Dear Friends,
This week, both the House and Senate wrapped up our respective series’ of Appropriations Hearings in the Capitol to get a better understanding of the Governor’s proposed budget and the individual Departments’ and Agency’s budget requests. It’s been a long four weeks filled with a lot of information and research, but this exercise will no doubt help form our work together with the Administration and the Departments to craft a fiscally sound and historic budget.
This week, I attended the hearings for the Department of Labor & Industry, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and the Department of General Services (DGS)/Office of the Budget. Below, you view my exchanges with the representatives of the respective departments to discuss matters important to my constituents.
Department of Labor & Industry
- I asked Secretary of Labor & Industry Jennifer Berrier about money spent to upgrade the UC system and their ability to help our constituents with issues receiving their unemployment.
- In a second round, I asked about ventilation in schools.
Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs
- I spoke with our Adjutant General Mark Schindler of the Pennsylvania National Guard about education opportunities for our current and prospective guard members.
Department of General Services/Office of the Budget
- I asked DGS Secretary Curt Topper about the status of our statewide ventilation systems and asked Budget Secretary Greg Thal about budget projections.
I appreciate you taking the time to read my summaries, and definitely took this process in stride as it was my last opportunity to ask budget questions as your Senator.
CONTACT: Lidia Di Fiore ldifiore@pasen.gov (215) 541-2388