Dear Neighbor, I hope you are well! I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on several happenings in the district as well as Harrisburg. 

As always, I hope you find this informative and useful.

Harrisburg Update

It was another busy week here in Harrisburg! On Monday I was able to watch the eclipse with my colleagues and I welcomed students from Norristown School District to the Capitol building which you can read more about below. 

In House Session we passed HB 71 which would authorize the construction of a Gold Star Families Memorial Monument to be built on the grounds of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex. We also passed SB 37 which would make it illegal to use hand-held devices while operating a motor vehicle. This means it would be illegal to call or text while holding your phone as you drive. Under this law, it would still be legal to use hands free technology for calls or text such as Bluetooth. This bill has gone back to the Senate for concurrence. 

SB 1111, which was passed unanimously, closes loopholes in Megan's Law so that human traffickers are held accountable for their crimes. 

The last two bills I want to highlight for you are HB 1512 - Ensuring Telemedicine Access for Pennsylvanians and HB 1598 - Disclosure of Artificially Intelligent Generated Content. HB 1512 would require insurers to cover telemedicine appointments when they are medically necessary, reducing the cost of health care services. HB 1598 would require all AI-generated content, whether that's photos, videos, audio files, or text to come with a clear and obvious disclaimer to inform the consumer that the content was created by AI. Both bills now move to the Senate for consideration and passage. You can contact your Senator at any time to advocate for these bills and see them over the finish line.

Norristown Robotics Team

On Monday I joined my colleagues Rep. Matt Bradford and Rep. Greg Scott in welcoming the Norristown Area School District's Robotics Team at the Capitol to congratulate them on their win in the State VEX Robotics Competition. Norristown Superintendent Christopher Dormer and Norristown School Board Member Cynthia Wirth both joined the students for their day in the Capitol. 

The team will be heading to Dallas, Texas at the end of the month to complete in the VEX Robotics World Championship, representing the Norristown community and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

Congratulations and good luck!

Around the District 

Last week Mission Kids, a Montgomery County-based child advocacy center, held their annual Pinwheels for Prevention ceremony at the Norristown Transportation Center. 1,326 pinwheels were planted to honor every child that Mission Kids assisted last year. My staff attended the ceremony on my behalf to stand in support of the critical work Mission Kids does to protect our children from abuse. 

Over the weekend I joined my colleague Rep. Joe Ciresi to tour the Operating Engineers Local 542's new apprentice training center in Bernville PA. This fantastic facility will help train operating engineers to work in the construction industry. I will always support unions and the apprenticeship programs that pave the way for good paying jobs that include health benefits, pension, and high safety standards. 

Election Notices

The Pennsylvanian Primary Election is quickly approaching, are you ready to vote?

The Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, April 23rd. Polls will be open from 7am to 8pm. Please note that this election happens to fall during the Jewish holiday, Passover. If you want to have your voice heard, make sure to apply for a mail-in ballot BEFORE April 16th. Once completed you can return the ballot through the mail or return it to one of the 12 secure ballot drop boxes throughout the county.  These secure ballot drop boxes are monitored by county officials and will be installed soon. They will be available 24 hours a day beginning April 13th, 2024, until 8pm on April 23, 2024. 

You can also stop by Montgomery County's Voter Services Office in Norristown or one of the 4 satellite offices. All locations can be found here. 

If you have questions about this election or want to see a sample ballot, you can visit montgomerycountypa.gov/Voter-Services at any time. 

Senior Fair

My Senior Fair is only two weeks away! Join us on April 25th, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, Hall D from 10am to 2pm. We now have over 50 vendors that will be on hand to speak with you about senior programs, volunteer opportunities, and veterans' assistance. There will also be legislative updates, door prizes, blood pressure screenings as well as SEPTA Senior Card applications and renewals.

Let us know you will be coming by calling my office at 484-200-8263 to RSVP. I hope to see you there!

Please continue to stay safe, healthy and well-informed.

And, if you have questions about any state-related issue, please contact my office at 484-200-8263 or email [email protected]. If you wish to unsubscribe to this email, please scroll to the bottom where it says “visit this page to manage your email preferences".

Sincerely,

Rep. Joe Webster
State Representative
150th Legislative District

Pennsylvania House Democrats are committed to ensuring better jobs, better schools and better communities for all Pennsylvanians. More information on these successful efforts is at pahouse.com/deliveringforpa.

PA House of Representatives Democratic Caucus
PO Box 202250 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2250

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