Pennsylvania State Senator District 30
Description of office: The General Assembly is the legislative branch of government in Pennsylvania. It is composed of two houses: the Senate is the upper house, and the House of Representatives is the lower house. A majority vote in both houses is necessary to pass a law. The PA Senate consists of 50 members, representing one district each, with an equal number of constituents. Senators must be at least 25 years old, have been a citizen and a resident of the state four years and a resident of their respective districts one year before their election, and shall reside in their respective districts during their terms of service. The Senate develops budget packages, makes taxation decisions, allocates spending, and passes laws (including redistricting in collaboration with the House of Representatives). In addition, the Senate tries officials impeached by the House and authorizes executive appointments. Senators serve on various policy committees that may propose legislation.Term: 4 years Salary: $113,591Vote for ONE.
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Sean Steeg
(Dem)
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Judy Ward
(Rep)
What do you see as the most pressing issues facing residents of your district, and how would you address them?
What changes, if any, would you support to enable better access, ensure security, and support the processes of our elections?
What are your thoughts on the state budget process? What changes, if any, would you support so that the budget is enacted in a timely manner?
Should the state legislature enact laws concerning the impacts on water, energy, or land use from the development and operation of data centers? Would state regulation of data center development and operation interfere with the authority of municipalities to establish ordinances under the MPC (Municipal Planning Code)?
County
Huntingdon
Occupation
CEO, Juniata Brewing Company
Education
BA, Mind and Language, Juniata College
A skyrocketing cost of living, coupled with incredible economic uncertainty, are easily the most pressing issues; rent and groceries have gone up while wages have stagnated or slid backwards. Raising the minimum wage addresses affordability by putting more spending power in the hands of more people, and passing state budgets on time allows citizens to plan instead of react to ineptitude.
Automatic voter registration would support better access, but letting elections happen as the law lays out and not supporting efforts that decertify voting machines with a cost of 13% of a county’s annual budget is an easy place to start. Fraudulent voting is a de minimis issue, and any proposed solutions, such as the SAVE Act, would disenfranchise more legal voters than the number of illegal votes it would possibly root out.
Budget discussions shouldn’t start just before the budget is due, but this seems to be the current standard. Particularly in my time as a borough councilman, I learned that the next budget season starts as soon as the last one is enacted; if you want to be ready for the following year, you are constantly looking at ways to get out in front of costs and liabilities such as health insurance.
The legislature should absolutely pass laws dealing with any/all public goods like land, water, and energy; data centers are simply the latest in a long line of industries that seek to socialize their risks for the sake of public profit. Hijacking water and energy to feed such centers is all too often at the detriment of the surrounding community members, and as legislators, our priority should always be the citizens of the Commonwealth.
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