Advocacy

There are many uncomfortable issues that individuals try not to think about too much, until it impacts your family. For many families in Pennsylvania, one of those issues is turning out to be drug addiction.

Determining the amount and type of care needed for a loved one is one of the most difficult and gut-wrenching decisions a family must make. When someone is in need of help or long-term care, numerous factors must go into the decision.

Big billboards line many Pennsylvania highways to advertise the jackpots for the Powerball and MegaMillions lottery games. Tickets are sold in almost every state in the nation, and when the number on those billboards gets very high, as it did in January when the Powerball jackpot reached $1.6 billion, lines begin to form wherever lottery tickets are sold.

First Energy Rate Increase Request Would Impact Millions of Pennsylvanians

After a whirlwind of activity in the past two weeks, members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly left town late on Wednesday, July 13, after passing legislation which completed work on the 2016-17 state budget.

Pennsylvania’s elected leaders continued high-pressured negotiations on a 2016-17 state budget as the calendar moved closer to the end of the 2015-16 fiscal year on June 30. As of this writing, the Pennsylvania House had passed a budget bill and the Senate amended it to pass a different version of a state budget and send it back to the House. Negotiators from the Senate and House are working on a compromise, but they need to determine if the level of spending contained in any compromise budget would equal the level of revenues collected by the State and whether the spending priorities of members of the General Assembly and the Governor could be achieved. In addition, the Governor must weigh in with his views.

In true Pennsylvania Dutch fashion, there was a smorgasbord of activity in Harrisburg this week while the legislature was in session and were negotiating the state budget with Governor Wolf. Here is a recap of some notable issues that could impact Pennsylvanians age 50 and older:

The World Health Organization declared June 15 World Elder Abuse Day and government officials in Pennsylvania took time away from the other issues being discussed and debated in the State Capitol during a very busy month to recognize and raise awareness about this important concern.

AARP Pennsylvania Takes Caregiving and Social Security Message to Washington, DC

It may seem that Pennsylvania just finalized a state budget, but when that budget is nine months late it means the deadline for the next budget comes quickly. Lawmakers will spend the next four weeks attempting to finalize a state budget for 2016-17. Whether the Governor and the General Assembly can arrive at a compromise plan to meet the June 30 deadline is anyone’s guess.