Last week Senator Fontana participated in a groundbreaking ceremony in Crafton for the borough’s sewer separation project. Senator Fontana was able to help secure a $250,000 state grant to assist the project. The project will help reduce flooding risks and keep waterways clean.

Today is Election Day!

Today is Election Day in Pennsylvania! Polls are open today from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. If you have any questions related to voting, I encourage you to visit www.votespa.com. You may also reach the Allegheny County Elections Division by phone at 412-350-4500.

Polling Place Locator

If you are a newly-registered voter, have recently moved or have not voted in a while, and are unsure where your polling place is located, you can visit the Polling Place Locator page offered by the PA Department of State. You will be asked to enter your county, municipality, house number and street name. Once that information is entered, the site will inform you of your polling place and provide the address. If you are unable to find your polling place on this site, or if any of your information is listed incorrectly on the site, please contact the Allegheny County Elections Division office at 412-350-4500.

Requested Mail-in Ballot but Wish to Vote In-Person?

If you have applied for a mail-in ballot but changed your mind and wish to vote in person, simply bring your mail-in ballot and envelopes to your polling place today. You will give your mail-in ballot and envelopes to the Judge of Elections at your polling place which will enable you to vote in person.

However, if you forget to bring your mail-in ballot and envelopes with you so that it can be voided, you will then be given a provisional ballot to complete at your polling location. This ballot will only be counted after it has been verified that your mail-in ballot has not been received by the Elections Board.

Last Day for Over-Counter Voting

Anyone who applied for a mail-in or absentee ballot, can return their completed ballot today, to the Allegheny County Office Building, from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. The Allegheny County Office Building is located at 542 Forbes Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.

How to Register Election Day Complaints

Any registered voter who wishes to file a complaint about alleged election law violations can do so by visiting www.votespa.com and clicking on the “Election Complaints” tab. The voter will be asked to enter their first and last name, address, county of residence, and date of birth to ensure they are a registered voter. Once submitted, these complaint forms will be directed to the county election board for the county in which the voter making the complaint resides. Written statements of complaint are available at all polling places and the Allegheny County Board of Elections. You may also call 1-877-VOTES-PA (1-877-868-3772) to obtain a complaint statement.

Did You Know

Did you know that more than 800,000 voters in Pennsylvania requested mail-in ballots for today’s election?

New Polling Places

I want to remind everyone that approximately 40,000 households received letters from the Allegheny County Elections Office informing them they have new polling places for the May 18 primary election. There are 10 polling places in the 42^nd Senatorial District that have been moved. Those locations are as follows:

Ballot Questions for Today’s Primary Election

I want to remind voters that in addition to electing municipal officials, school board members, and judges, there also will appear several ballot questions that voters will be asked to answer.

It’s important to note, that while Pennsylvania operates a closed primary, meaning only democrats and republicans can participate, that is not the case for the ballot questions. All voters can answer the ballot questions, regardless of political party.

The questions as they will appear on the ballot are as follows. The first three questions are proposed amendments to the Pennsylvania Constitution:

Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to change existing law and increase the power of the General Assembly to unilaterally terminate or extend a disaster emergency declaration—and the powers of Commonwealth agencies to address the disaster regardless of its severity pursuant to that declaration—through passing a concurrent resolution by simple majority, thereby removing the existing check and balance of presenting a resolution to the Governor for approval or disapproval?

A “NO” answer means that a governor can act quickly with all state departments to respond to a crisis, as long as that crisis lasts.

A ”YES” answer to the above question means that the legislature can vote to end the protections of an emergency declaration at any time, regardless of the status of the emergency.

Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to change existing law so that: a disaster emergency declaration will expire automatically after 21 days, regardless of the severity of the emergency, unless the General Assembly takes action to extend the disaster emergency; the Governor may not declare a new disaster emergency to respond to the dangers facing the Commonwealth unless the General Assembly passes a concurrent resolution; the General Assembly enacts new laws for disaster management?

A “NO” answer means that a governor can continue to respond to a crisis, even if it lasts longer than 3 weeks.

A “YES” answer to the above question means that an emergency declaration could end prematurely unless debated, negotiated, and voted on every 21 days in the state legislature.

Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended by adding a new section providing that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of an individual’s race or ethnicity?

