November 28, 2022
SCRANTON, PA – November 28, 2022 – Senator Marty Flynn (D-Lackawanna/Luzerne) will be sponsoring a Health Care Enrollment Event on Wednesday, November 30th at 5:30PM at the Taylor Community Library.
A representative from Pennie, Pennsylvania’s health care marketplace will be on-hand to provide an overview of the marketplace and to answer audience questions. Certified representatives from Pennie will be in attendance to assist those who wish to enroll on the spot.
Attendees planning to enroll should bring a photo ID, their last four weeks of pay stubs, most recent tax return(s), and immigration documents, if applicable.
Pennie is in open enrollment now until January 15, 2023. Pennie is the official online marketplace made possible by the State of Pennsylvania and the top private insurance companies to provide affordable, high-quality health insurance plans to Pennsylvanians.
The Taylor Community Library is located at 710 South Main Street, Taylor, PA 18517. The event will also be livestreamed at www.Facebook.com/SenatorMartyFlynn.
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November 18, 2022
SCRANTON, PA – November 18, 2022 – Senator Marty Flynn (D-Lackawanna/Luzerne) today announced a $10,000,000 grant to be awarded to complete renovations to West Scranton Intermediate School.
The project will add much-needed upgrades to the facility and improve the safety and comfort of the students and faculty. The funds will be used to provide specific building infrastructure improvements to upgrade the building envelope in addition to the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, life safety, and emergency egress systems in the school.
This grant was made possible through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) – a Commonwealth grant program for the acquisition and construction of economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects.
“With the announcement of this funding, it is my hope that the Scranton School District promptly reevaluates its school consolidation plan,” said Senator Flynn. “Closing three schools does not prioritize students, parents, or teachers – and this significant boost in funding should provide an opportunity for the Administration and School Board to go back to the drawing board and find an actual solution for our school district.”
One of three middle schools in the Scranton School District, West Scranton Intermediate School is located at 1401 Fellows St., Scranton, PA 18504 and contains grades 5-8.
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November 18, 2022
DUNMORE, November 18, 2022 – Yesterday, State Senator Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined state Senator Marty Flynn (D-Lackawanna/Luzerne) to host a public hearing at the Fricchione Early Learning Center at Marywood University on access to early childhood education and literacy issues facing Pennsylvania students.
The hearing featured testimony from various educators and policy experts who all discussed the importance of high-quality childcare, early language, and pre-literacy skill development and how literacy has lifelong impacts on mental health, academic achievement, and professional success. Also discussed were issues regarding Pennsylvanians staffing shortages and inadequate compensation. A recent survey of almost 1,000 PA childcare programs showed nearly 7,000 vacant positions, resulting in more than 32,000 children languishing on waitlists for childcare.
“Being a proficient reader has an impact on a student’s entire education, and ultimately their ability to succeed. Those in power in the state government need to make the necessary structural changes to fully support high-quality early childhood development, pre-K education and literacy programs, as well as adequately compensate the professional staff that take care of and teach our kids,” Muth said. “Yesterday’s hearing should be a wakeup call to all legislators and the incoming administration that PA is on the verge of a childcare and literacy crisis. We heard firsthand from educators, advocates, and policy experts about the deficits and unmet needs of our children, childcare workers, teachers, and families. There needs to be urgent action to address these structural deficiencies to ensure that every child and family has access to what they need to thrive. Decades of inadequate funding for these critical initiatives have left families and communities without the support they need and deserve. Leaders in our state government need to implement long term investments so that all Pennsylvania families have access to high-quality, accessible early childcare and education opportunities for their children, provided by professionals that are properly trained, adequately compensated, and supported.”
Literacy skills are considered one of the strongest predictors of health status, more so than age, income, education level, or race/ethnic group. Studies show that children who participate in high-quality Pre-K programs perform better in school, are more likely to graduate, and earn more throughout their lives compared to peers without access to early learning programs.
“Thanks to the expertise of today’s testifiers, I am certain that we have increased public awareness and engagement around the importance of early childhood education and how access affects literacy success,” said Senator Marty Flynn.
According to statistics compiled by the US Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy, 19 percent of high school graduates cannot read, and 21 percent of adults read below a 5th grade level.
“It’s important to note that before COVID struck, far too many children in the state were failing to meet the state’s benchmarks for successful third grade reading proficiency,” Donna Cooper, Executive Director, Children First added. “Over half – 51.3% – of third grade children statewide failed to meet the state’s benchmark for proficiency according to the last valid year of PSSA results in 2019.”
Cooper noted that among the counties represented by Senator Muth and Senator Flynn, even in the highest performing county – Chester County – a quarter of third grade children failed to meet benchmarks for successful third grade reading proficiency. In Lackawanna County, 41.6 percent of students failed to meet benchmarks.
