PVCA Meeting, Dec. 4, 2019

Representative Mary Jo daley visited to update PVCA on state-level issues…

New voter friendly election reforms will take effect in April of 2020

• New option to vote by mail (up to 50 days before an election…the longest in the country)

• 15 extra days to register to vote before elections

• New voting systems create a paper trail and improve privacy

Police use of Radar

• PA Senate passed bill to allow local law enforcement to use radar to assess speeding motorists.

• The PA house will now consider the bill.

• Currently, only State Police are allowed to use radar, limiting local enforcement of speeding—a major complaint of residents.

Environmental Issues

• PA is behind in doing our part to clean up the Chesapeake Bay due to agricultural land use along the Susquehannah River (which feeds the Bay).

• Rep. Daley recently spoke about the importance of water quality and conservation of our waterways.

• PA experiences a seeming conflict between stewarding the environment and supporting jobs in polluting industries. Some counties are attempting to diversify economies and others are not, choosing rather to double-down on reliance on industries in natural resource extraction.

• In June, lawmakers voted to bar Pennsylvania’s municipalities from taxing or banning the sale or distribution of plastic bags and other containers, wrappings and bags. One senate leader from Centre County led the ban. He has a plastic bags manufacturer in his district. PVCA members expressed dismay that municipalities might not be able to choose for themselves whether or not to discourage the consumption of single-use plastics. Narberth successfully instituted a ban ahead of State law. (We hope that the State will lift the ban for the betterment of the environment.)

• Rep. Daley is currently working on a bill to fund work on conservation corridors across PA. Initial monies will be used to identify existing corridors with the potential to enhance and link these areas. (We applaud these bi-partisan efforts to improve habitat connectivity, shore up PA’s biodiversity, and boost outdoor recreation in the state.)

• Rep. Daley visited Elk County, PA to see the largest herd of elk in the Northeast. She recommends visiting this beautiful area of our state. While original herds of PA elk were once extirpated, these elk have been re-introduced from the Rocky Mountains. They now number at 1,000.

• PVCA thanks PVCA officer, Jen Kelly for the lovely snack spread this evening.