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In this Update:

• RSVP for my Veterans Appreciation Breakfast on Nov. 6
• Senate Passes Bills Empowering Parents
• Senate Votes to Extend and Improve Program to Protect Students
• Grants Available for Organizations Helping Veterans
• Recognizing Pennsylvania’s First Responders

RSVP for my Veterans Appreciation Breakfast on Nov. 6

There’s still time to RSVP for my annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast on Nov. 6. I’m looking forward to honoring the veterans of the 34th Senatorial District and hope you will join me.

The free breakfast will be held from 8-10 a.m. at Carlisle Expo Center, 100 K St., Carlisle.

Veterans in attendance will be provided legislative and veteran resource information. Attendees will also hear from Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel.

RSVPs are required. Interested veterans and a guest can RSVP at SenatorRothman.com/veterans-appreciation-breakfast/ or by calling 717-787-1377 no later than Oct. 30.

Senate Passes Bills Empowering Parents

The Senate approved legislation that would empower parents to protect their own child from accessing sexually explicit content at school, without impacting the books available to other students. Senate Bill 7 would require schools to:

• Identify sexually explicit content in school curriculum, materials and books.
• Create an opt-in policy that would:
  • Notify parents of the sexually explicit content by including a list of the book titles on the form.
  • Give parents the opportunity to review the materials.
  • Require parents to give direct consent for their children to be provided or have access to sexually explicit content.
• Provide children with non-explicit alternatives if their parents do not opt in.

Senate Bill 7 was crafted after a non-partisan, thorough two-year process – including conversations with parents, school administrators, teachers and librarians. It would not ban any books from Pennsylvania school curriculum or libraries, but rather empower parents to control only what their own children have access to in school. 

The Senate also approved legislation requiring schools to make public curriculum information available online, including a link or title for every textbook and course syllabus used for classes. Other measures passed this week would require schools to display the United States Constitution and display the Pennsylvania Constitution. Empowering parents and families is a priority of Pennsylvania Senate Republicans.

Senate Votes to Extend and Improve Program to Protect Students

Building on recent legislation to improve school bus safety, the Senate approved legislation extending and improving the school bus stop-arm automated enforcement program. The measure is set for enactment into law.

The program was first authorized in 2018 and includes nearly 40 participating school districts that equipped 2,500 school buses with cameras to record vehicles that don’t stop for school buses. More than 4,000 violations have been recorded.

The program was set to expire this week. Senate Bill 851 makes the program permanent, improves interaction with law enforcement and streamlines the appeals process. If a driver illegally passes a stopped school bus, the school district will send the car owner a police-vetted violation in the mail. The owner must pay the $300 fine or make an appeal for a virtual or in-person hearing overseen by a PennDOT official. The driver may petition a magisterial district judge after PennDOT’s decision.

Grants Available for Organizations Helping Veterans

The Veterans’ Trust Fund is accepting grant applications for programs and services benefiting Pennsylvania veterans. Nonprofit organizations, veteran service organizations and county directors of veteran affairs may apply by Wednesday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m.

Find more information about the grant opportunity and how to apply here.

The trust fund is supported by Pennsylvanians who donate when applying for or renewing their driver’s licenses, photo IDs or motor vehicle registrations; purchase veteran-specific license plates; or make private donations. Tax-deductible donations can be made online.

Recognizing Pennsylvania’s First Responders

Saturday, Oct. 28, is National First Responders Day. Police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians care for us during some of life’s worst moments. They are true heroes, and I am proud to honor their brave and selfless efforts.

My Senate colleagues and I have passed legislation to address the serious shortage of volunteer firefighters in the commonwealth. The number dropped from about 300,000 in the 1980s to less than 38,000 today, so they need our support. Without enough volunteers, communities across Pennsylvania face longer wait times when minutes make the difference between life and death.

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