Joining forces to improve maternal health; new unclaimed property program

Joining forces to improve maternal health; new unclaimed property program – and more!

Rep. Arvind Venkat January 31, 2025 | 1:58 PM

Celebrating Excellence in Education

Veena and I had a wonderful time at last week’s North Allegheny School District Distinguished Alumni Gala, where I had the honor of presenting House of Representatives citations to honorees together with my colleague, state Rep. Jeremy Shaffer. Thank you to the North Allegheny Foundation for this great event that highlights excellence in the school district!

New Funding for Construction, Renovation Projects

I’m excited to announce $200,000 in new grant money coming back to our district, including $100,000 to the Avonworth Historical Society and $100,000 to Ohio Township to help fund construction of a new EMS facility. I was proud to join bipartisan colleagues in the state Senate to advocate for the facility funding. You can read more about both grants here.

Spreading the Word about Medical Debt Relief

No Pennsylvanian should ever have to choose between paying for basic living expenses and visiting their doctor, but our current system forces many people to make that choice. I am proud to lead the bipartisan effort in our legislature to make medical debt relief a reality in Pennsylvania, and I want to thank 90.5 WESA for highlighting the importance of this issue.

This Week in Harrisburg

Earlier this week, the House Agriculture Committee approved a bill I introduced with state Rep. Natalie Mihalek that would require restaurants and other retail food establishments to implement food allergy safety measures. These allergies are an epidemic both here in PA and throughout the nation. Our bill – which would introduce commonsense safety measures to reverse that trend – now heads to the state House for consideration. Visit this page to hear my committee remarks.

Also this week at the state Capitol, I joined my fellow members of the PA Women's Health Caucus and the PA Black Maternal Health Caucus to outline important policy priorities for the new session. As a physician-legislator, I am committed to protecting all forms of reproductive health care in our state, including abortion rights, and to addressing the crisis in maternal and infant health outcomes.

In other news, I joined bipartisan and bicameral colleagues, along with members of the business and labor communities, to launch the Pennsylvania Competitiveness Caucus. The caucus will work to ensure that PA has the right economic climate to foster economic growth, thriving businesses, and strong opportunities for workers and their families.

Keystone State ChalleNGe Academy Is Accepting Applications
for the Summer

The Keystone State ChalleNGe Academy is accepting applications for its next class of cadets, which begins in July 2025. There is no tuition, and meals, housing, uniforms, and school supplies are provided at no charge.

The program is designed to give academically challenged PA teens aged 16 to 18 a second chance to obtain their basic education and learn leadership, self-discipline, and responsibility. Visit this page to learn more and apply.

New Money Match Program Can Put Cash in Your Mailbox

The new PA Money Match law I supported allows the state Treasury to automatically return certain unclaimed property. Eligible properties must be valued at $500 or less and belong to a single owner. People with eligible properties will receive a letter in the mail to confirm their address; then, about 45 days later, they’ll receive a check for their property.

You can read more about the new program here and visit this page to search for unclaimed property. My office can also help you search!