A “YES” answer to the above question means that our constitution would be updated to include equal rights protections based on race or ethnicity.

A “NO” answer means that our constitution would continue to lack protections for discrimination based on race or ethnicity.

The following statewide referendum will appear on the May 18 ballot:

Do you favor expanding the use of the indebtedness authorized under the referendum for loans to volunteer fire companies, volunteer ambulance services and volunteer rescue squads under 35 PA.C.S. §7378.1 (related to referendum for additional indebtedness) to include loans to municipal fire departments or companies that provide services through paid personnel and emergency medical services companies for the purpose of establishing and modernizing facilities to house apparatus equipment, ambulances and rescue vehicles, and for purchasing apparatus equipment, ambulances and rescue vehicles, protective and communications equipment and any other accessory equipment necessary for the proper performance of the duties of the fire companies and emergency medical services companies?

A “YES” answer to the above question would allow municipal fire departments or companies with paid personnel, as well as EMS companies, to apply for a loan through an existing state-run program for volunteer companies. The money can be used to modernize or purchase equipment.

A “NO” answer would not allow municipal fire departments or companies with paid personnel, as well as EMS companies, to apply for a loan through an existing state-run program for volunteer companies.

The following ballot question will appear on all ballots in Allegheny County only:

Shall the Allegheny County Code, Chapter 205, Allegheny County Jail, be amended and supplemented to include a new Article III, which shall set forth standards governing conditions of confinement in the Allegheny County Jail?

A “YES” answer to the above question would prohibit solitary confinement (more than 20 hours per day) except for limited circumstances and not to be used as punishment and prohibiting the use of restraining chairs, chemical agents, or leg shackles. The Jail Warden shall prepare a monthly report regarding use of solitary confinement and lock downs.

A “NO” answer would make no changes to country standards for solitary confinement.

The following ballot question will appear on ballots of all voters in the City of Pittsburgh:

Shall the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter be amended and supplemented by adding a new Article 10: Powers of the Pittsburgh Police, containing Section 1001, which shall bar employees of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police from executing warrants at any residence without knocking and announcing themselves?

A “YES” answer to the above question would prohibit employees of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police from executing warrants without knocking or announcing themselves.

A “NO” answer would make no changes to existing Pittsburgh Bureau of Police policy.

Remember, ALL voters, regardless of political party, including Independents or those voters without a party affiliation, are eligible to vote on all of the ballot questions.

How to Schedule a Vaccine

All Pennsylvania adults are eligible to schedule an appointment for the COVID -19 vaccine! As of May 15, more than 9.6 million doses of COVID vaccine have been administered in Pennsylvania and more than 4.1 million Pennsylvanians are fully vaccinated.

The federal government recently launched www.vaccines.gov. On this site, visitors can simply enter their zip code and a listing of locations in order of proximity will generate showing locations with vaccines in stock. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has also announced they transitioned to www.vaccines.gov.

This transition to Vaccine Finder for Pennsylvania also ensures that all vaccine providers in Pennsylvania display on Apple Maps. Users can find nearby COVID-19 vaccination locations from the search bar in Apple Maps by selecting COVID-19 Vaccines in the Find Nearby menu or by asking Siri, “Where can I get a COVID vaccination?”

Google Maps and Facebook are also using Vaccines.gov as the source of the information being displayed as people search for a location where they can get the COVID-19 vaccine.

In addition, individuals can text their zip code to GETVAX (438829) for English, or VACUNA (822862) for Spanish and receive three possible vaccination sites in their area, with phone numbers to call for an appointment.

There are many other ways to locate a vaccine as well.

I want to remind everyone that my website features a vaccination page which can be viewed at https://www.senatorfontana.com/vaccine. Anyone without internet access can also call the Department of Health at 1-877-724-3258 for help finding a vaccine provider.

The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) has a Vaccine Registration site and any individuals seeking vaccine appointments may register online at http://vax4.alleghenycounty.us  or by calling 2-1-1. ACHD also has a vaccine provider map, which can be viewed by clicking here. The vaccine provider map contains information about pharmacies and ongoing vaccination sites, as well as temporary vaccination events for the public. Each location includes information about the type of vaccine available and how to register. More locations will be added on an ongoing basis.

