Thank you, Adam Diaz, for Your Dedication to Our Community

May 10, 2019

Thank you, Adam Diaz, for Your Dedication to Our Community

It was a pleasure to join colleagues and community leaders in recognizing Adam Diaz, owner of Diaz Companies, for his generosity and contributions to our area.

The event was sponsored by the Baden Powell Council of the Boy Scouts of America and hosted by Elk Lake School District along with the Susquehanna County Career and Tech Center.

Heartfelt thanks and sincere congratulations to Adam Diaz! Pictured from left Rep. Tina Pickett, myself, Adam and Susquehanna County Commissioner Betsy Arnold.

Congratulations to Recent PSU Scranton College Graduates

I was supremely honored to offer the commencement speech to Penn State Scranton's graduating class. Best of luck to all the graduates! Penn State proud! We are!!

Photo on the left is with PSU Scranton's chancellor, Dr. Marwan Wafa and the middle photo is with my good friend and PSU Scranton's director of continuing education, John Drake.

Government Done Right Requires Efficiency, Transparency, Fiscal Responsibility

As part of our “Government Done Right” initiative, House Republicans passed additional bills this week to increase transparency, save taxpayers money and improve the efficiency of government.

House Bill 880 would extend and accelerate the reduction of the debt ceiling for the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program by $500 million over five years. Lowering our debt reduces the financial burden of current and future taxpayers.

To ensure businesses get effective and efficient treatment when navigating the Commonwealth’s legal system, the House voted to create Commerce Courts. Under House Bill 332, these courts would have judges dedicated to hearing and deciding complex business-related cases, including acquisitions, mergers, dissolutions and liquidations, among other items.

The bills now go to the Senate for its consideration.

For more information on this initiative, visit this site.

Registration Now Open for Concealed Carry, Castle Doctrine Seminar

I want to invite all area residents to our upcoming Concealed Carry and Castle Doctrine Seminar, scheduled for Thursday, May 30, at the Clifford Township Firehall in Clifford. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and the seminar will run from 6-8 p.m.

This seminar will feature Susquehanna County District Attorney Marion O’Malley and Susquehanna County Sheriff Lance Benedict, who will discuss a variety of Second Amendment and gun safety topics.

Registration is required for this event as the venue space is limited. There is no fee to attend. To register, visit my website at RepFritz.com or call my Montrose district office at 570-278-3374.

Expanding Education Opportunities

More students and their families would have access to additional educational options under legislation approved by the House this week to expand the successful Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program.

House Bill 800 would increase funding for the program by $100 million to $210 million, providing tens of thousands of additional Pennsylvania families the ability to choose a school that best fits their students’ needs.

In order to ensure that the scholarship program can continue to grow to meet demand, the legislation would also establish an automatic escalator, increasing the EITC scholarship cap by 10% whenever 90% of the tax credits are claimed in the prior year.

To allow more middle-class families access to this program, the bill would increase the maximum annual household income by $10,000 (to $95,000, before add-ons per child), while guaranteeing that once a student has received a scholarship, he or she will remain eligible through high school graduation regardless of changes to family income.

The EITC program provides tax credits to businesses that make contributions to approved scholarship organizations offering scholarships to children in kindergarten through grade 12, educational improvement organizations providing funding for innovative educational programs in public schools, and pre-kindergarten scholarship organizations offering scholarships to children enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs.

The bill now moves to the Senate for its consideration.

Attention Veterans

Brian Stolarski, a service officer with the American Legion, visits both my Honesdale and Montrose district offices each month to provide claims, pension and benefits assistance for area veterans. He visits the Honesdale office on the fourth Friday of each month and the Montrose office on the first Tuesday each month. Veterans need not be a member of the American Legion to use this service.

Brian will be in my Honesdale office on Friday, May 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please call our office at 570-253-5533 for more information. He will also be in my Montrose district office on Tuesday, June 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information and to schedule an appointment, call the Honesdale office at 570-253-5533 or the Montrose office at 570-278-3374.

Improving CPR Education to Save Lives

This week the House passed Senate Bill 115 aimed at teaching students cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to help them save lives.

The bill would require the Pennsylvania Department of Education to work with the Department of Health and other stakeholders to develop curriculum that could be used by schools across the state. The aim is to help reduce the more than 350,000 cardiac arrests that occur outside of a hospital each year by preparing students to save lives through CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).

The bill now heads back to the Senate for its concurrence.

Celebrating Our Small Businesses

This week marks Small Business Week in Pennsylvania.

Small businesses are the backbone of the Commonwealth’s economy, employing over 2.5 million people. In fact, 99.6% of employers in the state are small businesses.

House Republicans have been working hard to help Pennsylvania’s small businesses thrive and grow by cutting the red tape that creates barriers to growth and cleaning up our outdated laws.

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