Bill O’Boyle: PennDOT highway safety survey available through Feb. 28

Feb. 5—The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is seeking public input on traffic safety and driving behaviors through its online survey found at — www.PennDOT.pa.gov/Safety.

"In 2021, 1,230 people died on Pennsylvania roadways," said PennDOT Acting Secretary Mike Carroll. "Many of these deaths could have been prevented simply by buckling up, slowing down, paying attention, and driving sober. The results from this survey help us better understand the public's attitude on highway safety, and potentially allow us to adjust our efforts to reduce crashes and fatalities."

The survey is available on PennDOT's website through Feb. 28, and should take about five minutes to complete. All responses are completely anonymous.

PennDOT partners with educational and enforcement grantees to deliver programming each year to help prevent crashes, fatalities, and injuries on our roadways.

This survey seeks information on motorists' behavior behind the wheel to help inform program planning. The voluntary survey covers several topics, including seat belt use, impaired driving, speeding, distracted driving, as well as bicycle, pedestrian, and motorcycle safety.

The survey was first implemented in 2010 as a requirement for federal funding. Though no longer required, the survey helps PennDOT better understand participants' attitudes on highway safety and potentially allows us to adjust safety activities as we work to reduce crashes and fatalities.

PennDOT focuses on data trends to drive enforcement and education improvements and invests more than $25 million annually in federal grant funds statewide to support behavioral safety programs.

Rep. Meuser, 130 colleagues

co-sponsor REINS Act

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, this week co-sponsored legislation aimed at limiting executive overreach and curtailing burdensome federal regulations that cost taxpayers trillions of dollars every year.

Meuser joined more than 130 Republican colleagues in supporting The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act, or REINS Act.

The bill was introduced by U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida.

"The regulatory challenges businesses face in my district and throughout the country are truly overwhelming," Meuser emphasized. "This patchwork of more than one million unique regulations by bureaucrats who oversee industries including energy and farming are puzzling to those who work daily in these professions. They also cost taxpayers trillions of dollars."

This bill would reassert Congress' legislative authority and prevent excessive overreach by the executive branch in the federal rule-making process. It would require every new "major rule" proposed by federal agencies to be approved by both the House and Senate before going into effect. The bill would also preserve Congress' authority to disapprove of a "non-major rule" through a joint resolution.

The REINS Act would define a "major rule" as any federal rule or regulation that may result in: an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government industries, government agencies, or geographic regions; or significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises.

Shapiro signs Executive Order to improve

licensing, permitting, certification processes

Gov. Josh Shapiro this week signed an Executive Order to improve the Commonwealth's licensing, permitting, and certification processes, beginning a comprehensive review of how long it takes agencies to process applications and how workers and businesses apply online.

This Executive Order will help to establish a date-certain for each license, permit, or certificate by which applicants will hear back — if applicants don't receive a response by that date, the agency responsible will refund their application fee.

Shapiro said Pennsylvania workers often have to wait months and are forced to navigate inefficient digital systems to receive their professional license, permit, or certification — and Governor Shapiro knows this is unacceptable.

The Governor is directing all state agencies, boards, and commissions to compile a catalog of the licenses, certificates, and permits they issue — including the statutory authority governing the length of time they must process applications and the application fee charged by each agency.

Commonwealth agencies will have 90 days to send this information to the Governor's Office, which will then review, analyze, and establish efficient application processing times for all occupational permits or licenses based on agency recommendations. Once those recommendations are put in place, if an agency does not respond to an applicant before the date-certain, the agency will be required to refund the application fee.

Under this Executive Order, the Governor's Office will also conduct a review of the existing digital services that Pennsylvanians use to apply for licenses, certificates, and permits and work to modernize those application platforms and services to better serve Pennsylvanians.

"Pennsylvanians have had to endure long wait times, outdated systems, and bureaucratic delays," Shapiro said. "They deserve a government that works efficiently and effectively to get them answers."

Shapiro said unpredictability and long wait times for Commonwealth-issued licenses, certificates, and permits can create unnecessary barriers for Pennsylvania workers and businesses.

Cartwright elected top Democrat of Commerce,

Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, this week announced his election to serve as the Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee on the powerful Appropriations Committee for the 118th Congress.

Cartwright, who has served on the House Appropriations Committee since 2016, will also serve as the second-highest Democrat of the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations Subcommittee.

"I'm gratified to be elected Ranking Member of Commerce, Justice and Science, and grateful that Northeastern Pennsylvania will continue to have this kind of clout in Washington for the 118th Congress," Cartwright said.

The Commerce Justice and Science (CJS) Subcommittee is responsible for discretionary spending at the Commerce and Justice Departments, as well as various independent federal agencies, including the International Trade Commission, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

During the 117th Congress, from his seat atop the CJS Subcommittee, Cartwright was able to direct close to $73 million to the 8th Congressional District of Pennsylvania in Community Project Funding.

Sen. Baker selects Lackawanna County

native for Senate Judiciary Committee

Clarks Summit native Ryan P. Shovlin will serve as legal counsel and executive director of the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, who chairs the panel.

A graduate of Abington Heights High School and Bucknell University, Attorney Shovlin is the son of Dr. Joseph P. Shovlin and Lisa B. Shovlin of Clarks Summit.

He received his Juris Doctor from Temple University's Beasley School of Law, where he was a Rubin Public Interest Fellow and Law and Public Policy Scholar.

Prior to joining the Senate, he served as a Deputy District Attorney with the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office for over six years, where he prosecuted 38 criminal jury trials to verdict as lead counsel and managed an active caseload of approximately 200 felony and misdemeanor cases.

"Judiciary is an important and consequential committee with broad jurisdiction and a high number of bills referred to it," said Sen. Baker. "Attorney Shovlin's prosecutorial experience, close interaction with victims, and extensive dealings with individuals across the criminal justice system will be a tremendous asset."

VFW Service Officer to help veterans

at Sen. Baker's Dallas Office on Feb. 10

State Sen. Lisa Baker invites veterans to schedule an appointment to meet with a VFW Service Officer at her Dallas office location.

Appointments with a Service Officer are available at no charge on the second Friday of every month.

Sen. Baker encourages veterans of all ages and from all service eras to utilize the Pennsylvania Veterans of Foreign Wars Service Officer Network, to receive free information and assistance for government benefits. This assistance may include VA healthcare, compensation, pension, education and dependent benefits. Surviving spouses can also use these Service Officers at no charge to learn about their eligibility for VA benefits.

On Friday, February 10, the VFW Service Officer will be available for scheduled appointments at Senator Baker's office, 22 Dallas Shopping Center, Memorial Highway, Dallas. All veterans, not just VFW members, can request appointments between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. To schedule an appointment at this location please call (570) 675-3931.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.