View this email in a browser

In this email update:

• “If you see the blinking lights telling you you’re entering an active construction zone, slow the heck down”
• Transportation pilot project expands small business opportunities
• Argall named Guardian of Small Business
• McAdoo woman wins 14 ribbons at Bloomsburg Fair
• Keep the lights on! 

“If you see the blinking lights telling you you’re entering an active construction zone, slow the heck down”

In a bipartisan effort to increase safety in active highway work zones, this week the Senate passed my bill to allow for automated speed enforcement systems (ASES) in active work zones along federal aid highways under PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission’s jurisdiction. The vote was 47 for my bill and only one vote against.

This legislation was pushed for one main purpose: to save lives. In 2014, Senator Judy Schwank (Berks) and I heard from transportation leaders in Berks County about the urgent need to improve safety in active work zones. In 2016, it was reported that there were 2,075 crashes with 16 fatalities in active work zones. I believe that this legislation will dramatically reduce those statistics and I hope that the Governor signs it soon.

A huge thank you to Senator Schwank and Senate Transportation Committee Chair, Senator Rafferty (Berks/Chester/Montgomery) for all the hard work they have done to get this bill across the finish line.

For a complete list of all the bills voted upon in the Senate this week, be sure to visit the link here.

Transportation pilot project expands small business opportunities

PennDOT, in an effort to increases opportunities for Small Business Enterprises (SBE), is offering a new pilot program where SBEs can compete to work as prime consultants on federally-assisted engineering and design agreements on at least six projects.

More information on the department’s programs and efforts in Equal Opportunity Employment and diverse business opportunities is available at www.penndot.gov in “Bureau of Equal Opportunity” under “About Us.”

Argall named Guardian of Small Business 

I was honored to once again be named a Guardian of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

As public officials, we have an obligation to create a business-friendly environment here in Pennsylvania. Small businesses are responsible for employing half of the workers in the United States. By building up our many local small businesses, we can encourage more economic and population growth in Pennsylvania.

McAdoo artist wins 14 ribbons at Bloomsburg Fair

Georgine Postupack Borchik of McAdoo recently competed and won 13 ribbons at the annual Bloomsburg Fair. Her ribbons were awarded for various items entered including Ukraine Embroidery, Pysanky Eggs (pictured below), Ukraine Water Color, Kalinski Eggs, Ukraine Bead Work and an oil painting which received a red ribbon.

Borchick is a studio folk artist with the Walk in Art Center in Schuylkill Haven. Her Pysanky Eggs have been part of the rotating collection at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. since 1992.

Keep the lights on!

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reminds motorists to turn on their vehicle’s headlights any time their windshield wipers are on. They should also be turned on between dusk and dawn, in fog, when visibility is less than ideal, and generally anytime it would help you to see out of your vehicle or for others to see you better.

Pennsylvania law states that when your wipers are on, your headlights are also required to be on. Daylight running lights, a standard feature on most cares these days, are not enough. It is necessary for drivers in vehicles with daytime running lights to turn on their headlights in order to activate their tail lights.

For more information about traffic safety, visit www.penndot.gov/safety.

2024 © Senate of Pennsylvania | https://www.senatorargall.com | Privacy Policy