Talented Student Athletes; New Scholarship Opportunities; Defending Medicaid and Public Health

Talented Student Athletes; New Scholarship Opportunities; Defending Medicaid and Public Health – and More!

Rep. Arvind Venkat February 28, 2025 | 2:24 PM

Congrats to Our Student Champs!

Talented student-athletes from our district recently distinguished themselves in wrestling and diving. Congratulations to Auston Kosanovic of the Avonworth Lopes for winning the Champion Class 2A 121lb. wrestling title –the first WPIAL individual wrestling championship in school history! Visit this page to read more.

Kudos to North Allegheny’s Maggie Lapina for winning the Class 3A title at the WPIAL//UPMC Sports Medicine Girls’ Diving Championship and to Hampton Township’s Gabby Elk for winning the Class 2A title. You can read more here.

Congratulations, also, to North Allegheny’s Ethan Maravich for winning the WPIAL Class Boys’ Diving 3A title and becoming North Allegheny’s fourth WPIAL diving champion in the 1-meter dive since 1980. Visit this page to read more.

I’m always so proud to celebrate the many accomplishments of our students at Avonworth, Hampton, and North Allegheny!

Mark Your Calendar for Our Spring Shred Event!

Keep your personal information from falling into the wrong hands by visiting our free Spring Shred event from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on March 22 at the Franklin Park Municipal Building, located at 2344 W. Ingomar Rd. We'll help you safely dispose of sensitive documents (a limit of two boxes of paper per household, please) and also be available to help with state services. Questions? Call my office at (412) 348-8028.

Talking about Career & Tech Ed, Nonprofit Power

I recently joined bipartisan colleagues at a meeting organized by Sen. Lindsey Williams and the A.W. Beattie Career Center to discuss the importance of career and technical education. Beattie serves students from nine school districts, including Avonworth, Hampton Township, and North Allegheny, and does an amazing job preparing them for in-demand careers. I am proud to support their work.

I also visited the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber with Rep. Jeremy Shaffer for a legislative panel on the relationship between state government and nonprofit organizations. Our region is fortunate to have so many of these vital community partners, which work to fight hunger, expand access to mental health resources, and connect residents with other critical services. As a physician and legislator, I am committed to ensuring these groups receive the support they need to thrive.

Ben Avon Heights Secures New Funding for Sidewalk Project

I am happy to announce that Ben Avon Heights Borough has secured $250,000 in grant funding from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for their Canterbury Road sidewalk project. I am always committed to supporting the infrastructure needs of our community in collaboration with bipartisan colleagues in the legislature. You can read more here.

Student Scholarship Programs Now Open

Applications are currently being accepted for the PA House of Representatives Scholarship Program, which is available to graduating Pennsylvania high school seniors who meet certain eligibility requirements. Awards consist of the value of one semester of tuition at the State System of High Education for each of four years. To learn more, scan the QR code above, visit this page, or contact Cindy Sullivan at (717) 236-5040, ext. 136, or csullivan@tfec.org. The deadline to apply is April 15.

In other scholarship news, the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus and the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus Foundation encourage students to apply for the James R. Roebuck Scholarship, which is designed to help students of color reach their full potential. This $1,500 scholarship is for tuition, fees, books, or school-related supplies and equipment. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 5. Visit this page for more information and to apply.

Your Tax Refund Can Help Military Families and Veterans

The state is reminding Pennsylvanians filing their 2024 personal state income taxes that they can help military personnel, veterans, and their families by donating any portion of their tax refund to Military Family Relief Assistance Program or the Veterans’ Trust Fund. You can read more at this page.

Franklin Park “Green-up Day”

Come join neighbors and members of the Franklin Park Environmental Advisory Council at Franklin Park’s “Green-up Day” on March 22. The crew will meet at 10 a.m. at Acorn Park, located at 2357 Magee Road in Sewickley, and will work to restore riparian buffers along Little Sewickley Creek by planting native plants and maintaining existing tree tubes and stakes. Visit this page to learn more and see photos from last year’s Green-up Day.

Addressing State Voting and Licensing Issues

Earlier this week, I traveled to Harrisburg for the PA Department of State budget hearing, where we discussed licensing and voting issues. As a physician-legislator, I am focused on implementing efforts to ease the entry of licensed professionals into our state and ensuring that we continue to safeguard our free, fair, and accurate elections where all eligible voters can make their voice heard.

Defending Medicaid and Public Health

The Trump Administration and Congress are considering extreme cuts in Medicaid, a joint federal-state health program that benefits millions of our fellow Pennsylvanians, particularly children, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income workers. I have heard from many members of our community regarding their great concern about, and opposition to, these proposals. I completely agree and have expressed the same.

The Trump Administration and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. have also engaged in a dangerous anti-vaccine rhetoric that is reducing trust in the critical public health intervention of immunizations. This includes cancelling FDA meetings that are needed to prepare for the next flu season’s vaccine and falsely diminishing the seriousness of the measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico where an unvaccinated child has died.

Finally, the Trump Administration is purposefully enacting barriers to the distribution of appropriated federal funds for biomedical research that directly benefits all of us. This has directly affected not only the opportunity for developing new life-saving medical treatments but also the livelihoods of members of our community who perform such research and the “Meds and Eds” economy that is at the heart of our region.

It is critical that our federal legislators, US Senators Fetterman and McCormick and Congressman Deluzio, and, through them, the Trump Administration, hear from members of the community on the impact such draconian cuts in health care would have and the need to stop the attack on public health and biomedical research. Please use this contact information above to make your voice heard.

Finding Funding and Help with State Matters

This is a reminder that the state has a handy tool to help search for grants. Visit this page to search or this page to see a list of all the latest programs.

Finally, please remember that my talented staff can help you with a wide variety of state-related matters, from filing for a Property Tax/Rent Rebate to obtaining a disability placard or senior bus pass – to name just a few. Contact us or stop by to see how we can help!