EBENSBURG, July 22 – Stunned at the sheer arrogance of the state Liquor Control Board , which has lost twice in its bid to keep public information secret, state Rep. Frank Burns is lambasting the state agency’s recent decision to further drag things out by appealing to the state Supreme Court. Burns, D-Cambria, has taken on the LCB – and by extension, Gov. Tom Wolf – in a fight to find out how many liquor licenses it has on hand to auction in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Burns has scored resounding victories at the Office of Open Records and the Commonwealth Court levels, both of which agreed with him that the numbers should be released. But the LCB’s three-person governing board, casting aside solid legal rulings as well as common sense, decided on July 15 to continue its taxpayer-funded legal battle to maintain secrecy – a move Burns said should raise eyebrows across the Commonwealth. “All I’m asking for is a list with two columns: one showing each county in Pennsylvania, and the other showing the number of liquor licenses available for auction in each of those counties,” Burns said. “If the LCB believes that keeping this information shielded from the public is so important that it needs a Hail Mary from the state Supreme Court, I’m starting to wonder what they might be trying to hide.” Burns said the LCB’s contention Read more
Game-changing legislation would induce rebound of ‘Made in USA’ goods Read more
Burns-supported legislation will allow communities to create redevelopment authorities Read more
EBENSBURG, July 13 – State Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, today announced that the Community Action Partnership of Cambria County has been awarded a $318,678 grant to combat homelessness in Cambria and Somerset counties. “So many of our families and individuals are struggling right now,” Burns said. “There are still economic hardships impacting our communities; people are still struggling to stay in their homes. I’ve fought and will continue to fight so as to ensure these dollars come home to put our people first.” Cambria County also will benefit from a share of $1.38 million in regional funding awarded to the Blair County Community Action Program, which will distribute funding to nine area counties, including Cambria. The Emergency Solutions Grant allocation is administered by the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development and is part of a larger award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Funding can be used to support six program areas: rapid rehousing, homelessness prevention, street outreach, emergency shelter, homeless management information systems and administration. Read more
Lawmaker reminds groups his office can help with grant applications Read more
Bill would require public, legislative input on RGGI carbon agreement Read more
Click to view my latest newsletter on leading through the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
Bill would remove restrictions on firearms during emergency declarations Read more
CAP of Cambria local entity awarded grant Read more
Urges local districts to apply before June 30 deadline Read more
Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, today announced Cambria County will be receiving $111,276 in Marcellus Shale impact fees from 2019. Read more
Commonwealth Court sides with Rep. Burns, rules liquor license records are public Read more
Founder of ‘Blue Lives Matter Caucus’ remains committed to local responders Read more
Burns has been the only Democrat who voted three times to end the shutdown Read more
HARRISBURG, June 8 – State Rep. Frank Burns released the following statement today after several black House members took over the speaker’s podium in the House chamber in an effort to draw attention to stalled police reform legislation: “Insurrections in the House chamber are not something legislators expect or that the public accepts. This is not the type of behavior the people back home want to see. It only serves to further polarize things, which runs counter to my consistent attempts to work in a bipartisan fashion in the legislature. “I've never seen such an orchestrated maneuver in my time in the legislature, one which openly flaunts disrespect for House rules, civil discourse and decorum. It was a sad day for the institution and sets a bad precedent.” “Issuing ultimatums is neither democratic nor effective, and I fear that this is only going to drive a further wedge between the parties instead of moving them closer to working together. In PA, you simply cannot govern by attempting to hijack the political process in the House chamber. It's hard for a moderate like me, who isn't camped out in the far left or the far right, to see how this does anything but further inflame tensions on both extremes. “Every member has legislation that isn't being considered but that doesn't give them the right to overtake the speaker’s podium and refuse to leave until Read more
Free meals help youth stay healthy outside of school Read more
