For many of us, our furry friends are an important part of our family. During my time practicing family law, I saw firsthand how difficult it was for divorcing couples to resolve who would keep a beloved pet.

When I became a legislator, I pursued legislation to allow our courts to consider factors in awarding pets during divorces. Our courts would not tackle this issue, and even our appellate courts have addressed this matter. A recent decision specifically called for action by the Legislature, and mentioned the bill that I introduced, to give our courts guidance.

I am pleased that my bill, House Bill 97, overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives, and I thank those of my colleagues who voted for this legislation! I also want to thank the advocacy groups that supported this measure for their efforts.

The House also passed House Bill 102 with bipartisan support. I introduced this bill to address the growing problem of verbal and physical harassment being faced by our sports officials.

Sports officials enforce the rules of the games they officiate. These rules are in place to keep our kids safe on the fields of play. Without officials, games would not be possible.

Mark your calendar for this year’s Senior Fair on Thursday, October 23 at the Kennedy Township Fire Hall. There will be resources and information for older residents. My staff and I will also be there to answer questions and help with state-related programs and services. I hope to see you there!

Share your thoughts on PennDOT construction and maintenance activities! Your feedback in the annual customer satisfaction survey helps PennDOT find ways to learn and improve.

The survey has questions about how you get PennDOT roadway updates and how you think they’re doing with construction and maintenance. It also asks about your experience reporting concerns to PennDOT and whether you use the 511PA traveler information service.

The online survey is open until October 21.

TAKE THE SURVEY

It was great to see everyone who came out to Carnegie over the weekend for my final document shredding event of the year! It was my pleasure to help folks securely shred sensitive documents and, with the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office Project D.U.M.P., safely collect unused medications for proper disposal.

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