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Mark Your Calendars for These Upcoming Free Events
August 1 – Senior Expo
Senior citizens, their family members and caregivers are invited to join us for the opportunity to gather information, ask questions and connect with nearly 80 exhibitors from government agencies, health care and long-term care service providers, insurance and financial services, and more. No registration required.
August 5 - Scam Awareness Seminar
Senior Citizen’s Day at the Tioga County Fair is Tuesday, Aug. 5! Come on down early and join my Scam Awareness Seminar. It is scheduled from 9:30-10:30 a.m. You will learn about numerous scams targeting senior citizens in the Commonwealth and how to protect yourself. Please note: Admission to the fair is free to seniors ages 62 and over until 5 p.m. that day.
Register at www.repowlett.com/events to reserve your seat.
September 12 – Game Commission Night
Join us for a fun and informative evening at the Wellsboro Fire Company Annex from 6-8 p.m. You will hear from our Pennsylvania Game Commission officials about efforts to address predators. Register at www.repowlett.com/events to reserve your seat. This event typically fills up fast, so be sure to reserve your seat sooner rather than later.
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House Narrowly Adopts Budget, Negotiations Continue
The House passed a 2025-26 state budget proposal late yesterday afternoon, despite my negative vote.
With a steep price tag of $50.6 billion – and many more questions than answers about how they would pay for it – I simply could not support the budget proposal put forth by House Democrats yesterday. We are two weeks past the June 30 deadline, and we absolutely owe it to the people of Pennsylvania to get this job done…but we have to do it RIGHT and this budget simply isn’t it.
It’s interesting to note House Democrats must agree their governor wants to spend too much, as their plan spends about $1 billion less than the governor called for back in February. However, it is still far more than what the state is anticipated to generate in revenue this year. We simply can’t spend what we don’t have. And if we do, Pennsylvanians will soon end up with higher tax bills they can’t afford.
We need to come together and create a plan that will set Pennsylvania up for success, a plan that will grow our economy, boost the energy industry, and empower families and students to pursue the type of education that best meets their needs.
The budget bill, House Bill 1330, now goes to the Senate.
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Stop The Waste
As budget negotiations continue, we need to be looking for ways to save money, including stopping any waste, fraud or abuse in state programs. Last week, I offered an amendment that would help achieve that goal, only to have majority House Democrats vote to table it without any discussion. This is disrespectful to the people I was elected to serve, and to the entirety of the taxpayers who ultimately pay the price when fraud occurs.
My amendment, which is also introduced as House Bill 330, creates a state-based Do Not Pay Initiative. Modeled after the federal Do Not Pay legislation, it would establish a state database of organizations, individuals and entities which are not eligible to receive funds from a Commonwealth agency. Who wouldn’t want to stop improper payments before they happen? Why waste money to recoup payments that shouldn’t have been made in the first place? It simply makes no sense.
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Ensuring Fairness in Women’s Sports
Recognizing the unfair advantage biological males have when competing in women’s sports, I joined my fellow legislators last week in launching an effort to force a House vote on Senate Bill 9, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.
Since passing the state Senate with bipartisan support in May, the measure has sat idle in the House Education Committee without being considered. We attempted to use a discharge resolution to get the bill out of committee so it can be debated and voted upon by the full House. Unfortunately, majority House Democrats responded by re-referring the bill to a different committee, effectively bypassing our efforts…for now.
Athletic competitions give women the opportunity to demonstrate their strength and skill, while also providing opportunities for recognition ranging from accolades to college scholarships. By opening women’s sports to include males, we take away those opportunities from our women and girls who have worked tirelessly to achieve the equality they deserve.
Senate Bill 9 would help preserve the increased athletic opportunities that female students have gained over the past half century by prohibiting participation by biological males in women’s sports. I will continue fighting for our female athletes!
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Legislation to Protect Firefighters’ Income Passes House
Recently, I joined in the unanimous support of a bill to exempt length-of-service awards for volunteer firefighters from state income taxes.
At a time when fire companies are struggling to meet personnel needs, length-of-service awards are a valuable recruitment and retention tool. The hardworking men and women who put their lives on the line to protect public safety in communities across the Commonwealth should not have to give up a portion of that award to state government.
House Bill 1306 would exclude distributions from a length-of-service award program from the definition of income for purposes of the Pennsylvania Personal Income Tax.
More than 90% of Pennsylvania’s 2,400 fire companies are volunteer based. We owe a debt of gratitude to these dedicated men and women who sacrifice their time and personal safety to protect us.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
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Local Scam Alerts
There has been an alarming number of scams that are affecting residents of our district. It is important you learn how to protect yourself and stay well informed. Our office has received reports of several scams that are targeting residents, often impersonating Commonwealth employees, government officials and local law enforcement personnel. Further details regarding these scams can be read below.
Inheritance Scam: A recent scam was reported involving someone posing as a Commonwealth employee. The reported scam uses a fake email to target older Pennsylvanians and request money through licensed financial institutions to receive a fake inheritance. In the recently reported incident, the victim was asked to pay upfront fees in order for the inheritance to be released – the fees would total hundreds of thousands of dollars over nearly a one-year period.
Read more about the inheritance scam here.
Impersonating Local Law Enforcement Officers: Have you gotten a call that looks like it’s from your local police department? Scammers are faking caller ID to impersonate local law enforcement, hoping to get you to pay. The call comes from someone claiming they’re a sheriff or deputy at your local police department. They say they’ve confiscated a package with your name on it. It’s filled with money, illegal drugs, or weapons — and you’ll be arrested unless you pay a fine. To avoid being arrested, they might tell you to send cash, deposit money at a Bitcoin ATM, buy gift cards and give them the numbers, or send money over a payment app like Zelle, Cash App, or Venmo. Read more about how scammers are impersonating local law enforcement here.
VA Benefits Overpayment Scam: Got a letter in the mail from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) saying you owe money due to an overpayment of your benefits? You might be wondering: Was I really overpaid? How much do I need to pay back? To get real answers to questions like these, always start by logging into your VA.gov account. If your VA.gov account shows you owe money, the VA offers repayment help for free. But scammers will tell you different and try to convince you to pay them instead. Some scammers pretend to be someone from the VA to trick you into sending them your money or sensitive information. Some might even use names, seals, and logos that look or sound like legit organizations to trick you into paying a scammer for help that’s actually free. Read more about scams directed toward veterans and caregivers here.
Stay Vigilant and Learn How to Protect Yourself
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Don’t respond to suspicious emails or texts. |
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Don’t trust messages about winning money or getting an inheritance from someone you do not know. |
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Do not feel pressured to act quickly or in secret. |
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Check email addresses. Scammers can spoof emails, sending an email that looks like it is from a trusted source. Official emails from Pennsylvania state agencies always end in @pa.gov. |
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Watch out for fake websites. Official state websites end in pa.gov and will always display the Commonwealth logo with the text “Official website of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania” on the top left corner of a web page. |
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Know that Pennsylvania agencies will not threaten immediate legal action or license suspension without proper notice. |
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