PENN HILLS, March 2, 2012— A meeting room in the William E. Anderson Library of Penn Hills will now carry the names of Williard and Rita Spalding (pictured above). The Spaldings and their family were present when the library foundation announced the dedication in their honor. Also attending the announcement were Jim and Laura Lee Dooley, Greg and Lilia Spalding and Willie (below).
GLENSHAW, PA – (March 21, 2012) – U. S. Steel and Bridge Educational Foundation announced $60,000 of EITC scholarship donations for pre-kindergarten programs today at St. Bonaventure Parish School in Glenshaw, PA.
Representatives from U. S. Steel and school officials joined Sen.Costa and other elected officials for the announcement.
Bridge Educational Foundation is a scholarship organization based in Harrisburg under one of the best government programs in the country – Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program and provides a bridge between Pennsylvania businesses and students. The Foundation has made a difference in the lives of thousands of Pennsylvania families.
“I applaud the Bridge Educational Foundation and its role in providing education opportunities to children and families in Pennsylvania,” Costa said. ” The state’s EITC program deserves our continued support because it enables the Foundation and its corporate partners to make these significant investments in education.”
Teachers, families and students of the schools listed below attended to support the EITC program and to thank U. S. Steel for their tuition assistance and the local legislators for their support.
St. Bonaventure Preschool; St. Clare of Assisi Preschool; St. Sebastian School; Good Shepherd Christian Preschool; Monroeville United Methodist Preschool; St. Gabriel Preschool; Tender Care Preschool in Clairton; Bishop Leonard-St. Mary of the Mount Preschool; St. Agnes-Tender Lamb Preschool; and Family Development Center.
In the last few years the program has been expanded to reach out to additional businesses.
Subchapter S corporations and other business entities that pay their State business taxes under the personal income tax on PA business income can now fully participate in the Program.
The business tax cap is $300,000 for businesses contributing to scholarship organizations and educational improvement organizations (In previous years, businesses contributing to the EITC have not been able to contribute over $200,000)
The business tax cap is $150,000 for businesses contributing to pre-K scholarship organizations (In previous years, businesses contributing to the EITC have not been able to contribute over $100,000)
For information on how to request scholarship funding please visit www.bridgeedu.org and click on the scholarship tab.
HARRISBURG, March 7, 2012— Pennsylvania takes an important step toward making its roadways safer for drivers when the ban on texting while driving goes into effect this week, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa said today.
“Distracted drivers are a significant risk on our streets and highways,” said Costa (D-Allegheny). A study by Virginia Tech Driving Institute revealed that those who resort to texting while driving are 23 times more likely to meet with a vehicle crash. “The new law bans texting, as well as the sending of instant messages and email while driving in Pennsylvania.”
Costa said the long-term success of the law will hinge on whether the practice of not using wireless interactive devices while behind the wheel becomes part of the culture on the road. “Much in the way that the seatbelt use was increased dramatically when Pennsylvania enacted a mandatory seatbelt law, I hope that texting and emailing while driving becomes a thing of the past.”
Texting while driving would be considered a primary offense, a police officer can pull a driver over if the officer sees a driver texting. However, if a driver is selecting or entering a phone number or name for the purpose of making a phone call, they will not be violating the texting ban. Drivers are permitted to pull off to the side of the road and put their vehicle in ‘park’ and use their phone to text.
Anyone convicted of texting while driving under the new ban will face a fine of $50 for each infraction. Pennsylvania now joins more than 30 other states that already have a texting while driving ban.
Because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming type of distracted driving. In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in crashes involving driver distraction, and an estimated 448,000 were injured.
More information can be found on Pennsylvania’s texting while driving ban here.
###
HARRISBURG, March 7, 2012 – – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa today voted against another Republican led effort to take rights away from Pennsylvanians. After hours of floor remarks in opposition to the Republican Voter ID bill, the Senate passed House Bill 934 by a 26-23 vote.
[audio:https://senatorcosta.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/voter-id-reaction-sen.costa-03-07-10.mp3|titles=voter-id-reaction-sen.costa-03-07-10] “This is a blatant ideologically driven initiative that limits and diminishes the rights of Pennsylvania citizens,” Costa said. “This is another display of failed leadership by the administration and the Republican majority in Harrisburg on issues that matter to Pennsylvanians. Our roads and bridges are in dire need of repair, thousands of people are out of work and without health care, schools are closing and this legislature would rather concentrate on suppressing voting rights.”
House Bill 934, which is estimated to cost between $4.5 million and $11 million in the first year, would require voters to present photo identification or a narrow list of other accepted forms of identification each time they vote.
A Department of Justice statistic has shown that since 2008, more than 20 million votes were cast in Pennsylvania and there were only four convictions of voter fraud.
House Bill 934 was returned to the House.
# # #
HARRISBURG, February 15, 2012 — State Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) issued the following statement in reaction to public comments made by Senate President Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) regarding moving Pennsylvania’s primary election and the possibility of an early state budget:
“I agree with Sen. Scarnati that the primary election should not be moved. It should be held on April 24 as planned. Moving the primary date creates a number of problems and would result in a major cost to counties and taxpayers.
Furthermore, moving the primary is disrespectful to more than 100,000 thousand citizens who have signed nominating petitions and who are participating in the election process. The spirit, intent and letter of the state Supreme Court and federal court rulings would be disrespected if the primary were moved.
The redistricting process needs to be deliberate and thoughtful and it must include participation from the public. The Legislative Reapportionment Commission should not force a plan through without full consideration of the guidance provided by the state Supreme Court.
I also agree with Sen. Scarnati that the state budget should be considered in June after the revenue picture becomes clearer. As we learned last year, May and June are critical months for collection. Passing a budget before the state takes in such a significant amount of revenue has the potential to create unnecessary hardship and more burdens on our taxpayers, seniors, students and working families because the budget will be difficult. While meeting the budget deadline is something we must achieve, meeting it months early when we do not have all of the information necessary to make an educated decision is not in the best interest of Pennsylvania taxpayers.”
###
FOREST HILLS, February 10, 2012— Sen. Costa had the pleasure of spending time with 8-year-old Chloe Kondrich at his Forest Hills office to hear more about the importance of early Intervention and early childhood education.
[/frame]Chloe’s father, Kurt Kondrich, is a strong advocate for early intervention and the full inclusion of children with disabilities. He serves as Director of Community-Family Outreach at Early Intervention Specialists, a Pittsburgh-based organization that provides early intervention services to children and their families in the counties of Allegheny, Adams, Butler, Washington, and York.Chloe has met with numerous elected officials, both on the state and national level, to share her story and promote the programs that encourage full inclusion of children with disabilities.