|
||||
|
In this Update:
Remember to Vote! Election Day is Tues., Nov. 3
Tuesday, Nov. 3 is Election Day, your chance to weigh in on state and federal elections. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For those voting by mail, county election offices must receive completed ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Find your polling place and other voter information here. PA House Needs to Act to Protect Pennsylvania Communities
In March, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled the state’s mandatory life-without-parole sentence for second-degree murder is unconstitutional. The court gave the General Assembly until July 24 to enact a new rule. The Senate passed legislation to protect our communities and fix the problem – twice. Instead of acting on our bipartisan Senate Bill 1400, the House of Representatives advanced a proposal tied to expanding medical parole, creating additional opportunities – without proper guardrails – for convicted felons to be released before completing their sentences. Senate Bill 1400 is supported by Attorney General Dave Sunday, PA State Lodge FOP, PA State Troopers Association and district attorneys across the commonwealth. It has languished in the House Judiciary Committee since June. Second‑degree murder is an extremely serious crime, and the House needs to act so these criminals remain behind bars. New Law Means PA Schools Will Be Cellphone-Free
Pennsylvania teachers will no longer have to compete with smartphones for their students’ attention – and kids will be able to get through the school day without the constant pressure of social media and notifications – with bipartisan passage of a new law requiring schools to adopt policies prohibiting student cellphone use during the school day. Act 117 of 2026 includes limited exceptions, such as students with individualized education plans and special occasions such as field days. It establishes a clear statewide standard, while allowing school districts, which have direct contact with parents, to decide what works best for their communities. The law will take effect with the 2027-28 school year. Pennsylvania joins 40 states in restricting these devices – 19 of which have school-day bans. Read more about the effect of cellphones in schools. Best of the Nest
It was great to visit Armstrong Junior-Senior High School to participate in an interview taping for ‘Best of the Nest’. The television program airs throughout the region on IUP-TV. Students enrolled in TV Production and related courses at the high school in Kittanning produce the show and conduct interviews at their in-house studio. These students are extremely talented and clearly have bright futures! Thank you to my friend and TV Production teacher, Mr. Don Swanson for inviting me to stop by. Kittanning Hose Co. Anniversary Celebration
Congratulations to Hose Company 6 Kittanning on 125 years and Kittanning Hose Co. # 6 EMS for 66 years! The VFD and EMS members recently gathered to celebrate their milestone anniversaries with a banquet to thank the dedicated volunteers for their unwavering service and sacrifice to the community. Thank you for inviting me to your celebration and best wishes for many more years of outstanding community service! Indiana Halloween Parade & Trick-or-Treat
Philadelphia Street was bustling with activity last weekend with trick-or-treaters and those taking in the Halloween parade in downtown Indiana. Thank you to the folks with Downtown Indiana for engaging local businesses and organizations to make this event such a success in our community! It was great to see all the creative costumes and so many families taking part in this annual tradition Ensuring Sexual Assault Survivors Get Justice
Obtaining justice for sexual assault survivors requires timely processing of rape kit evidence, and I joined colleagues in making it a priority to improve and standardize rape kit testing. Previously, state law allowed local law enforcement agencies to determine whether a sexual assault evidence kit should undergo DNA testing or other forensic analysis, creating the potential for inconsistent practices across the commonwealth. We passed a new law eliminating such discretion. Read more about Act 106 of 2026. In addition, a law we passed in 2024 established a rape kit evidence tracking system, allowing survivors to track the status of their rape kits throughout the testing process. After operating as a pilot program in three counties, it will launch statewide in December. To better care for victims, we included a $12 million increase for rape crisis centers in the current state budget. Prosecuting perpetrators of these heinous crimes should be pursued vigorously, and we’ve made significant changes to ensure just that. Making Education More Affordable
An affordable and thorough education allows young Pennsylvanians to find success and lay down roots while filling in-demand jobs here in the commonwealth – without the burden of heavy debt. In addition to funding K-12 and higher education during the current legislative session, I supported initiatives that:
Affordability in education benefits students, parents, employers and communities. I’ll continue working to lower the cost of education and increase student access to promising careers. Action Taken to Protect Children in the Age of AI
The rapid emergence of artificial intelligence requires rapid deployment of sound policies to protect children from its darker side. I supported measures passed by the Senate cracking down on AI child sexual abuse material (CSAM), shielding them from harmful chatbots and banning “nudification” apps. Fortunately, the House of Representatives also passed one of them: Act 87 of 2026 requires teachers, childcare workers, healthcare providers and other individuals responsible for caring for children to report all instances of CSAM they become aware of, including those produced by a minor. This House bill mirrored the language of Senate Bill 1050. Read more about Act 87 of 2026, including the new requirement of reporting hazing. Unfortunately, House Democratic leaders did not act on other bipartisan bills passed by the Senate, including the Safeguarding Adolescents from Exploitative Chatbots and Harmful AI Technology (SAFECHAT) Act, which would require age-appropriate safeguards to prevent AI content generation that encourages self-harm, suicide or violence against others, and directs users to appropriate self-harm crisis resources whenever high-risk language is detected. Learn more about SAFECHAT. Also awaiting House action is a bill we passed to ban “nudification” apps, which allow individuals to take an image of someone and generate a fake nude or sexually explicit photo of that person. Read more about Senate Bill 1368. The Senate also established a Task Force on Child Protection in the Digital Age to review state laws, assess emerging technologies and identify gaps in protections for children in the digital environment. It will issue a report and recommendation for action to the General Assembly. Learn more about the task force. Indiana County Veteran Celebrates Birthday
It is always a great honor to recognize veterans, most especially those celebrating special moments, like local resident Mr. Charles Pangonis. Charles is affectionately known as ‘Kuz’ to his family members & friends. He was born in Indiana on October 15, 1938, and celebrated his 88th birthday recently at a gathering held in his honor at Levity Brewing. He proudly served our nation with honor and courage as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army. Charles is the proud father of seven children and has several grandchildren. He was a Pennsylvania State Trooper and later worked for Bell Telephone and Verizon Communications, Inc. for many years until his retirement. Wishing ‘Kuz’ a wonderful and blessed year ahead! |
||||
|
||||
Want to change how you receive these emails? 2026 © Senate of Pennsylvania | https://senatorpittman.com | Privacy Policy |
