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In this Update:
Update on Election Controversy in Bucks County
As your State Senator, I take immense pride in representing you in Harrisburg and serving our community here in the 6th Senatorial District. I take my duty as a legislator very seriously and always strive to work in a bipartisan matter to deliver real results. Over the last 3 weeks, both Bucks County as well as the Bucks County Commissioners have been thrown into national headlines regarding this year’s election. It is important to note that elections are ran by counties, not the state. It is also imperative to remember, the Board of Elections are the County Commissioners. It is our duty to legislate; it is the county’s duty to execute. When we and the public learned that the Commissioners were openly willing to violate the law, my colleagues and I called on the Commissioners to follow the law. I was happy to hear that The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reaffirmed that undated ballots from the 2024 General Election ARE NOT to be counted. This ruling upholds the prior rulings of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which clarified mail-in and absentee ballots that fail to comply with the requirements of the Pennsylvania Election Code SHALL NOT BE COUNTED for purposes of the election held on November 5, 2024. We have heard the accusations by one of the commissioners that the legislature doesn’t care about our elections; this couldn’t be further from the truth. We have been working and will continue to work on election issues. We are thankful to every county employee that has worked tirelessly on this election. Strengthening election integrity and access in Pennsylvania has been, and will remain key areas of focus, as we firmly believe the foundation of a healthy and vigorous republic requires free, fair, and secure elections. The Commissioner in question seems to forget that the legislature has acted on election reform very recently. Senate Bill 982 was signed into law on July 11, 2022. This critical piece of legislation created the Election Integrity Grant program, a program that has allocated Bucks County $4,985,151.88 in the two years since its enactment to help the county fund it’s elections. Between unspent state funded election integrity grant program money from 2023 and the 2024 award, Bucks County had a total of $3,941,566.43 in state funds for use in this election while their total 2024 election budget was $3,888,000. In addition to funding the County’s election operation, the Legislature has worked to address the complaints regarding Act 77. In a previous session, HB1300 passed both the Senate and the House, but was vetoed by Governor Wolf. This legislation was carefully crafted to enact meaningful changes to our election code by expanding voter rights, adding protections, increase access to voting, and reducing burdens that currently exist. The Commissioners are responsible for the decisions that they make in operating our elections. It is disappointing that instead of defending the decisions they made, they tried to deflect the criticism they were rightfully receiving by being partisan and attacking the legislature. In the upcoming session year, we will be introducing legislation that provides additional election reforms that will ensure our election code continues to provide that our elections are done in an effective manner. New Law Creates Rape Kit Tracking System
To empower survivors and hold offenders accountable, a bill establishing a statewide rape kit evidence tracking system was signed into law as Act 122 of 2024. Act 122 allows survivors to track the status of their rape kits throughout the testing process, from collection to destruction. The law clarifies existing rights and enshrines new statutory rights for survivors of sexual assault. It also brings Pennsylvania into compliance with the Fairness for Rape Kit Backlog Survivors provision of the recent Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization. To comply with VAWA, the law provides a waiver for survivors who file untimely claims for compensation due to delays in rape kit testing. Survivors will not need to undergo an appeal process for consideration of this waiver. Bill Allowing Year-round Motorcycle Inspections Now Law
Legislation giving people who are trying to take safety precautions more convenience is now law after receiving unanimous Senate and House support. It allows year-round motorcycle safety inspections in Pennsylvania. Even though motorcycles can be purchased and driven on Pennsylvania roadways throughout the year, the state Vehicle Code previously only allowed safety inspections to be performed from March to October. The legislation eliminated the old restriction to give motorcycle operators more opportunities to complete required inspections. Motorcycle registration with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will continue to be tied to the month the vehicle is to be inspected. Senate Passes Bill to Honor Gold Star Families
It’s important to recognize fallen service members and the families they left behind. I supported a bill that would authorize construction of a Gold Star Families Memorial Monument at the State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg. The monument would be sponsored by the Woody Williams Foundation, which was established to honor and support Gold Star Families. It would be built to reflect five main philosophical pillars of the foundation: homeland, family, patriot, sacrifice and legacy. The monument would give Gold Star Families a permanent place to gather, remember and honor their fallen loved ones. It would also remind the public of the ultimate sacrifice made by the country’s bravest patriots. If the bill becomes law, the monument would be constructed south of the Auditorium Forum Building, east of the Irvis Office Building and north of Walnut Street.
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