ACHD announced it is administering the Pfizer vaccine to children 12 and older following federal approval of the vaccine by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Pfizer vaccine is currently being administered at ACHD vaccination sites in Castle Shannon at the Volunteer Fire Department Banquet Hall, 3600 Library Road, and Robert Morris University (RMU) at the UPMC Events Center, 6001 University Boulevard. Walk-ins are accepted at both locations. Parents or guardians will need to provide consent before the vaccination of any youth between the ages of 12-17. Appointments can made at https://vax4.alleghenycounty.us/patient/s/ or by calling 2-1-1 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. 

UPMC has a website, https://vaccine.upmc.com/, that allows individuals to complete a registration form. Once the registration form is completed, you will receive additional communications from UPMC to schedule an appointment. Those without access to technology or the internet can call 844-UPMCVAC (844-876-2822). 

Allegheny Health Network is allowing anyone to sign up for “MyChart” and you will be alerted when they have COVID-19 vaccine appointments available. You will also be able to schedule your vaccine appointment online by clicking here or by calling 412-362-8677.

St. Clair Hospital has created a registration page for individuals in their 34-zip code service area. Anyone in their service area can sign up to be contacted to schedule an appointment once supply allows. Anyone without internet access can call 412-942-2960 to request to register. Callers should leave a message including your full name, address, date of birth, and phone number. To learn more about St. Clair Hospital’s vaccination efforts please click here and to sign up to be contacted to schedule when supply allows, please click here.

In addition to the information provided above, the following are providers in Allegheny County that have received vaccines from the Pennsylvania Department of Health in the last few weeks. This is in addition to large pharmacies who are receiving vaccines directly from the federal government.

Vaccine Scheduling for People with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism

Governor Wolf recently announced a partnership with Rite Aid Pharmacy to ease access to COVID-19 vaccinations for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

People with an intellectual or developmental disability and their caregivers can call the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) Vaccination Call Center at 1-800-424-4345 to request a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for themselves and/or their caregivers. This hotline is staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

From there, ODP will give Rite Aid names and locations of individuals who need to be vaccinated. Rite Aid staff will assign local pharmacies to reach out to callers to schedule vaccinations at a Rite Aid location near to the caller. This effort will also be able to help coordinate special accommodations for individuals who need assistance with transportation or on-site aid, among other needs.

Anyone age 16 or older with an intellectual or developmental disability and their caregivers can request a vaccine appointment through this effort, regardless of whether they are currently enrolled in a service and support program through ODP. ODP oversees services and supports for approximately 57,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Pennsylvania but estimates that this only covers about 25 percent of Pennsylvanians who may qualify as having an intellectual or developmental disability. ODP is working with Pennsylvania’s Developmental Disabilities Council, Temple University’s Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania, the Arc of Pennsylvania, and Aging and Disability Resource Centers to help people with disabilities and their caregivers know about this option and assist with accommodations.

Transition to New Unemployment System

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) has announced the preparations for the transition to a new, faster, and easier-to-use unemployment benefits system are going well, with minimal or no disruption in benefits anticipated for most unemployment payment recipients. The Unemployment Compensation (UC) system will be offline for several days during next month’s transition from an outdated, 40-year-old system to a modern software solution, but the planned timeline has been positioned to allow most individuals to file their biweekly claims as scheduled.

The transition from the old system to the new system will take place May 30 through June 7, 2021, with the new system anticipated to be “live” on June 8, 2021.

• From Thursday, June 3, to Monday, June 7, individuals with ongoing claims will be unable to file biweekly certifications.
• Individuals scheduled to file their biweekly certification during the week of May 30 to June 5 will be able to file their biweekly claims between Sunday, May 30, and Wednesday, June 2. L&I will process all claims and issue payments through the Pennsylvania Treasury after the old system is taken offline but before the transition begins.
• When the new system comes online, everyone will change to a weekly filing pattern.
• During the week of June 6 to 12, individuals will be able to file on time after the new system comes online on June 8.
• Individuals filing for unemployment for the first time will be unable to file a new claim from May 31 to June 7. These individuals will still receive on-time payments if they file when the new system comes online on June 8.
• The ability to file a claim by phone will be offline from June 3 to 9. These individuals can either file using the new online system when it comes online, or they can file on Thursday, June 10, or Friday, June 11.

