Shapiro-Davis Administration approves $13M to combat gun violence

Mar. 17—Members of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), led by chairman Lt. Governor Austin Davis, took action this week to approve $13 million in a variety of grants to combat gun violence and enhance prevention programming for Pennsylvania youth.

This included nearly $1 million for a new statewide needs assessment to understand the experiences and needs of gun violence survivors and victim service professionals, developed in response to the Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Initiative announced by Lt. Governor Davis last year.

"With the current epidemic of gun violence across Pennsylvania, it is past time to take action," said Davis, PCCD chair." Supporting gun violence victims must be central to those efforts. I look forward to reviewing the valuable information that will be gathered through the Resources for Victims of Gun Violence initiative and using the findings to create an actionable, equitable path forward for all Pennsylvanians touched by this epidemic."

Last September, PCCD's Victims' Services Advisory Committee announced the availability of $1 million in federal Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP) funds as part of a $3 million commitment to support the Resources for Victims of Gun Violence initiative.

This initial funding will be used for:

—Conducting a comprehensive needs assessment to understand the experiences and needs of gun violence victims and victim assistance professionals.

—Designing and launching a pilot strategy to establish a centralized "one-stop shop" for victims and communities impacted by gun violence, modeled after a resiliency center approach response to mass violence incidents.

—Providing gun violence victims/survivors and community members access to victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive resources to address immediate, short-, and long-term impacts of gun violence.

The Commission also approved a $10 million framework which will result in forthcoming funding for law enforcement agencies to become compliant with National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), funding to support the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS), and additional projects aligned with Pennsylvania's federal Byrne SCIP Plan to address gun violence and behavioral health needs in Pennsylvania communities.

Rep. Meuser co-sponsors legislation that

enforces U.S. sanctions on Iran, proxies

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, this week co-sponsored H.R. 6201 — the Iranian Sanctions Enforcement Act of 2023 — which would cut off Iran's funding for its terrorist proxies by equipping Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to enforce oil sanctions.

This legislation is in response to Iran having increased its oil revenue by $80 billion since 2021, which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has used to fund Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah.

Meuser said the Iranian Sanctions Enforcement Act of 2023 is set to establish the Iran Sanctions Enforcement Fund, empowering Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to enforce oil sanctions against Iran. It mandates an initial investment of $150 million into this fund, which must be repaid within a decade.

Currently, 75% of proceeds from U.S. oil seizures are allocated to the U.S. Victims of State-Sponsored Terror Fund. With the enactment of the Iranian Sanctions Enforcement Act, the remaining 25% will be directed to the enforcement fund, capped at $500 million. Any surplus will contribute towards reducing the national debt.

"Terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah continue to commit severe acts of violence in the Middle East, all while being financed by Iran's illicit oil trafficking sales," Meuser said. "This legislation aims to strengthen the enforcement of oil sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States through the allocation of resources to HSI to enhance their ability to target these illicit oil sales. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, as it will ultimately crackdown on Iranian oil trafficking and seize the profits that would have otherwise gone to various terrorist proxies in the Middle East."

H.R. 6201 was referred to the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Casey introduces bill to eliminate

co-pays for many Pennsylvania seniors

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, this week introduced the Cutting Co-pays Act to lower prescription drug costs for hundreds of thousands of low-income Pennsylvanians.

The law would remove cost-sharing for generic medications for all Americans who are enrolled in the Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy Program — also known as Extra Help — and make less than $15,060 per year.

Currently, this population of Extra Help beneficiaries pay up to $1.55 for each generic drug they are prescribed — Casey's bill would cut that number to zero. In 2021, over 350,000 Pennsylvanians could have benefited from this bill.

"The high cost of prescription drugs is a weight on the shoulders of Pennsylvania seniors and families, and for many of our seniors, it's a weight that's become far too heavy to bear," Casey said. "The Cutting Co-pays Act is just the latest way that I am taking action to lower drug costs and make sure our seniors can afford the medications they need."

Pa. DEP plugs 200th orphaned and

abandoned well, cites 'historic progress'

Gov. Josh Shapiro, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Interim Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley, and local legislative and environmental leaders this week joined the Penn Mechanical Group crew in Butler County to plug the 200th orphaned or abandoned well under the Shapiro Administration.

This is the latest milestone under Gov. Shapiro's leadership to protect public health and create thousands of good-paying jobs by plugging orphaned and abandoned wells across the Commonwealth.

The 200th well plugged by the Shapiro Administration surpasses the total of the last 9 years combined after just 14 months in office — and represents a continued increase in the pace of well plugging efforts.

The Shapiro Administration celebrated the 100th well plugging nine months after taking office — and the Administration has plugged an additional 100 wells in less than five months since then.

"When I took office, I directed the Department of Environmental Protection to move aggressively to draw down as much federal funding as possible to make a meaningful impact plugging orphaned and abandoned wells," Shapiro said. "Thanks to federal investments and the good work of the folks at DEP and contractors like Penn Mechanical, I'm proud to announce that this well will be the 200th well plugged during my time as Governor.

"By plugging orphaned and abandoned wells, we're tackling a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and creating thousands of good-paying jobs in the process. This is a smart, commonsense way to combat climate change, promote public health, and create jobs."

Governor Shapiro has directed DEP to draw down as much federal funding as possible to cap and plug orphaned and abandoned wells to improve public health, reduce planet-warming methane emissions, and create good-paying jobs. The Governor's 2024-25 budget also proposes $11 million to continue to support this historic progress of identifying and plugging as many orphaned and abandoned wells as possible.

It's estimated that there are more than 350,000 orphaned and abandoned wells across our Commonwealth — and they make up nearly 8% of our total methane emissions. Methane is particularly dangerous because it is up to 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide — warming our planet and contributing to air pollution that damages our lungs and our hearts.

"For centuries, our coal mines and oil fields have made Pennsylvania an energy and economic leader around the world. Pennsylvania is embracing that leadership role while addressing the threat these wells pose," said DEP Interim Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. "Orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells represent over a billion-dollar liability for the Commonwealth that DEP is tackling head on — and the Shapiro Administration is approaching this moment as a major opportunity to create jobs and improve public health and the environment, and we are going to continue to build on this success."

Through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), DEP has completed an unprecedented number of well plugging projects with a goal to plug the most wells and eliminate the worst environmental and public health and safety hazards.

DEP is aggressively going after operators who are walking away from wells and stepping in with emergency plugging contracts where needed to protect public health. Through IIJA funding and existing state funding for DEP, the Commonwealth is moving aggressively to tackle this massive contributor of greenhouse gasses.

With approximately $28 million in plugging projects contracted by the Shapiro Administration to date, small businesses like the contractor for this project — Penn Mechanical Group — can hire more staff, purchase equipment, and project their business operations into the future.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.