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Headline Harrisburg Friday, September 04, 2015 The latest news from the State Capitol  State Budget Update – Since the party-line vote that defeated our efforts in the state House to immediately provide funding for noncontroversial education programs and human services organizations last week, Gov. Tom Wolf has postponed budget meetings scheduled for later that day and Aug. 26. He also rejected budget meeting requests by the House on Aug. 27 and 28 and continues to insist on a tax increase totaling $12.7 billion over two years that includes the addition of sales tax to items such as diapers, day care services, your trash bill, college textbooks, your cable television bill and nursing and resident care services. My House colleagues and I are also waiting for the governor to respond to the Aug. 19 offer of even greater increases in education funding, which would be made possible if the governor would support other items that provide budgetary relief, including reforms to our state’s pension and liquor systems. In the meantime, I continue to work both in Harrisburg and around our area, attending meetings to discuss many important issues such as the following:  • Regional human service program funding  • Budget impasse impacts on local county programs  • Penn Highlands Health Care System  • Agriculture in Clearfield County If you have questions about any legislative issue, please don’t hesitate to call my DuBois office at (814) 375-4688, my St. Marys office at (814) 781-6301 or my Clearfield office at (814) 765-0593.   The Veterans of Johnsonburg Bypass….on Route 219 will be dedicated this Saturday, Sept. 5, at 11 a.m. The bridge renaming is the result of legislation I worked on with Mayor Theresa Cherry that was signed into law last year. As part of Johnsonburg Alumni Weekend, a parade will start off that morning at the Johnsonburg Senior Center and end at the Johnsonburg Community Center.   New Road Construction Website - A new PennDOT website -- www.Projects.PennDOT.gov -- will allow residents to find information about current and future construction projects. Included are those presently underway, beginning this year, advertised for bid or part of long-term plans. The website also includes information about additional transit and aviation projects. The website and its mapping tools are also compatible with mobile devices. Many of the projects are being advanced thanks to passage of Act 89 of 2014, which is dedicating billions of dollars to highway, road and bridge improvements. PennDOT maintains nearly 40,000 miles of road and 25,000 bridges.   Attention Hunters - The Pennsylvania Game Commission will host a two-part hunter training course this Wednesday, Sept. 9, and Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Boys and Girls Club of St. Marys, 19 North St. Marys St., St. Marys. This course is required by law for all first-time hunters and trappers before they can purchase a license. If you are interested in registering for the class, please click here.   I hope to see you….at the dedication of the expanded Winslow Hill Elk Viewing Area in Benezette Township, Elk County. Due to a need for improved viewing platforms, additional parking and safer traffic patterns have been established and will be unveiled this weekend.