Senator Stefano E-Newsletter

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In this Update:

  • Investing in the Future of Agriculture
  • More Than $8 Million Coming to Local Projects in Bedford, Fayette & Somerset Counties
  • Returning Whole Milk to Schools
  • Jan. 31 Submission Deadline for Student Anti-Litter Contest
  • PA Department of Revenue Job Openings
  • Take Part in the Wild Turkey Sighting Survey
  • National Blood Donor Month

Investing in the Future of Agriculture

Each year, the Pennsylvania Farm Show Scholarship Foundation awards funds to college students with a background in agricultural education.

This year, three scholarship recipients hail from Fayette and Somerset Counties: Elizabeth Dice of Smithfield, who is studying at Penn State Fayette; Samantha Hayman of Berlin, who is studying at Mount Aloysius College; and Lydia Sheeler of Somerset, who is studying at Potomac State College.

Congratulations to Elizabeth, Samantha and Lydia! Thank you for your commitment to moving Pennsylvania agriculture forward.

More Than $8 Million Coming to Local Projects in Bedford, Fayette & Somerset Counties

The Commonwealth Financing Authority has announced over $8 million in state funding for projects in Bedford, Fayette, and Somerset Counties through the PA Small Water and Sewer Program and the Multimodal Transportation Fund.

These grants will strengthen local infrastructure, improve public safety, and support long-term economic growth. I’m proud to work with local leaders to secure this funding and deliver lasting improvements for our communities. View this week’s press releases for a list of awardees.

Returning Whole Milk to Schools

Last June, I joined my Pennsylvania Senate colleagues in voting to approve a resolution urging Congress to pass the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. Whole milk provides 13 essential vitamins to help build strong bones and maintain a healthy immune system. The evidence is overwhelming that both 2% and whole milk should be offered to our students in schools.

We applaud the recent enactment of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act at the federal level, which allows U.S. schools to now offer whole and 2% milk as options for students, in addition to the current reduced-fat, low-fat and fat-free milk.

The bill was in response to enactment of federal legislation in 2010 that permitted only low-fat and fat-free milk options in public schools. Within the first two years of the law taking effect, 1.2 million fewer students drank milk with their lunches.

Pennsylvania ranks second in the number of dairy farms and eighth in total milk production, making this change a great positive for children while also supporting our dairy farmers!

Jan. 31 Submission Deadline for Student Anti-Litter Contest

Students in grades K–6 have until Jan. 31 to submit entries for the latest Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful “Litter Hawk” anti-litter campaign.

This year’s theme is Celebrate America250 – Keep It Beautiful, incorporating the nation’s semiquincentennial. Students can craft their message through art, writing or video.

Winners will be announced in April and will be invited to take part in a Capitol ceremony. Contest details and application can be found here.

PA Department of Revenue Job Openings

Are you good with numbers? The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue lists openings for full-time, part-time, temporary and student positions.

The department receives and collects all of the commonwealth’s General Fund tax revenue. In addition, it annually processes more than 10 million business and individual tax reports and payments.

Positions include accountants, tax examiners, research analysts, clerical assistants and others, some of them seasonal. You can review what’s currently available and subscribe for job alerts to receive automatic email notifications when new vacancies are posted in your field of interest.

Take Part in the Wild Turkey Sighting Survey

Pennsylvanians are asked to report wild turkey flocks they encounter to help the state Game Commission with winter research, population monitoring and leg-banding efforts to track survival and harvest rates.

If you’d like to take part, please report the location of any turkey flocks you see through March 15 on this webpage.

Game Commission crews will assess sites for the potential to trap turkeys. Turkeys will not be moved; they’ll simply be leg-banded and released on site. Trapping turkeys during winter is part of the Game Commission’s ongoing population monitoring.

National Blood Donor Month

The American Red Cross reports a blood shortage as requests from hospitals exceed the available supply, drawing down the blood supply by about 35% over the past month. The shortage is especially serious for platelets and type O, A negative and B negative blood.

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. It is essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses and traumatic injuries. Whether a patient receives whole blood, red cells, platelets or plasma, this lifesaving relies on friends and neighbors making donations.

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