By State Rep. Powell

Happy July! These past few weeks have been hot, so please seek cooling stations or air conditioning if you’re able. A full list of the City of Pittsburgh’s cooling stations at their Healthy Active Living Centers is available on the city’s website. As always, I have some fun events coming up in the district that I invite all of you to join me at!

I first want to highlight an important piece of legislation that I introduced, which passed the House of Representatives in early June, HB 1064, which updated the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Act. This bill would update the Tax Increment Financing Act and allow TIF districts to fund affordable housing, foreclosure and rental assistance, and workforce programs with funds collected from the implementation of the act. The bill would also increase the lifespan of TIF districts from 20 to 25 years, allowing more revenue generated from these projects to ensure development is equitable and to support homeowners who may be impacted by resulting property tax increases. Our neighbors deserve the right to live, work, and relax without having to worry about encroaching gentrification, and I’ll continue to fight for these rights during my time as a legislator.

Additionally, my office is hosting a Veteran Service Officer from the Department of Veterans Affairs on the second Monday of each month. In July, we’ll be hosting him at our office on July 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you are a veteran or know a veteran who would like help in accessing their benefits, please call my office at (412) 781-2750 to schedule an appointment.

My office will be at the Lawrenceville Farmers Market this year! The Lawrenceville Farmers Market runs every Tuesday until Nov. 26 from 3 to 7 p.m., but my office will be there on the first and third week of each month. Stop by to get the latest information on what is happening in the district and state programs that you could potentially be eligible for. My team cannot wait to see you there!

My district office is located at 5154 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201. We are open and ready to serve you, Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4:30 pm and by appointment in the evenings on Wednesdays. We also have office hours at our Shaler office at the Shaler Municipal Building located at 300 Wetzel Rd., second floor, Glenshaw, PA 15116. We will be there every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or any weekday by appointment.

Any state related issue, or assistance that you may need, please give my office a call; even if we cannot directly help, we will do our best to put you in contact with someone who can. Here are some examples of ways we can help, but are not all encompassing of the support we offer:

• PennDOT services: car registrations and disability placard applications
• Complaints about road conditions or infrastructure
• Unemployment compensation problems
• Property tax/rent rebate applications
• Issues related to utility companies
• Birth certificate applications and finding copies of your vital records
• Senior ConnectCard applications through Port Authority of Allegheny County

Call: (412) 781-2750 or Email: Rep-Powell@pahouse.net or stop by our office during the hours listed above.