Latest news with #AmericanRescuePlan
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Home repair program in Pa. would continue investment in essential renovations
A street in Shamokin in Northumberland County. The county got more than $1 million for residential improvements like plumbing and weatherization through the Whole Home Repair Program, which has since run out of its American Rescue Plan funding. State lawmakers are proposing a similar successor funded at $50 million per year. (Emily Previti/Pennsylvania Capital-Star) A home repair program that Pennsylvanians really seem to need, based on the response, could continue if state officials can agree on how to run it. A bipartisan group of state legislators announced – just before budget talks officially start in Harrisburg – they'll co-sponsor forthcoming legislation creating the PA Home Preservation Program. Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed budget allocates $50 million for the program. It took mere months to spend four times that amount through the similarly-focused Whole Home Repair Program. The WHRP diverted $125 million to financing weatherization, plumbing and other essential improvements to thousands of residential units across the state starting last September, according to the state Department of Community and Economic Development. And more 18,000 applicants, combined, were left on waitlists kept by pass-through agencies, according to the planned bill's co-sponsorship memo. Lawmakers used a one-time federal infusion from the American Rescue Plan to create the WHRP. Program requirements limited homeowners to those making no more than 80 percent of median area household income. Landlords couldn't own more than five properties and 15 affordable units across all properties. And it capped project costs at $50,000 per unit. State officials view the WHRP as a pilot for the proposed PA Home Preservation program that's intended to be more permanent. 'It is not easy to sort of do all this coordination, build out relationships with contractors, … [and] sub-grantees,' said DCED Secretary Rick Siger during the agency's budget hearing earlier this year. 'But we have a path now…informed by, frankly, just learning a bunch of stuff as we ran Whole Home Repair.' The new initiative likely would have income limits for homeowner recipients and prioritize senior citizens, according to prime sponsor Rep. Lindsay Powell, D-Pittsburgh. Other than that, few details have been hashed out, Powell said Friday. But one would be an effort to keep program guidelines as consistent as possible, she said. She cited constantly changing expectations and reporting requirements as a major challenge during her time on Pittsburgh's Urban Redevelopment Authority Board. Siger, Powell and others have pointed to the age of Pennsylvania's housing stock as another reason to invest in renovation and rehabilitation, with nearly 60 percent of homes statewide dating back to before 1970.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Department of Education yanks back $5.6M from JD Vance's hometown school district
Middletown's school district ‒ where Vice President JD Vance was a student ‒ stands to lose millions of promised federal dollars after a funding recall from the U.S. Department of Education, the district said. The Department of Education is recalling roughly $15 million across 18 Ohio school districts, Dan Wohler, the Middletown City Schools spokesperson, told The Enquirer. The funds were previously awarded to districts through two COVID-era relief programs: the American Rescue Plan, and Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief. Middletown City Schools stands to lose $5.6 million in funds, which the district planned to use to build a new transportation center. The district was approved to receive $6.76 million toward the project in February, and had already received $1.2 million. The total cost is $10 million. The Enquirer called the U.S. Department of Education, which President Donald Trump has vowed to dismantle, but its media relations phone line was temporarily closed. The spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce did not immediately return The Enquirer's call. Construction on Middletown schools' transportation center is almost half-done. The new facility will house an updated school bus garage, fueling station and space to perform bus maintenance. School buses are currently being parked at a temporary facility, the lease for which expires this fall, Wohler said. "The new facility is designed to address aging transportation infrastructure and consolidate maintenance operations to better serve MCSD students and families," a statement from the district read. "A $5.6 million shortfall would stall construction indefinitely and risk losing the investments already made." Three local Republican lawmakers wrote letters to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. Middletown schools provided the content of them to The Enquirer, in support of the district. "As a fiscal conservative, I fully understand the need to cut unnecessary funding and applaud the efforts to eliminate excessive covid-era spending. However, there are certain projects, such as Middletown School's transportation construction project, that deserve flexibility given the investment they have made," U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson wrote. Davidson co-sponsored a bill that would terminate the Department of Education at the end of next year. But the letter to McMahon signals the second time Davidson has gone against the Trump administration in recent weeks. The congressman, who is a staunch Trump supporter, was one of two House Republicans to vote against a major tax and immigration bill, prompting White House officials to say Trump would like to see Davidson primaried. Ohio Rep. Thomas Hall and state Sen. George Lang also wrote letters to McMahon asking the department to release the funds to Middletown schools. "I strongly believe it is unfair for a school to receive approval, begin construction after receiving a portion of the funds, and then be notified they will not be receiving the remainder ‒ nobody can conduct business in this manner," Lang wrote. Wohler, the district spokesperson, said Middletown schools also reached out to Vance. The Middletown native held his first rally as a vice presidential candidate at Middletown High School, his alma mater, last July. The Enquirer also asked Vance's spokesperson for comment, but has not yet received a response. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: School district in JD Vance's hometown to lose $5.6M in federal funds
