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| Weekly Roundup |
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The latest news from the State Capitol |
Protecting Children from Horrors of Abuse
In response to two state appellate court cases, legislation will be before the governor in the coming days to ensure that certain sexual offenders continue to be required to register their whereabouts.
House Bill 1952 seeks to expand upon Act 10 of 2018, which re-implemented the Adam Walsh Act, commonly known as Megan’s Law. Both House Bill 1952 and Act 10 were needed to close any loopholes that may have allowed sexual offenders who were convicted before 2012 to skip the registration process.
Specifically, the legislation conforms the Adam Walsh Act (Megan’s Law) to a decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and requires those sex offenders who have not yet finished their period of registration to continue to register with the Pennsylvania State Police.
The overall legislation seeks to put back in place the important safety net to protect Pennsylvania’s children from dangerous sex offenders.
More information about Megan’s Law is available here.
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Better Informing Parents of Child Care Quality
To better educate parents about the choices and quality of child care options, the House Children and Youth Committee last week advanced bipartisan legislation to publicly post information about a child care center’s quality.
House Bill 1742, which now goes to the full House for consideration, would require all state-licensed child care centers to post their Keystone STARS rating in a prominent location, on their websites, and in informational enrollment and application materials given to parents.
The Keystone STARS program, operated by the state Office of Child Development and Early Learning within the Department of Human Services, sets quality requirements for early childhood educators based on a four-star rating system. All licensed child care centers that meet the state’s health and safety requirements are required to be part of the Keystone STARS system.
The Keystone STARS performance standards are grouped into four levels. The standards address staff qualifications and professional development, early learning programs, partnerships with family and the community, and leadership and management.
The overall intent is to encourage low-rated child care centers to improve their programs.
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Celebrating State Park System’s 125th Anniversary
In keeping with Pennsylvania’s long history of conservation, House Resolution 901 was unanimously adopted by the state House last week to recognize the 125th anniversary of the state park system, which is operated by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The first State Forest Reserve was established with the purchase by the Commonwealth of 7,000 acres in Clinton County at the end of the 19th century. Today, 2.2 million acres of forestland, in 49 of our 67 counties, are sustainably managed by DCNR. The parks offer a variety of activities, including hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, boating and picnicking.
Also in 1893, the Commonwealth set aside the hallowed land of Valley Forge, the site of the third winter encampment of Gen. George Washington’s Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, thereby creating the first state park in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth presented that park to the federal government as a gift for the nation’s bicentennial in 1976, but 121 other state parks have been created on nearly 300,000 acres of land in the intervening 125 years since its creation.
The resolution also commemorated the internationally recognized conservation efforts initiated in the Commonwealth by the General Assembly and Gov. Robert Pattison in 1893, and the contributions of Gifford Pinchot, Rachel Carson and many other individuals to promote and preserve the Commonwealth’s resources in the 125 years since.
More information about the state parks is available here.
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Download PA’s Happy Traveler Guide for Summer Fun
Pennsylvania has thousands of places for summer fun, and the state’s official travel guide, the Happy Traveler Guide, is available for downloading online here.
Categorized by region, the guide includes nearly 100 pages of attractions, lodging options, dining and many other recreational activities, stretching from Lake Erie to the City of Brotherly Love. The attractions are specially marked for these traveler categories: adventure, arts and culture, family, foodie, history buff, party animal and shopper.
Tourism is one of Pennsylvania’s largest industries, generating more than $40 billion annually from visitor spending and supporting nearly half a million jobs. Each year, Pennsylvania hosts almost 200 million travelers from across the United States, nearly 2 million visitors from Canada and 1 million from overseas markets.
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| Office Locations |
| 300 Old Pond Road, Suite 205A, Bridgeville, PA 15017 | Phone: (412) 221-5110 |
| 200 Senior Way, Burgettstown, PA 15021 I Phone: (724) 947-4471 |
| Room 125B, East Wing, PO Box 202046, Harrisburg PA 17120-2046 | (717) 787-1281 |
| Email: jortitay@pahousegop.com |
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