HARRISBURG, June 8 – State Rep. Frank Burns is offering the assistance of his office for small businesses interested in applying for a piece of the $225 million in grants being offered by the state to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 public health crisis and business closure order. “One of my jobs as your state representative is to make sure everyone is aware of state grant opportunities,” Burns said. “I also go above and beyond by offering free help with the application process through an experienced grant writer who is on staff. Simply contact my office for help.” The new program was created by Burns and the state legislature when it set aside that portion of federal stimulus funding for small business relief. Eligible businesses will be able to use the grants to cover operating expenses during the shutdown and transition to re-opening, and for technical assistance including training and guidance for business owners as they stabilize and relaunch their businesses. The funds will be available through three programs: $100 million for the Main Street Business Revitalization Program for small businesses that experienced loss as a result of the governor’s March 19 order relating to the closure of all non-life-sustaining businesses and have or will incur costs to adapt to new business operations related to COVID-19. $100 million for the Historically Disadvantaged Business Revitalization Program for small businesses that Read more
EBENSBURG, June 3 – State Rep. Frank Burns said applications are being accepted for state grants to help fire companies, rescue companies and emergency medical services be equipped and prepared to handle incidents related to unconventional gas wells. The 2020 Unconventional Gas Well Fund Grant is open through July 31 for such projects as development, delivery and sustainment of training, professional certification or purchasing specialized equipment for emergency responses to natural gas production. “This is just one of the many grant opportunities available to organizations in Cambria County,” said Burns, D-Cambria. “I make it one of my top priorities to ensure that firefighters, EMS and other community organizations, including nonprofits and local governments, know about grant opportunities. My office also is available to help those interested apply.” An unconventional gas well is a well that uses fracking to obtain natural gas from an unconventional formation, such as the Marcellus or Utica shales. For more information about the program and instructions on how to apply is available at www.osfc.pa.gov , the Office of State Fire Commissioner’s website. For help with the online application, contact Burns’ office at 814-472-8021. Last year Burns secured more than $22 million in state and federal grants for Cambria County, including grants for local fire companies, Read more
EBENSBURG, June 1 – State Rep. Frank Burns announced that thanks to a bill he voted for, more than $11 million in federal funding has been earmarked for Cambria County in the form of a COVID Relief County Block Grant. Burns voted for H.B. 2510 last week, which established how the state would use the $2.6 billion it received from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. “This is welcome news for Cambria County,” said Burns, D-Cambria. “The money must be distributed to the county on or before July 15, so the county will be able to get to work in helping our economy recover.” The county is required to use the $11.75 million for COVID relief: To offset costs of direct county emergency response, including personal protection equipment, or PPE. Small business assistance. Programs to support local economic development entities for costs related to the emergency. Assistance to cities, boroughs, towns and townships for costs related to the emergency. Behavioral health, and drug and alcohol abuse treatment services. Nonprofit assistance programs. Broadband internet deployment. “This will be a big help to our communities who had to deal with the pandemic on the ground, and those small businesses who didn’t receive any money from the federally sponsored programs set up by the CARES Act, especially those related to Read more
EBENSBURG, May 29 – Upon learning that Cambria County will move into the green phase next Friday, state Rep. Frank Burns said, “It’s about time!” In March, the governor issued a statewide stay-at-home order, shutting down schools and businesses in response to the increasing numbers of infection in the state from the COVID-19 virus. Cambria County was moved to the yellow phase May 15. “ I’ve been telling the governor that it’s time to reopen the state for business and that Cambria County businesses will continue to suffer until we do so, and it seems as though he’s finally taking my advice,” Burns said. Cambria County will move to the green phase of reopening at 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 5. This phase means that everything – from child care, restaurants and retail to hair salons, pet grooming and entertainment venues – may be open for in-person service, provided they follow CDC-approved safety protocols and limit capacity to 50 percent. “Since the start of this crisis, I’ve put the people of Cambria County first, and I will continue to do so,” Burns said. “Many people have reached out to me upset with the restrictions being placed on them during this crisis. I took immediate action, urging the governor and the Health secretary to reopen our county, since we have not seen the high numbers of infection that other counties have seen. Read more
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