Bill O’Boyle: State Fire Commissioner urges caution ahead July 4th celebrations

Jun. 27—As millions of Pennsylvanians prepare to celebrate Independence Day, Acting State Fire Commissioner Charles McGarvey joined local leaders and the Burn Prevention Network (BPN) this week in urging residents to take the necessary steps to protect both their loved ones and property.

"Our message today is clear, fireworks are not toys," said McGarvey. "While dangerous, we acknowledge that these devices have a lengthy shared history with our nation's Independence Day celebrations. First and foremost, we want people to understand the risks, how to properly handle fireworks and to encourage users to be courteous to their neighbors and communities."

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that in 2020, fireworks were involved with an estimated 15,600 injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments. Approximately half of the injuries reported were burns, with the head, eyes, face, or ears being the most frequently impacted part of the body.

McGarvey gave the following suggestions:

Never allow children to play with fireworks, even sparklers, which can burn at temperatures of at least 1200 degrees.

Only allow adults to light fireworks one at a time, then quickly back away.

Never point or throw fireworks at another person.

Keep a bucket of water or garden hose handy in case of a fire.

Never pick up or try to relight fireworks that have not fully ignited.

After the fireworks have burned, fully douse them with water before picking them up or disposing to prevent trash fires.

Never use fireworks after consuming alcohol, or other medications or substances that can impair judgment or the ability to react quickly to an emergency.

Whether attending a professional display, or using consumer fireworks, always remain at a safe distance from the ignition location.

Be sensitive of neighbors and their pets, particularly if military veterans live nearby.

Sen. Toomey issues statement on

Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

U.S. Sen, Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, this week released a statement in support of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

"This bipartisan gun safety bill protects the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens while taking steps to make our communities safer.

"It will strengthen background checks, provide federal assistance for state crisis intervention programs, enhance penalties for trafficking and straw purchasing firearms, and invest in school safety and mental health.

"This represents significant progress in keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the dangerously mentally ill. I commend my colleagues who have worked tirelessly on this compromise, and I am encouraging all senators to support."

Toomey said the bipartisan gun safety legislation includes provisions to:

—Improve the NICS examination of juvenile records.

—Allow for an extended background check process for buyers under 21 years of age.

—NICS to contact states for juvenile criminal history & mental health adjudication records.

—Clarify when an individual is "Engaged in the Business" of selling firearms such that they must run background checks before sales.

—Strengthen the penalty for illegal straw purchases.

—Crack down on gun trafficking by creating an explicit federal prohibition on the transport or shipment of firearms if there is reasonable cause to believe the recipient cannot have them.

—Ensure that the current prohibition on firearm possession for those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence applies to serious dating partners.

—Expand Byrne Grants to allow states to use these grants to implement state crisis intervention programs, such as mental health, drug, and/or veterans courts, and extreme risk protection order laws that include due process protections.

Cartwright announces $200K to support

homeless veterans re-entering workforce

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, announced that the Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) will receive $200,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor to support its Homeless Veterans Reintegration Project (HVRP).

CEO's HVRP works in collaboration with PA CareerLink offices to serve veterans in Luzerne, Lackawanna and Monroe Counties.

"Our veterans have made tremendous sacrifices for their country and saying 'thank you for your service' isn't enough," Cartwright said. "They deserve support in the transition from military to civilian life so they can lead fulfilling lives and provide for themselves and their families. This is why I am proud to support CEO in their mission to assist veterans and help them reintegrate into the community after their military service. I appreciate Gene Brady, Executive Director of CEO, and the work being done every day to help veterans reach their full potential."

Brady of CEO said, "We greatly appreciate the assistance of Rep. Cartwright, the Department of Labor team and others we work with daily in providing this important employment assistance resource. We will be able to aid over 100 homeless veterans in our community. This will enable the CEO to continue to assist in locating quality, life sustaining employment for homeless veterans."

The mission of CEO is to promote self-sufficiency among low-income and vulnerable populations by confronting the causes and reducing the effects of poverty.

CEO's HVRP program offers job counseling, skills assessments, job readiness, life skills and money management training, transportation incentives and more.

To qualify for the program, applicants must have verifiable veteran status; have at least one day of active-duty service; have a discharge other than Dishonorable Discharge status; and experiencing homeless, living in transitional housing, facing eviction, recently housed (within the last 60 days) and/or actively enrolled with SSVF program.

Casey legislation would help people

with disabilities save for the future

The Senate Finance Committee this week voted out U.S. Sen. Bob Casey's ABLE Age Adjustment Act, legislation to help people with disabilities save for the future.

Introduced by Senators Casey and Jerry Moran, R-KS, in February, the ABLE Age Adjustment Act would build on Casey's 2014 ABLE Act and enable more people who become disabled as adults to qualify for ABLE accounts, which make it possible for people with disabilities to save money without risking loss of their federal disability benefits.

The ABLE Age Adjustment Act has been included in the Encouraging American Retirement Now (EARN) Act and will now head to the full Senate for consideration.

"Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee unanimously voted for my legislation to provide more than 6.1 million Americans with disabilities, including 1 million veterans, the opportunity to open an ABLE account and save for the future without losing crucial disability benefits," said Casey, D-Scranton. "This will remove barriers to economic independence for millions of Americans, giving people the option to open their own businesses, save for retirement, purchase the technology they need and so much more. Today's vote brings this legislation one step closer to becoming law."

Senator Casey's ABLE Act, signed into law in 2014, makes it possible for people who acquired their disability before turning 26 to save money without risking loss of their federal disability benefits.

The bipartisan ABLE Age Adjustment Act, first introduced in March 2016, would extend access to people who acquired their disability before age 46.

In July 2021, Sen. Casey held a hearing in the Senate Aging Committee on building wealth and fostering independence for people with disabilities, which highlighted his ABLE Age Adjustment Act.

Meuser co-sponsors Stop II

Act to improve school safety

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, is supporting legislation introduced recently to improve school safety and mental health for students

Meuser is a co-sponsor of HR 7966 — "The STOP II: Secure Every School and Protect Our Nation's Children Act (The Stop II Act) — that would get funding into the hands of local districts, affording them the opportunity to make decisions regarding safety in their schools.

"We want to address this issue in a meaningful way," Meuser stated of the legislation. "This legislation would make schools safer, allow for better intervention and lead to more effective threat assessment."

The legislation builds on the STOP School Violence Act, signed into law in 2018. It would fund:

—$1 billion for school resources officers

—$1 billion for mental health guidance counselors

—$5 billion for hardening schools, active shooter training and training for law enforcement

The intent of the bill would enable school officials the chance to intervene before a student reaches a breaking point. The $7 billion in the legislation would come from already approved, yet unused COVID-19 funds.

In addition, the legislation would close loopholes in school security by allowing schools to apply under the STOP School Violence act for grants to complete risk assessments and identify gaps in mental health services for students. It also codifies a clearinghouse at The Department of Homeland Security to assess, identify and share best practices related to school safety.

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