Wonderful Winterfest; Excited for Session; Winter Safety; December Deadlines

Rep. Arvind Venkat December 13, 2024 | 2:26 PM

Around the District

McCandless Winterfest was fun for the whole family! Thank you to town officials and staff, first responders, and everyone else who worked to make this another great community event!

I want to thank the professors and students in the graduate nursing program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing for inviting me to speak about public policy advocacy for nurses. As a physician-legislator, I strongly believe we need more political engagement by health professionals, and I am proud to support nursing students in that process.

I recently joined PA House and PA Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle for a productive meeting organized by the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. As a physician-legislator, I am committed to developing the life sciences economy in southwestern Pennsylvania, and the meeting helped me learn more about regional opportunities in the field. Visit this page to learn more about this industry in PA.

Excited for a New Session

As we gear up for the start of the 2025-26 PA House Legislative Session, I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass bills aimed at making life safer, more promising, and more affordable for Pennsylvanians.

I’ll also continue working to pass my bills to alleviate medical debt, strengthen food allergy safety protections, better protect against the deadly dangers of fentanyl, and expand health care access by removing practice obstacles for physician assistants and other professionals. I’ll keep you posted on activity in the PA House – watch for updates in future e-newsletters!

Are You Prepared for a Winter Weather Emergency?

This time of year, it’s a good idea to make sure that your home and car are stocked with winter weather emergency supplies. Visit this page for a list of helpful items and other tips to stay prepared.

Need Health Insurance? Apply by Dec. 15 for Coverage Starting Jan. 1!

Open Enrollment in Pennie – the state’s private health insurance marketplace – is going on now through Jan. 15. During this time, you can sign up for low-cost, high-quality health insurance. If you apply by Dec. 15, you can get health coverage beginning Jan. 1. If you apply by Jan. 15, you can get coverage beginning Feb. 1.

Monthly coverage costs may be less than you think. To learn more, visit this page.

Dec. 31 is the Deadline to Apply for a Property Tax/Rent Rebate

Seniors and disabled residents – please be aware that Dec. 31 is the deadline to apply for a rebate on property taxes or rent paid in 2023.

The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program is available for income-eligible seniors 65 or older, widows or widowers 50 or older, and residents with a disability 18 or older. I recently voted to expand the program, which now provides larger rebates and is available to both homeowners and renters earning less than $45,000 annually. (Half of Social Security income is excluded for income calculation purposes.)

You can learn more about the program here and apply online here. For help filing your application, contact my office or call the Department of Revenue at 1-888-222-9190. If you have already applied, you can track the status of your rebate here.

This holiday season, police departments in our area are gathering gifts for the annual Presents from Police Program. Gifts will go to the Sunrise School, the Children's Institute, and Children's Hospital. Please make sure all gifts are new, unwrapped toys still in the box.

State Grant Opportunities

Please be aware that the latest state grant openings are available at this page, and a link to the state’s new grant-finding tool is available here.

As always, if you need assistance with any state-related matter, please don’t hesitate to contact my office. Also, please take note of our upcoming holiday hours, above. Although our office will be operating by appointment only from Dec. 26 to Dec. 31, my talented staff is still available to assist during that time. Just call or email to see how we can help.