Happy Pride Month to all! Protecting, celebrating, and encouraging diversity and inclusion is fundamentally important to me as a state legislator. I value all LGBTQ+ folks in my district and across the Commonwealth and will continue to fight for your freedom, peace, and acceptance. 

Come visit my office at Grace Presbyterian Church’s Pride Festival this Saturday, June 7, starting at 11 a.m. You can stroll through a lively marketplace with a variety of vendors, listen to performances by talented musicians, and join in on interactive arts & crafts activities, family-friendly games, and more. Help us and our community celebrate Pride!

HB 1500: Treating cyber charter schools like the taxpayer-funded public schools they are. 

Cyber charter schools are part of the modern world, but the rules governing these taxpayer-funded public schools are ancient history. 

Until now. 

This week I was proud to vote for the Cyber Charter Reform Act and deliver fairness and transparency to taxpayers, parents and students here in eastern Montgomery County. 

Our bill makes sure the money spent on cyber charters is spent to educate our kids, puts an end to nine-figure slush funds, and makes sure the people paying the bills have a say about how cybers do business. When only about six out of 10 cyber students are graduating compared to nine out of 10 in traditional public schools, we can’t wait any longer. 

We’re setting standard tuition rates and returning the savings back to the taxpayers and the home school districts and making sure you’re getting what you’re paying for. 

This bill passed the House 104-98 and now heads to the Senate for consideration. 

HB 554 & HB 668: Social Work and Counselor Compacts 

Come see Shannon from my office next Wednesday, June 11 from noon to 2 p.m. at Ralph Morgan Park (5 South Ave, Wyncote, PA 19095). She will be set up by the playground toward the back end of the park and will be offering a number of constituent services.  

These outdoor office hours are weather-pending, so check my Facebook page on Wednesday to ensure they will be taking place. Please leave recommendations for future outdoor office hours that we hope to hold throughout the summer. 

Join my office and the office of Congresswoman Madeleine Dean for an expungement clinic on Saturday, June 21 from noon to 1:45 p.m. at Congresswoman Dean’s Glenside District Office (115 E Glenside Ave Suite 1, Glenside, PA 19038).  

Legal experts will be on hand to provide FREE information about the criminal justice system, explain expungement eligibility requirements, and offer limited on-site application assistance. My staff and I will be on hand to provide information on state services.  

Please contact my office at RepNelson@pahouse.net or (215) 572-5210 to register for this event or if you have any questions.

Wyncote residents! My office will be at Neighbors of Wyncote’s Meet & Greet on Saturday, June 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Larzelere Ln. Join us for a day of neighborly fun. 

There will be games, music, raffles, refreshments, community resources, and more. My staff will be able to provide information on state government programs and resources. 

Register for this event by reaching out to wyncoteneighbors@gmail.com or (267) 225-8501 by June 14.  

This past week, Rashid from my office attended a Lunch & Learn on scam prevention with Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, KleinLife, and the Cheltenham Township Police Department. He wanted to share some notes he took from the meeting to spread greater awareness on scam prevention.  

• Always do your research before sharing personal or financial information. Who is asking for it? Why do they need it? What organization/company are they a part of? Is it legitimate? 

• Fraudsters tend to show you a desirable lifestyle, claiming it was funded by cryptocurrency, for example, and attempt to become personal and build trust to get you to “invest” your own money. These are red flags to look out for. 

• Scammers may pose as police and falsely claim a loved one will be arrested unless payment is made. Police will never ask for money, so this is always a scam.  

• Romance scammers are also out there, trying to exploit your emotions to steal money. Some warning signs – they confess strong feelings quickly, they ask for money with elaborate stories, or they claim to live far away and/or repeatedly cancel meetings.  

• Go to your kids for advice – they might be able to spot scams before you. And consult the authorities for advice if you fear you are being or have been scammed. 

I know many Springfield Township residents use the Chestnut Hill East Line, so be aware that the entirety of the line will be suspended for service beginning Sunday, June 15 at midnight and ending Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 5 a.m. No trains will run on this line during this time as SEPTA rehabilitates the five bridges along the line.

SEPTA will be providing additional service on the Chestnut Hill West Line to accommodate the lack of service. On weekdays, three additional inbound and outbound trains will provide 30-minute service during peak AM and PM hours and hourly service during off-peak hours. On weekends, nine inbound and ten outbound trains will provide hourly service to supplement increased ridership.  

For more details on the project and train schedules, consult SEPTA’s website. 

The 2025-26 PA State Grant application is now available! This is a financial assistance program that provides funding to eligible Pennsylvanians to help them afford the costs of higher education at the undergraduate level.  

Notifications are going out over the next couple of weeks to instruct students to sign in to Account Access, but there’s no need to wait. Go to PHEAA.org/signin to submit your application and complete any other action items required. Visit the PA Higher Education Assistance Agency’s website for more information. 

When school is out, meals get harder to come by for some students. About 1 in 5 kids in Montgomery County rely on free school meals, so summertime can mean real food insecurity for them. 

To help, the Montco Department of Health and Human Services is collecting grocery and restaurant gift cards for local families in need. Some parameters: 1) any amount helps; 2) physical or e-gift cards will be accepted; and 3) gift cards from grocery stores, restaurants, or delivery services are welcome.

Physical gift cards should be mailed to the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services | Office of Children & Youth, Attn: Veronica Hilghman, PO Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404. Send e-gift cards or questions to veronica.hilghman@montgomerycountypa.gov.  

The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Office of Public Health has announced prevention guidelines for the onset of mosquito season, helping residents protect themselves from mosquito-borne diseases and prevent their spread.

To reduce the likelihood of being bitten by a disease-carrying mosquito, it is recommended that residents take the following steps to reduce their exposure: 

• Check and repair windows and screens.

• Survey your property to eliminate standing water or dispose of/empty containers that collect standing water, which can act as a breeding ground for mosquitoes (especially after rainfall).

• Make sure roof gutters drain properly.

• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor saunas, and hot tubs, and keep them empty and covered if not in use.

• Apply EPA-approved insect repellent on all areas of exposed skin (use the EPA’s Search Tool to choose the insect repellent that is right for you).

• Wear protective clothing such as long pants, long sleeve shirts, and socks. 

The PA Department of Human Services is reminding Pennsylvanians that you can now lock your EBT card when not in use to prevent theft, fraud, and scams. 

Download the free, secure ConnectEBT mobile app or visit www.connectebt.com to get started. For further instructions and more information, visit DHS’s website.