Capitol Update by Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint)
 FacebookWebsiteBioLatest NewsState FormsPhoto GalleryContactCapitol Update Thursday, October 12, 2023 The latest news from the State Capitol You are welcome to contact me through this link. Happy 70th Anniversary!  Congratulations to Bill and Carla Shaffer of Eldred who celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this week! The Shaffers were married on Oct. 10, 1953, in Portville, NY. They have five children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. I was honored to present them with a congratulatory citation from the House of Representatives. Happy Anniversary to this special couple! Join Me for the Potter County Senior Citizens Expo TOMORROW  Please join us TOMORROW, Friday, Oct. 13, for the Potter County Senior Citizens Expo! Open to senior citizens and their family members and caregivers, the event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Roulette Fire Hall, 12 River St., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is free to attend, and lunch will be provided. State, county and local exhibitors will be on hand to distribute information and answer questions about a variety of issues. Health screenings will also be offered, and door prize drawings will be held at 12:30 p.m. This is the final expo of the year so you don’t want to miss it! PLEASE NOTE: Due to the expo, my offices in Bradford and Coudersport will be closed all day on Friday, Oct. 13. The office in Kane will remain open and may be reached by calling 814-837-0880. Is Your License Plate Unreadable? We’ll Help You Replace It!  If you are dealing with an unreadable license plate on your vehicle, please join us on Thursday, Oct. 26, for an event to help you get that plate replaced at NO CHARGE. The event will be from 4-7 p.m. at the Lewis Run Volunteer Fire Department, 46 Main St., Lewis Run. State law requires PennDOT to replace license plates that are deemed illegible at no cost to the vehicle owner. A plate is considered illegible when one or more numbers or letters cannot be recognized from 50 feet away, typically due to blistering, peeling, discoloration, loss of reflectivity or other damage. The McKean County Sheriff’s Office will be on hand to view driver’s plates, and if the plates are deemed illegible, paperwork to start the replacement process will be completed. Those who plan to attend should bring their vehicle with the affected plate attached, along with their unexpired PA driver’s license and current vehicle registration card. Registration is requested and may be completed online at www.RepCauser.com/Events or by calling the Bradford office at 814-362-4400. FCI McKean Job Fair Oct. 26 Looking for work in the public safety sector? The CareerLink office in Bradford is hosting a job fair for positions at FCI McKean on Thursday, Oct. 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Check out the flyer for details.  Mt. Jewett Earns Grant for Main Street Park Project  Mt. Jewett Borough has been awarded a grant of $179,200 for its ongoing work to create the Main Street Plaza Pocket Park. The park project will involve rehabilitating a vacant lot downtown to include an outdoor amphitheater, accompanied by a patio/seating area. A comfort station with restrooms will also be installed for use by local patrons. The goal is to bring people downtown and encourage the development of other vacant buildings nearby. This is another great investment in the Mt. Jewett community that supports a project to further capitalize on the recreational opportunities available in and around the town. I commend local officials and volunteers for their hard work and vision. The grant was awarded through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnership Program. The borough previously received a $120,000 grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority. Scam Alert! Beware the ‘Phantom Hacker’  Senior citizens and all Pennsylvanians are being warned to be on the lookout for a new scam called “The Phantom Hacker,” which involves convincing victims that their financial accounts have been hacked. According to the FBI, perpetrators of the Phantom Hacker scheme gain the trust of victims in three phases: First, they pose as a tech support representative and convince the victim to download a piece of software. Then they call a second time, pretending to be from the victim’s bank or another financial institution. Finally, they claim to be an employee of a federal agency. The goal of the scam is to convince people to move their money into an “alias” account, where the scammers can steal it. The scam can include emails, texts, phone calls and even letters sent via the U.S. Postal Service. All Pennsylvanians should be extremely cautious when receiving unsolicited texts, phone calls or emails which could lead scammers straight to your bank account. Think twice before providing any personal information. If you are at all suspicious, call your financial institution directly using a phone number you know to be affiliated with the institution. Victims are urged to report any fraudulent or suspicious activities to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov. Suspected fraud can also be reported at www.ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Medicare Annual Open Enrollment Begins Oct. 15  The Pennsylvania Department of Aging is reminding older adults the annual open enrollment period for Medicare beneficiaries begins this Sunday, Oct. 15, and continues through Thursday, Dec. 7. Any new coverage selected or changes to existing benefits will take effect Jan. 1, 2024. During open enrollment, new Medicare beneficiaries can sign up for Medicare prescription drug coverage and health plans to complement Medicare, and current Medicare beneficiaries can review and join, switch or drop Medicare Advantage or prescription drug coverage so it better meets their needs. To help Medicare beneficiaries understand their options, the department offers free, objective health benefits counseling through Pennsylvania Medicare Education and Decision Insight (PA MEDI). Available at Pennsylvania’s 52 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), PA MEDI counselors can assist Medicare beneficiaries with plan comparisons, help with enrollment in a new plan, and evaluate eligibility for any of Pennsylvania’s Medicare cost-savings programs. To learn more about PA MEDI assistance, click here. PA MEDI can also be reached at 1-800-783-7067 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Older adults may also call their local Area Agency on Aging for assistance. Click here for a link to contact information. |