Harrisburg, March 5, 2013 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) today issued the following statement concerning Commonwealth Court’s decision regarding the diversion of tobacco settlement funds from the adultBasic and Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities programs.
The court said Acts 46 and 26 which authorized the diversion of the funds were unconstitutional:
“The court reaffirmed our position that these valuable programs should never have been terminated and working Pennsylvanians left without access to critical health care.
“I urge the governor to commit himself to funding these important programs and to change his position relative to Medicaid expansion in order to serve hundreds of thousands of working men, women and their families.”
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HARRISBURG, March 4, 2013 – The Allegheny County Airport will be receiving a $512,000 state grant for the design and construction of hangars.
“The Allegheny County Airport plays an important role in aiding business and commerce in the Pittsburgh area,” said State Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny). “This funding will help position the airport to handle more business in the future.”
The $512,000 grant for the West Mifflin facility was one of 10 funded by the Capitol Budget/Transportation Assistance Program. The grants are made available through bond dollars from Pennsylvania’s General Fund budget. Statewide, the $10 million in grants funds is expected to leverage another $11 million in local matching funds.
Costa said the Allegheny County Airport is the seventh busiest airport in Pennsylvania, supporting more than 75,000 takeoffs and landings per year. The Allegheny County Airport supports a high volume of business and corporate flights every day, while also offering flight instruction, maintenance and flight training for pilots through the on-site Pittsburgh Flight Training Center.
There are 133 public use airports in Pennsylvania.
The grant was approved by the State Transportation Commission on February 14.
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March 1, 2013 — State Senator Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) today joined with educators and school children and celebrated the importance of reading with children.
Costa said he was proud to be part of the National Education Association’s ‘Read Across America program again this year, celebrating the birthday of the great Dr. Seuss with third grade students from New Emerson Elementary in West Mifflin.
“What a great way to partner as parents, educators and neighbors in reading to our children and preparing them for success in school,” said Costa.
Across the nation, more than 45 million readers participated in this fabulous celebration of reading and learning.
“Our youngest Pennsylvanians deserve nothing less than the best and this wonderful program delivers that and more, year after year,” Costa said.
The senator extended his sincere thanks to the students and faculty from Emerson Elementary for allowing him to be part of their special day.
February 25, 2013 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) held a town hall meeting at Chatham University in the Laughlin Music Hall, Welker Room on Saturday, February 23rd from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
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February is the American Heart Association’s Heart Health Month. All month long families across Pennsylvania who have been affected by heart disease have been recognized. Heart disease knows no bounds and it impacts countless families in our towns and communities each and every day.
I applaud the great work of the American Heart Association, our local organizations and all Pennsylvanians that are doing their part to raise awareness of this devastating disease. While our focus is on heart health this month, we should all commit to working together to raise awareness and promote prevention of what is in many cases a silent killer.
Where heart health is concerned, knowledge is power. Knowing and understanding your risk and working to live a heart-healthy lifestyle are keys to helping prevent a life-altering event.
This year also brings with it the 10th anniversary of the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” campaign, aimed at promoting heart disease awareness and prevention for women.
Widely understood as a problem affecting men, few people may realize that heart disease kills more women – at a rate of one death per minute – more than all kinds of cancer combined.
The dedicated professionals working to save lives and improve patient outcomes have rewritten the future for so many people living with heart disease. There is still so much more work to be done. As we move forward in the fight against heart disease, I encourage everyone to remain committed to doing your part for a healthier future.