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rep. Steny Hoyer draws a challenger who makes the age argument explicit
Rep. Steny Hoyer has drawn a primary challenger with a pointed message about the 85-year-old: The incumbent Maryland Democrat is too old to run again. Harry Jarin, a 35-year-old volunteer firefighter and emergency services consultant who once competed on 'Jeopardy!', launched his campaign Thursday because he said Democrats need to "stop treating congressional seats like lifetime appointments.' "When I started going around asking people whether I should do this, nobody could tell me that in their heart, they really thought Steny Hoyer at 89 years old [at the end of] the next Congress was the right person to represent us in this district,' Jarin said in an interview with POLITICO previewing his candidacy. Hoyer — who has not said if he will seek a 24th term — was first elected in 1981. While in office, Hoyer has been a stalwart supporter of the party's top issues. He was an early supporter of the ADA in 1990 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002, and as majority leader he played a key role in the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. A Hoyer spokesperson declined to comment. When Hoyer stepped back from leadership in 2022, he directly addressed his age, telling CNN: 'Have you heard I was 83?' 'I think all of us have been around for some time and pretty much have a feel for the timing of decisions. And I think all three of us felt that this was the time,' Hoyer said at the time, addressing his decision and the decisions of Nancy Pelosi and Jim Clyburn. As the party continues to reckon with its November loss to President Donald Trump, Democrats have been looking for ways to inject new voices into the conversation. Those arguing for change say bringing in new people will bring new ideas to Congress, as well as new strategies for reaching an electorate that has soured on their party. But Democrats have tread carefully around the issue of age, particularly around former President Joe Biden — even in the wake of fresh questions about whether his decision to run for reelection amid his deteriorating condition set the party back. Not Jarin. Jarin acknowledged that his differences with Hoyer are 'not necessarily ideological,' but rather rooted in his age. He cast the former majority leader as out of date with his approach, which he said was too incremental and unable to keep up in the changing media landscape that is so crucial to courting younger voters. "Steny is still operating in this 1980s information environment where maybe he does some media hits and he stands on the floor of the House and makes a speech to an empty chamber and nobody's watching," he said. "We're not reaching young voters." After a string of deaths among older Democratic members since the start of this Congress, Jarin said, it's time to make explicit the conversation about whether incumbents are too old to serve. 'I'm not trying to be cruel or callous," Jarin said, "but I want Democrats to win, and there are consequences for having this gerontocracy, and we have to reckon with that.' Hoyer, who long served as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's second-in-command in the House before the two stepped back from leadership, is one of several senior Democrats who are facing primary challengers from younger generations demanding new leadership. Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), and Pelosi (D-Calif.), have all drawn opponents from within their party. After drawing a challenger, Schakowsky announced she would no longer seek reelection. Democrats, of course, aren't the only ones to contend with age in office. Former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stepped back from his leadership role at the age of 82 after more than two decades of being the chief Senate Republican. And President Donald Trump, at 78, became the oldest president to be inaugurated in American history this January. The party has also been roiled by DNC Vice Chair David Hogg, who has pledged to spend big on primaries against 'ineffective, asleep-at-the-wheel' members of his own party. Jarin has not spoken to Hogg about his potential support, but he flexed his ties to Democratic donors, including his husband, who he said bundled for Biden, and he thinks he will raise enough to put up a fight against Hoyer's $573,000 cash on hand. When Hogg announced his plan to primary incumbents, he specifically noted he would not back a Hoyer challenger. Jarin said that the party has work to do as it sorts through its election losses from last year. The party's focus on Trump, he said, has distracted from presenting an affirmative message to voters. 'We've been the anti-Trump party for the last 10 years, but what do we actually stand for?' he said. Jarin said Democrats at all levels know that having too many older members can be a problem and says there's plenty of private support behind him. But to win, his supporters will need to make their frustrations with older members clinging to their seats public.
