane Florence moved through the state and were ready to respond to resource requests from impacted counties.

We have had a historically wet year, with much of the rain coming in the last few weeks,” said Governor Wolf. “Some parts of the state were under a flash flood watch, ……….” According to the National Weather Service, periods of heavy rain could have roadway or flash flooding.
Motorists were advised to use www.511PA.com and clicking “Incidents.” 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 860 traffic cameras.

Pennsylvanians are also encouraged to follow ReadyPA on Twitter @ReadyPA and Facebook for the latest on the weather and how to prepare. PennDOT cautions motorists to never drive through flooded roadways, as it takes just two feet of fast-moving water to float a car. Anyone who drives around barriers intended to close a road can face increased penalties if emergency responders are called to rescue motorists who disregard traffic control signs.
With the consistent rain in PA, please use the information provided to make sure your future travels are risk free.

 

*AUCP does not own the rights to this document. Adapted from PA Govenor News, posted on September 17th, 2018.

Opportunities for People Using SNAP at Farmers Markets

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“A person’s diet plays a critical role in a person’s development and long-term health outcomes. Nutritious, healthy foods are less expensive than medicine, but can be as effective for preventing or managing some health conditions,” says Department of Human Services, Secretary Teresa Miller. Additionally, “Farmers markets make fresh, nutritious, locally sourced food more accessible in all communities, including traditionally under-served areas.”

SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, helping more than 1.8 million Pennsylvanians purchase food from their local grocery stores and farmers markets. Farmers markets give SNAP recipients the power to purchase nutritious, locally sourced food with their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Access cards, and some farmers markets across the state are able to accept SNAP benefits at up to double their normal value through Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) grants from the United States Department of Agriculture.
In turn, SNAP has a positive impact on state and local economies by supporting grocers and local farmers markets. Across Pennsylvania, more than 10,000 authorized retailers participate in SNAP. SNAP benefits are 100 percent federally funded.

 

*AUCP does not own the rights to this document. Adapted from The PA Department of Human Services, an article posted on August 26, 2018.

A Victory for People with Disabilities and Seniors

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Governor Tom Wolf said Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court Decision to allow his 2015 homecare executive order to proceed is a victory for seniors and people with disabilities in Pennsylvania. The decision is a victory for seniors, people with disabilities, and homecare workers. It provides choices for seniors, improves home and community-based care and attracts more qualified homecare attendants.

With Pennsylvania’s older population growing, by 2030, one in four people in the state will be age 65 and older, and half of those will need some form of daily care. To meet this need, Governor Wolf signed an executive order in January 2015 as a first step. Since the order was signed, the departments of Aging and Human Services have been successfully implementing programs to expand services for older Pennsylvanians, reduce long-term care costs and ensure seniors have choices about where to age, as well as launching an online homecare directory.

Part of this plan was the launching of Community HealthChoices (CHC) in the southwest region in January 2018. Many of you know about and are part of CHC in that region. CHC will eventually impact the lives of 420,000 Pennsylvanians, 94 percent of whom are dual eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. CHC program will be rolled out in SE Pennsylvania in 2019 and the remainder of the state in 2020.

The state’s online homecare directory, PA Link to Community Care, features service and support categories, including Advocacy, Behavioral Health, Employment, Finance, Health Care, Housing, In-Home Services, Legal, Meals, Protection from Abuse, Support Groups, and Transportation.

 

*AUCP does not own the rights to this document. Adapted a Press Release, published on August 21, 2018.