Other testifiers at the hearing included Donna Reid-Kilgore, Pre-K Counts Teacher, Bloom Early Education Center; Laura Sosik, 2nd Grade teacher at Isaac Tripp Elementary School, Scranton School District; Donna Salva, Adjunct Professor in Graduate Reading and Education Programs, Marywood University; Lindsey Ramsey, Assistant Director of Policy and Practice, Trying Together; Kimberly Early, Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children; and Donna Cooper, Executive Director, Children First.
State Reps. Kyle Mullins, Eddie Day Pashinski, Bridget Kosierowski, and Thom Welby also participated in the public hearing.
Other members of the Senate Democratic Caucus that participated in the hearing virtually included Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Senator Amanda Cappelletti, Senator Sharif Street, and Senator Tim Kearney
All submitted testimony from the policy hearing and the full video is available at SenatorMuth.com/Policy.
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Agenda →
Testimony
Panel 1: Educators
Panel 2: Policy Experts
Additional Materials
November 3, 2022
HARRISBURG, PA – November 3, 2022 – Several measures from Senator Marty Flynn’s (D-Lackawanna/Luzerne) Turnpike Reform Package have been signed into law today under Act 112 of 2022.
The Act, among other measures, includes provisions that will help recoup some of the more than $150 million in uncollected Turnpike tolls and reestablish public confidence in the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.
“With this law, those who deliberately avoid paying tolls will begin to face consequences,” said Senator Marty Flynn. “Pennsylvanians wanted answers and solutions to the deficiencies of toll collection across the Commonwealth, and the legislation I wrote delivered on that.”
Specifically, the law will:
- Require the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to submit an annual report to the General Assembly that outlines revenue from collected tolls as well as missed revenue from uncollected tolls during the prior fiscal year.
- Lower the threshold needed to trigger a registration suspension from six unpaid tolls to four, or from $500 in total unpaid dues to $250.
- Raise the statute of limitations from three years to five years, so Turnpike officials have a longer window to pursue offenders.
- Make it unlawful to obstruct, manipulate, or remove a license plate from a vehicle to impede electronic toll collection.
- Require the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to conduct a feasibility study to assess alternative electronic toll collection payment options
Several sections of the act were taken directly from Senator Flynn’s Turnpike Reform Package, a group of bills he proposed as a direct response to the disclosure that more than $100 million in Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls went uncollected from June 2020 through May 2021. Since being named Minority Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, Senator Flynn has been a leader in the effort to hold the Turnpike Commission accountable for their lost revenue.
Act 112 of 2022 will take effect in 60 days.
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October 26, 2022
SCRANTON, PA – October 26, 2022 – Senator Marty Flynn (D-Lackawanna/Luzerne) has announced a total of $14,250,000 in grants awarded to 16 projects in the 22nd Senatorial District through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) – a Commonwealth grant program for the acquisition and construction of economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects.
“Each grant awarded through this program will be geared to improving the quality of life for people in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Senator Flynn. “In addition to that, they will create jobs and have a direct economic impact on our community; supporting these projects is a no brainer.”
The following entities were awarded grants through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program:
- Redevelopment Authority of the City of Pittston: $1,00,000 for Pittston City Market and Main
- JK & BK, LLC: $1,500,000 for Pittston City Redevelopment
- Hoofty Holdings, LLC: $500,000 for 105 Corner Street, Dunmore
- Limited Liability Company-C corp: $2,00,000 for 1100 Penn Avenue Development
- Scranton-Jefferson 321, LLC: $500,000 for 333 Jefferson Avenue
- JAC Realty, Inc.: $500,00 for Covington Retail Center
- Lakeside NEPA, Inc.: $1,000,000 for Expansion of Facility for Additional Mental Health Services
- Indo-American Community of Scranton, Inc.: $500,000 for IACOS Community Center
- The Jewish Home of Eastern Pennsylvania: $1,000,000 for Jewish Home of Eastern Pennsylvania
- S. Johnson Technical Institute: $1,000,000 for Johnson College New and Enhanced Technical Training Facilities
- Scranton-LTI, LP: $500,000 for the Leonard Theater
- Greenwood Hose Co. No. 1: $1,000,000 for Moosic Fire and Police Building
- Second Chapter, LLC: $1,000,000 for Olyphant Small Business Expansion
- Crown S. Abington Holdings, LLC: $1,000,000 for Abington Redevelopment Phase II
- Crown Holdings of NEPA, LLC: $750,000 for Yatesville Commercial and Industrial Development
- King’s College: $500,000 for King’s College Student Success Center
Administered by the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget, RACP projects must have a regional or multi-jurisdictional impact and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues, or other measures of economic activity.
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