Politico
4 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Rep. Steny Hoyer draws a challenger who makes the age argument explicit
Rep. Steny Hoyer has drawn a primary challenger with a pointed message about the 85-year-old: The incumbent Maryland Democrat is too old to run again. Harry Jarin, a 35-year-old volunteer firefighter and emergency services consultant who once competed on 'Jeopardy!', launched his campaign Thursday because he said Democrats need to 'stop treating congressional seats like lifetime appointments.' 'When I started going around asking people whether I should do this, nobody could tell me that in their heart, they really thought Steny Hoyer at 89 years old [at the end of] the next Congress was the right person to represent us in this district,' Jarin said in an interview with POLITICO previewing his candidacy. Hoyer — who has not said if he will seek a 24th term — was first elected in 1981. While in office, Hoyer has been a stalwart supporter of the party's top issues. He was an early supporter of the ADA in 1990 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002, and as majority leader he played a key role in the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. A Hoyer spokesperson declined to comment. When Hoyer stepped back from leadership in 2022, he directly addressed his age, telling CNN: 'Have you heard I was 83?' 'I think all of us have been around for some time and pretty much have a feel for the timing of decisions. And I think all three of us felt that this was the time,' Hoyer said at the time, addressing his decision and the decisions of Nancy Pelosi and Jim Clyburn. As the party continues to reckon with its November loss to President Donald Trump, Democrats have been looking for ways to inject new voices into the conversation. Those arguing for change say bringing in new people will bring new ideas to Congress, as well as new strategies for reaching an electorate that has soured on their party. But Democrats have tread carefully around the issue of age, particularly around former President Joe Biden — even in the wake of fresh questions about whether his decision to run for reelection amid his deteriorating condition set the party back. Not Jarin. Jarin acknowledged that his differences with Hoyer are 'not necessarily ideological,' but rather rooted in his age. He cast the former majority leader as out of date with his approach, which he said was too incremental and unable to keep up in the changing media landscape that is so crucial to courting younger voters. 'Steny is still operating in this 1980s information environment where maybe he does some media hits and he stands on the floor of the House and makes a speech to an empty chamber and nobody's watching,' he said. 'We're not reaching young voters.' After a string of deaths among older Democratic members since the start of this Congress, Jarin said, it's time to make explicit the conversation about whether incumbents are too old to serve. 'I'm not trying to be cruel or callous,' Jarin said, 'but I want Democrats to win, and there are consequences for having this gerontocracy, and we have to reckon with that.' Hoyer, who long served as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's second-in-command in the House before the two stepped back from leadership, is one of several senior Democrats who are facing primary challengers from younger generations demanding new leadership. Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), and Pelosi (D-Calif.), have all drawn opponents from within their party. After drawing a challenger, Schakowsky announced she would no longer seek reelection. Democrats, of course, aren't the only ones to contend with age in office. Former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stepped back from his leadership role at the age of 82 after more than two decades of being the chief Senate Republican. And President Donald Trump, at 78, became the oldest president to be inaugurated in American history this January. The party has also been roiled by DNC Vice Chair David Hogg, who has pledged to spend big on primaries against 'ineffective, asleep-at-the-wheel' members of his own party. Jarin has not spoken to Hogg about his potential support, but he flexed his ties to Democratic donors, including his husband, who he said bundled for Biden, and he thinks he will raise enough to put up a fight against Hoyer's $573,000 cash on hand. When Hogg announced his plan to primary incumbents, he specifically noted he would not back a Hoyer challenger. Jarin said that the party has work to do as it sorts through its election losses from last year. The party's focus on Trump, he said, has distracted from presenting an affirmative message to voters. 'We've been the anti-Trump party for the last 10 years, but what do we actually stand for?' he said. Jarin said Democrats at all levels know that having too many older members can be a problem and says there's plenty of private support behind him. But to win, his supporters will need to make their frustrations with older members clinging to their seats public.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