The transfer of an enormous magnitude of information between the systems can happen only when the UC database is taken offline to ensure that every claimant’s information is up-to-date and correct during the transition. Allowing changes to claims and other information while data migration is taking place would increase the risk of issues as this updated information is vital to the new UC system functioning correctly. By positioning the transfer to occur over the weekend, L&I is minimizing the impact on claimants and allowing both claim weeks to have days to file on time.

During the transition, staff will be on-hand to address any issues that arise. Staff will immediately tackle any issue with the goal of preventing and minimizing any delays to the filing calendar. Should an issue occur that delays filing, affected individuals will be notified.

No claims processing will take place during the offline period. The system will be offline for everyone, including L&I staff. However, the UC Service Center will keep the phones and email open. They will still take new inquiries from claimants and place them in the queue for when the system comes online. They will also be able to assist individuals who are experiencing issues and will be able to answer questions about the offline period and the new UC system generally.

Last week, 230 newly hired customer service representatives began answering phones to help Pennsylvanians with their unemployment questions and claims. An additional 200 customer service representatives are completing onboarding and training and will begin answering calls on May 24. The existing, highly trained claims staff were shifted to positions that exclusively process claims. This is part of a larger initiative announced on March 10, 2021, to transform UC customer service to provide faster assistance by phone and to more quickly resolve claims.

The new UC system will be much easier to use, provide faster access to relevant information and streamline the unemployment claim filing process for workers, employers, unemployment program staff, as well as the third-party administrators who will be able to easily access and update more of their information. It will offer a more modern interface for users with formatting similar to user-friendly websites most people use every day. The system will be mobile and tablet-friendly and will enable faster communications between users and L&I staff.

For more information and updates on unemployment benefits programs, visit www.uc.pa.gov or follow L&I on Facebook or Twitter.

Keystone ID Part of Transfer to News Unemployment Compensation System

As part of the new Unemployment Compensation (UC) system launching in June, Pennsylvanians will begin using Keystone ID, the state’s secure and convenient login for many services from the Commonwealth.

Keystone ID is an online account management system used by the departments of Human Services and Labor & Industry, as well as the State Employees’ Retirement System. It allows a user to log into multiple online services with the same username and password.

Keystone ID will replace the current UC Personal Identification Number (PIN) used by individuals to file for biweekly benefits online or by phone. Instead of using a PIN to file weekly benefits online, they will log in with the Keystone ID. Individuals who choose to file weekly claims by phone will continue using the PIN.

People without a Keystone ID will be required to create one the first time they log in to the new UC system, which is expected to come fully online June 8, 2021. Individuals who currently have a Keystone ID account can use the same username and password to access online services that use Keystone ID.

Training on how to create and use the Keystone ID is part of a series of resources L&I is making available to UC system users in preparation for next month’s transition to the new, modern software. Those resources, including 24 virtual workshops, user guides, instructional videos, staff dedicated to answering individual questions, as well as announcements, updates and news releases, are all available by clicking here.

Affording Higher Education Webinars

As the Vice-Chair of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), I want to alert students and families of some upcoming webinars that focus on affording higher education.

For most families, borrowing for education is part of the equation and can be confusing as families look for the best options to fit their needs. Join Dan Wray and Linda Pacewicz of PHEAA for a one-hour webinar to increase your financial literacy and knowledge on the process of credit and how to maintain or improve ratings and comparison points to help make informed and affordable education borrowing decisions.

This webinar, Deep Dive Into Credit Related to Education Funding is available at the following dates and times:

            Tuesday, May 25, 6:30 p.m.

            Thursday, May 27, noon

Anyone interesting in registering for any of these sessions can click here.

A second webinar, Two Step Approach to Post Secondary Financial Bliss, focuses on how to use online tools to plan for financial success as you seek a postsecondary education. This webinar also emphasizes best practices, such as seeking grants and scholarships first, covers the primary methods of keeping school related debt to a minimum, reminds families about additional resources, such as payment plans, and touches on private/alternative loans as a last resort.

This webinar is available at the following dates and times:

            Tuesday, May 18, noon

            Thursday, May 20, 6:30 p.m.

Anyone interested in registering for either of these sessions can click here.

Fontana Fact

May is National Preservation Month in the United States. The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources. Today, more than 90,000 properties are recognized by the National Register for their significance in American history, architecture, art, archeology, engineering, and culture.