(HARRISBURG) – Today, Senator Ryan Aument (R-36) announced the release of his Restore, Rebuild, & Reimagine Pennsylvania report, a document containing his legislative priorities based on the results of constituent feedback. In May of this year, a little over a month into the COVID-19 global pandemic, Aument launched the “Restore, Rebuild, & Reimagine Pennsylvania” initiative with the goal of developing and advocating for a strong legislative agenda alongside his constituents in an effort to collectively restore, rebuild, and reimagine a stronger Pennsylvania in the aftermath of the pandemic.
“I have always said throughout my time in the General Assembly that the residents of Lancaster County are my greatest resource to helping me do my job well,” said Aument. “As such, I spent months collecting feedback from my constituents and community leaders to gain a better understanding of their thoughts, ideas, challenges, and solutions to issues that they see and experience firsthand in their communities, schools, farms, businesses, and families.”
The Restore, Rebuild, & Reimagine Pennsylvania report details the methods used to reach out to constituents, the results from those outreach events (including results from the “Reimagine PA Survey”), and the legislative response to those results. Additionally, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Aument maintained a comprehensive timeline of actions he took to combat the virus and safely reopen Pennsylvania, available to constituents on his website.
Based on the survey results and constituent feedback, the report is broken out into five different policy categories that will serve as a blueprint to inform Aument’s legislative priorities for the next few years:
- Health
- Economy
- Education
- Family & Community
- Government Reform
Some proposals from the report include:
- Telemedicine (Senate Bill 857, Vogel): Helps more patients access health care during the COVID-19 pandemic by promoting the use of telemedicine.
- Lowering the Cost of Prescription Drugs (Senate Bill 1315, Killion): Creates maximum payment rates based on international prices for prescription drugs sold in our state, as these are typically much lower than prices for the same drugs in the United States.
- Restaurant & Tavern Restriction Relief Package (Senate Bills 1299-1302, Stefano): Eases Governor Wolf’s arbitrary and burdensome restrictions on owners of bars and restaurants.
- Back on Track Education Scholarship Accounts (Senate Bill 1230, J. Ward): Creates “Back on Track Education Scholarship Accounts” for students whose education was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. All funds for the accounts will come from the reserved discretionary component of federal CARES Act funds and will be used by families for students’ education-related needs like tutoring, online classes, curriculum, tuition, counseling, and services for students with special needs.
- First-Time Homebuyers Savings Accounts (Senate Bill 309, Mensch): creates First-Time Homebuyers Savings Accounts in Pennsylvania.
- Expanding Broadband Access with Existing Infrastructure (Senate Bill 1118, Pittman): Expedites the expansion of broadband internet throughout the Commonwealth by allowing Cooperatives to utilize existing utility poles for broadband fiber lines, if it does not negatively impact the value or use of property.
- Legislative Approval of Emergency Disaster Declarations Beyond 30 Days (Senate Bill 1166, K. Ward, DiSanto, Killion, & Martin): Provides a voter referendum to amend the state Constitution to require legislative approval of future emergency disaster proclamations beyond 21 days.
In the report, Senator Aument thanks constituents for taking the time to participate in his Restore, Rebuild, & Reimagine Pennsylvania initiative.
“Whether you filled out the survey, submitted your thoughts to me via email or phone, or simply read through the final report to see the legislative agenda we created together throughout this five-month process – I want to sincerely thank you,” said Aument. “While the policy priorities outlined in this report will certainly serve to guide my decisions and votes throughout the next few years, I want to be clear that this report is only a jumping off point for a continued discussion on how we can collectively move forward in the aftermath of the pandemic. To that end, please stay in touch – an ongoing, productive dialogue is critical as we evolve, adapt, and innovate new ways to restore, rebuild, and reimagine a stronger Pennsylvania, together.
You can read the full Restore, Rebuild, & Reimagine Pennsylvania report here.
CONTACT: Ryan Boop (717) 787-4420