ECGRA, Erie County invest nearly $1 million to address shortage of early childhood educators
The Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority awarded nearly $1 million in grants May 22 to help 59 child care providers recruit and retain qualified educators. ECGRA Executive Director Perry Wood said the grants ― the Early Childhood Educator Retention Awards ― serve to boost a vital sector in Erie County that's long been underfunded and understaffed. 'According to Start Strong PA, there are currently 93 unfilled early childhood educator positions in Erie County. If filled, these roles could serve 744 more children,' Wood said at a check presentation Thursday at St. Martin Early Learning Center. 'That's why these grants are so important. They represent a crucial step forward in supporting the dedicated professionals who care for and educate our young learners.' The $991,785 in grants were funded by a $2.5 million investment of American Rescue Plan funds from Erie County government. ECGRA has also provided a $2.5 million match in gaming revenue for a collective $5 million child care investment. 'An investment in child care is an investment in workforce development ― that is economic development,' said Erie County Executive Brenton Davis. 'Without parents being able to become dual income families, we're unable to lift our community up the economic mobility ladder.' Thursday's investment represents the first phase of a broader, multi-step initiative to strengthen Erie County's early learning infrastructure, according to ECGRA. Kenya Johnson, owner of Learning Ladder Early Child Care, said the grants will have a 'real and meaningful' impact on her center, both in terms of retaining quality teachers and giving them some much-needed recognition. 'For many of them, this extra income will make a difference in their personal lives ― paying bills, putting gas in their car, covering groceries and that all matters,' she said. 'But beyond the money, it's the message that came with it. That message says: We see you, we appreciate you and we want to keep you here doing what you do best.' Asha Graeb, director of the St. Martin Early Learning Center, added that early childhood educators often have limited support and resources despite the crucial role they play in a child's life. 'Our teachers work every day to create safe, nurturing environments where children can build confidence, spark curiosity and learn compassion,' she said. A Child's World Daycare & Learning; $23,683 Annie's Bubble Care; $6,459 Barb's Care A Lot; $19,377 Barbs Family Learning Group Daycare LLC; $6,459 Boro Babies Child Care Center; $9,689 Bright Horizons at Erie; $29,066 Corry Alliance Childcare Learning Center; $8,074 Creative Learning Childcare – iRock; $35,525 Cuddle Time Daycare; $1,077 Dr Gertrude Barber Corry; $12,918 Dr Gertrude Barber Happy Hearts; $46,290 Eagles Nest Group Daycare; $6,459 Early Connections City Center; $16,148 Early Connections Harbor Homes Early Learning Center; $6,459 Early Connections North East; $6,459 Early Connections Union City; $23,683 Early Learning Center; $19,377 Early Learning University; $24,760 Eastside YMCA; $33,372 Elk Valley Elementary YMCA; $9,689 EPS Pennbriar Childcare LLC; $16,417 Erie First Early Education Center; $11,303 Fit Kids; $10,227 Glenwood YMCA; $17,224 Growing and Learning Center; $43,060 Handled with Care; $37,678 I Love It Daycare Learning Center; $15,071 Javonne Beason; $1,077 Jumpstart Early Learning Center LLC; $6,459 KinderCare 1279; $8,612 Learning Ladder; $18,301 Little Explorers Christian Academy; $5,378 Lollipop U Daycare; $8,612 McKean Elementary YMCA; $2,153 Milestones Early Learning Academy; $13,995 Milestones Early Learning Center; $21,530 Miss Julies Childcare; $11,842 Miss Rose's Learning Center; $8,612 Montessori in the Woods; $9,150 My Terra Village; $4,844 New Horizons Early Learning Center; $10,750 Northwestern YMCA; $8,612 Playway Loving Childcare Center LLC; $5,383 Saint Benedict Center; $52,749 Saint Vincent Child Care Center; $34,448 South Hills Child Development Center; $37,139 St. Martin Early Learning Center; $76,432 St. Paul's Child Development Center; $24,760 Summit YMCA; $6,459 Teresa Jordan; $6,000 The International Institute of Erie; $10,765 Tracy Heutsche; $4,844 Twinkle Time Child Care Center; $5,921 Waterford YMCA; $10,765 Wattsburg Elementary YMCA; $9,688 World of Care; $12,918 YMCA Camp Sherwin; $2,153 YMCA of Corry Daycare; $47,366 Young Environment; $20,992 A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@ Follow him on X @ETNRao. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: 59 Erie County child care providers receive $1 million in grants
