Sen. McCormick meets with business leaders, veterans nonprofit in NEPA

Yahoo

25-03-2025

Mar. 24—WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, this week met with constituents and local leaders in Northeast Pennsylvania and also in Lancaster County to learn about vital businesses and organizations in these regions.
In Lackawanna County, McCormick met with business and community leaders at a roundtable discussion in Moosic.
Also attending the roundtable were U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Dallas Township; U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas; PA Auditor General Tim DeFoor; and Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak, among others.
"The increased popularity of Northeast Pennsylvania and the Poconos is bringing a lot of attention here in terms of new investment, job creation, and economic opportunities," McCormick said. "I'm excited to see what the future holds for Northeast PA, and I'm eager to continue working with leaders in this region to foster growth and opportunity for Pennsylvanians."
Camp Freedom meeting — Scranton
McCormick then met with Matt Guedes, executive director for Camp Freedom, to discuss the organization's work to support veterans and first responders in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Camp Freedom is a nonprofit that provides outdoor recreation activities for disabled veterans, first responders and Gold Star Families to foster camaraderie, healing and hope.
Camp Freedom is headquartered in Carbondale.
"As a combat veteran and former paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, I admire and applaud Camp Freedom's mission to cultivate a healthy, supportive, and healing environment for veterans and first responders," McCormick said. "Those who have put their lives on the line to protect this country, its citizens, and its freedoms deserve the support they need to lead healthy, productive lives after their service. I am grateful for the work that organizations like Camp Freedom do to support our nation's heroes by ensuring they have access to the healing benefits of Pennsylvania's great outdoors."
Lt. Gov. Davis highlights state program
Lt. Governor Austin Davis this week joined Center for Victims and other local victim service providers to highlight the importance of supporting victims and survivors of crime and to encourage support for the Shapiro-Davis Administration's proposed $9 million investment in the Victims Compensation Assistance Program (VCAP) in the 2025-26 state budget.
"No crime victim should have to worry about how they'll afford medical bills. No family should have to struggle with funeral expenses for a loved one lost to violence," said Davis, chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). "And no sexual assault survivor should have to worry about covering the costs of counseling to overcome their trauma. The Victims Compensation Assistance Program is a critical financial lifeline for people who have been impacted by violence and crime that will help heal families, lessen burdens and save lives."
VCAP serves as a critical financial lifeline for people who have experienced crime victimization. Each year, the program receives an average of 12,000 claims for eligible expenses including medical and counseling expenses, loss of earnings, loss of support, stolen cash, relocation, funeral costs and crime scene cleanup.
Over the past five years, PCCD has paid more than 67,000 VCAP claims totaling $67 million in eligible expenses for citizens across all 67 Pennsylvania counties.
PA celebrates national award
The Shapiro Admiration this week announced the Pennsylvania Silver Jackets Team has been awarded the 2024 national "Team of the Year" for its collaborative partnerships in tackling Pennsylvania's top natural hazard — flooding.
The state Silver Jackets Team of the Year award recognizes an outstanding team that exemplifies effective flood risk management within the context of shared responsibility and that demonstrates significant accomplishments in the preceding year.
The team award is chosen through a peer voting process of Silver Jackets teams from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and four territories having the opportunity to cast votes.
Pennsylvania won the award previously in 2013.
"We are proud of the efforts of our partners to help reduce flood risk across the Commonwealth each and every day," said Randy Padfield, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) director. "This award is a testament to the dedication of our partners who have worked on collaborative projects to make our communities more resilient from the devastating impacts of flooding."
The Pennsylvania Silver Jackets team is made up of over 20 partners including: municipal, county, state, and federal government; river basin commissions; academia and professional associations; and non-profit organizations. The team is tasked with facilitating collaborative solutions to reduce risks for Pennsylvania's flood risk priorities. Though collaboration and shared knowledge, the Pennsylvania Silver Jackets enhance preparedness, mitigation and response and recovery efforts.
"Managing floodwaters and flood risk is a shared responsibility, and the Silver Jackets bring together knowledge and expertise among all of the partners to help Pennsylvania communities," said Jessica Shirley, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) acting secretary.
Living organ donor bill OK'd
The state House Finance Committee this week approved legislation that would allow living organ donors to claim an income tax deduction of up to $12,000 for unreimbursed expenses associated with their donation, according to the bill's prime sponsor, state Rep. Jim Haddock.
"We must do all we can to help make the living organ donation process easier for all involved. Currently, businesses can receive a tax credit for providing paid leave to employees for the purpose of organ donation, but there is no tax benefit available to individuals who donate organs," said Haddock, D-Pittston Township. "Unfortunately, while an organ recipient's health insurance covers the donor's direct medical costs, donors can rack up bills in the thousands of dollars for related expenses.
"Providing financial support to donors will remove an obstacle to the living donation process. This is one way that state government can help those in need of a transplant as well as support the heroes among us who selflessly choose to give the gift of life."
House Bill 422 would allow someone who is a living organ donor or whose dependent is a living organ donor to claim a state personal income tax deduction equal to the amount of unreimbursed expenses, up to $12,000, during the year in which the organ transplantation occurs.
Eligible unreimbursed expenses would include travel expenses, lodging expenses, lost wages if an employer does not provide paid sick leave to organ donors and medical expenses not covered by insurance.
The deduction would be available to those who donate all or part of any of the following: liver, pancreas, kidney, lung, intestine or bone marrow.
It could only be claimed once during a taxpayer's lifetime.
Haddock said 16 people in the United States die each day while waiting for a life-saving organ donation. More than 8,000 Pennsylvanians and their families are on the organ donation waiting list. Living organ donors are key to closing that gap, Haddock said, as at least 40% of kidneys for transplant worldwide come from living donors.
The bill moves to the full state House of Representatives for consideration.
Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.