April 12, 2019 - Senator Argall

divider

Follow Sen. Argall on Twitter for Senate happenings – @SenatorArgall
For photos from Sen. Argall, follow him on Instagram

divider

In this email update:

I want to hear your thoughts on school property taxes!
Ashland Little League Opening Day
Policy hearing looks at the future of higher education in Pennsylvania
Eagle Scout Court of Honor: Hunter Davis
Pennsylvania’s statewide opening day of trout season begins on April 13th
Upcoming road construction

I want to hear your thoughts on school property taxes!

Despite the opposition of many powerful interest groups, the most important issue in Berks and Schuylkill Counties is school property taxes – many of you have told me that! There are several new and old proposals to address this issue and I want to hear your preferred choice:

Senate Bill 76 would eliminate school property taxes entirely.
Senate Bill 76 Plan B would eliminate school property taxes for homestead properties only.
Senator Costa’s proposed bill would eliminate school property taxes for an estimated 60 percent of homestead properties.
House Bill 174 would freeze the homestead school property tax for seniors (65+) at the current rate.

Follow this link where you can find more information on all these plans and vote for your choice.

Ashland Little League Opening Day

Last Saturday, I was invited to attend the Ashland Little League Opening Day ceremony to see the results of a state grant my office was able to obtain. The day featured a parade through town and ceremonies to honor past champions as well as current players. (Thanks to Skooknews.com who supplied us with these pictures.)

Policy hearing looks at the future of higher education in Pennsylvania

The Senate Majority Policy Committee, which I chair, held a hearing this week on the future of higher education in Pennsylvania. The hearing included testimony from Nathan D. Grawe, a Professor of Economics at Carleton College. Professor Grawe specializes in the impact of fewer college-aged students in higher education.

There are 338 colleges, community colleges and trade schools in Pennsylvania. Some of these institutions are experiencing financial difficulty and an unpredictable future. Professor Grawe has calculated that by 2026, these changes could result in a 15 percent decrease in the typical college-aged population. Looking at the troubling statistics, colleges and universities need to develop a game plan now in order to deal with this problem which has already begun.

You can watch the full event at the link provided here.

Eagle Scout Court of Honor: Hunter Davis

On Sunday, Hunter Davis of Troop 731 in Ringtown earned the rank of Eagle Scout. This is the highest rank that any Scout can achieve.

An Eagle Scout must demonstrate Scout Spirit based on the Scout Oath and Law, as well as service and leadership. Only 4 percent of all Scouts are granted this rank which is earned after a lengthy review process and years of work.

Congrats Hunter!

Pennsylvania’s statewide opening day of trout season begins on April 13^th

The opening day of Trout season begins Saturday, April 13.

To participate, anglers ages 16 and older must have a valid Pennsylvania Fishing License and a Trout/Salmon Permit, both available online at this link or at more than 700 issuing agents. Multi-year licenses are also available in 3-year, 5-year and 10-year increments. Prices for licenses and permits remain the same as last year. Youth anglers ages 15 and under do not require licenses or permits.

This year the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat commission released 3.2 million trout into 707 streams and 127 lakes statewide. Stocking occurs throughout the pre-season and in-season, with a limited number of fall season stockings to replenish the most popular waterways and ice fishing hotspots. In addition, PFBC partner cooperative nurseries sponsored by sportsmen’s groups and other organizations will combine to raise 1 million trout that will be stocked into public waterways.