Kristin's Corner
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Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill represents the 28th District in the Senate of Pennsylvania.
25 Episodes
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Earlier this year, the Philadelphia Inquirer broke the news about out-of-county developers seeking to take 1,000 acres of land to build a pumped storage facility along the Susquehanna River near Chanceford Township.
The developers, who are based in Reading, Pennsylvania, sought the approval of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to begin the multi-year process of building a massive pumped storage hydroelectric facility. The process would require taking and flooding of many properties, including farmland as well as recreational and historical sites along the Susquehanna River.
Joining Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill is Mark Platts, president of the Susquehanna National Heritage Area. Mark discusses the adverse impact of the proposed project along the river.
Since the podcast was recorded, FERC rejected the initial application, however, the developers indicated that they will re-apply.
The Susquehanna National Heritage Area has been a catalyst for major improvements to York County’s natural resources along the Susquehanna River. Leading this effort is Mark Platts, who was the first employee of the heritage area. He joins Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill to discuss York County’s outdoor recreational opportunities.
The Susquehanna Heritage Area is our nation’s 55th national heritage area, which brings great exposure to the region, as well as drives greater resources to improve areas along the Susquehanna River. Mark discusses some of the latest additions to the heritage area, and some family-friendly “must-dos” as summer turns into fall along eastern York County.
Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill and Pennsylvania Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein recaps major reforms passed by the Senate of Pennsylvania this week to grow the economy and cut down bureaucratic delays by reforming the state’s historically sluggish permitting process.
Bernstein hailed the passage of Senate Bill 350 stating:
“Senate Bill 350 takes a giant step forward propelling our state to become more competitive. By building on the governor’s efforts to improve permitting, this measure further helps to modernize, streamline, and add much needed transparency to the permitting process.”
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity sits down with Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill to discuss the impending fiscal cliff and the best way to navigate future financial challenges. Treasurer Garrity and Sen. Phillips-Hill also discuss the importance of Pennsylvanians checking to see if they have unclaimed property, and ways the Treasury is working to streamline the unclaimed property process. They also review their efforts to ban TikTok on state government devices and networks in order to bolster the Commonwealth’s cybersecurity standards.
Pennsylvania’s top fiscal watchdog joins Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill to discuss his concerns with government spending and the need for greater oversight and transparency. Auditor General DeFoor shares how taxpayers can be part of the solution in reviewing the state’s finances. The podcast also covers General DeFoor’s background that led him to serve in his current role. Finally, Sen. Phillips-Hill and General DeFoor recap the General’s recent audit on school district budget reserves.
Growing concerns from the nation’s top law enforcement agency and intelligence agencies about the security and potential manipulation of the popular social media app TikTok has led to various branches of the federal government and many states banning the platform on government devices and networks. Recently, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity banned the app from all Treasury-issued devices. Sen. Phillips-Hill is the sponsor of a bill that would prohibit all state-owned devices and networks from downloading and using TikTok. She sits down with newly appointed Senate Communications and Technology Committee chair Sen. Tracy Pennycuick to discuss the issue.
Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill sits down with President and CEO of MANTEC, Bruce Newell, to talk about the past, present and future of manufacturing in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Newell outlines some legislative victories that he believes will benefit the state's robust manufacturing sector. Phillips-Hill serves as co-chair of the Manufacturing Caucus in the Senate of PA.
Rep. Frank Farry is the prime sponsor of House Bill 2157, which would impose greater penalties on individuals who set off fireworks in violation of the law, as well as place restrictions on when consumer fireworks may be set off in Pennsylvania. He joins Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill on the podcast to discuss his unique background as a volunteer fire chief and why he thinks this bill will address many known challenges since the Commonwealth legalized consumer fireworks in 2017. You can read the legislation here: https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2021&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=2157
Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill is joined by the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority, Brandon Carson. Brandon was recently hired by the authority to lead this statewide entity that serves a single point-of-contact for broadband funding in the Commonwealth and drive out federal tax dollars to eligible projects to close the digital divide.
Sen. Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne) joins Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill to discuss legislation they are working on together that would ban outside groups from funding Pennsylvania’s elections process. In 2020, the nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) pumped in more than $20 million into the Commonwealth. Further evidence shows certain counties were targeted by CTCL for funding. The senators believe that this could set a very dangerous precedent and outline why they are seeking to end the practice all together. Senate Bill 982 would restore confidence and integrity in Pennsylvania’s election process.
Senator Gene Yaw, Chairman of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, joins Senator Phillips-Hill to discuss rising energy costs in Pennsylvania and across the nation. The senators discuss the efforts by the Wolf Administration through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and how it will only make matters worse in the state.
They also discuss Senator Yaw’s recent op-ed titled, “Are We Nuts? American Energy is Key to Undermining Putin’s War,” which can be found here: https://www.senatorgeneyaw.com/2022/03/01/are-we-nuts-american-energy-is-key-to-undermining-putins-war/
Finally, they review the recent Independent Fiscal Office’s report showing Pennsylvania a major net exporter of electricity, which can be found here: http://www.ifo.state.pa.us/download.cfm?file=Resources/Documents/Electricity_Update_March_2022.pdf
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh) joins Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill to discuss Gov. Wolf's recently proposed state budget and the committee's public hearings to review the spending plan.
Senator Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster) joins Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill to review proposed amendments to the Pennsylvania Constitution, including measures that he is sponsoring alongside House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster).
Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill sits down with Rep. Eric Nelson to discuss legislation that would prohibit third-party entities from contributing to the elections process in Pennsylvania. In the 2020 General Election, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) provided more than $20 million to Pennsylvania counties. Counties were selectively asked by state officials to apply to the nonprofit for funding. CTCL was the recipient of $350 million in donations by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg last year.
Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill is joined by Reps. Clint Owlett and Marty Causer to discuss the latest on House Bill 2071. The bipartisan legislation would put parameters on how federal infrastructure funding is spent to improve access to high-speed internet in unserved and underserved areas.
Senator Wayne Langerholc, who serves as the Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, joins Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill to discuss a recently released plan presented by Governor Tom Wolf's Transportation Revenue Options Commission (TROC). The plan proposes to phase out the state gasoline tax, however, the new fees and taxes will result in a tax hike for Pennsylvania motorists. Sen. Langerholc also outlines the DRIVE SMART Act, an alternative to the governor's proposed tax and fee hikes.
Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill sits down with Representative Jason Ortitay to preview upcoming public hearings to review the Dept. of Health's latest $34 million contract with a Boston-based firm to conduct contact tracing in Pennsylvania over the next year.
Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill sits down with Senator Judy Ward (R-30) to discuss their effort to ban state and local governments from requiring vaccine passports.
Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill sits down with Senator Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster), who is a member of the COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Task Force, to discuss how the collaborative approach improved the rollout of the vaccine across the state.
Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill hosts Senate Health and Human Services Committee Joan Bradbury on the podcast to discuss the latest on Pennsylvania's rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.
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