Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh this week is informing Pennsylvanians of a potential scam targeting individuals who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits wherein a recipient receives a phishing email in order to obtain their personal information.
The scam involves an email from — “experience@travelfoodstampassistanceforyou.com” address — and implies that SNAP recipients may be eligible for a “settlement payment” if they fill out their personal payment information.
This is a scam.
“DHS will never ask for personal information in an unsolicited email, text message, or phone call,” said Secretary Arkoosh. “If someone is claiming to be from or affiliated with the Department and they are asking you for your personal information, it is a scam. Please do not fall victim to identity theft. If you ever receive a suspicious call or text asking you for information about your benefits or for your financial information, please inform the DHS fraud tip line immediately so the proper authorities can investigate.”
Please report any texts or calls about DHS benefits that seem suspicious by calling the DHS fraud tip line at — 1-844-DHS-TIPS (1-844-347-8477).
The public can make such reports through the Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) website, or by calling the Public Assistance Fraud Tipline at 1-800-932-0582.
DHS does send informational text messages and phone calls to people who receive SNAP, Medicaid, and other benefits from the number 1-833-648-1964.
However, DHS’ text messages will not include:
• Details about a person’s benefits, such as the amount of SNAP they are authorized to receive,
• A request for specific personal information, and/or
• Links to unofficial sites; most DHS texts will direct people to dhs.pa.gov, COMPASS, or a site that ends in .gov or .org.
DHS also, at times, makes phone calls to people receiving benefits to let them know about changes that could affect their benefits or upcoming renewal dates. These texts and calls are meant to be informational and will not reference specific account numbers.
Pennsylvanians who have questions about whether a call, text, letter, or other communication is legitimate should contact DHS’ Office of Income Maintenance.
Rep. Meuser co-sponsors legislation aimed to improve college mining programs
U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, recently co-sponsored H.R. 2685 — the Mining Schools Act of 2023 — bipartisan legislation aimed to increase and improve opportunities for college mining and geological programs to prepare students to meet future energy needs.
The Mining Schools Act of 2023 establishes a $10 million annual grant program under the Department of Energy (DOE) to bolster domestic mining education until 2031. Targeted at mining schools, it provides funding for student recruitment and initiatives such as studies, research projects, or demonstrations related to mineral production. This includes support for programs like the Miner Training Program at Pennsylvania State University.
Additionally, H.R. 2685 establishes the Mining Professional Development Advisory Board. This board plays a crucial role in the process by evaluating grant applications, recommending recipients to the Secretary of Energy, and conducting oversight to ensure proper utilization of grant funds.
The Mining Schools Act of 2023 aims to enhance mining education, fostering a skilled workforce for the industry. It supports advancing domestic energy production, research on mining technologies, and policies safeguarding mining-dependent jobs and communities.
“The American mining industry requires talented and educated individuals to keep the American dream alive,” Meuser said. “As the necessity of a secure critical mineral supply chain has grown exponentially in recent years, the United States finds itself heavily reliant on imports for critical minerals — a substantial portion of which comes from China. To fully unleash the potential of American energy, we must bolster our education programs, specifically targeting the development of the next generation of critical mineral miners and engineers.”
H.R. 2685 was referred to the Natural Resources Committee for further consideration.
Sen. Casey, Rep. Cartwright, colleagues introduce bill to give Bureau of Prisons employees fair pay
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, this week introduced the Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act to ensure fair pay for Bureau of Prisons (BOP) employees, particularly in rural areas.
The bill will help address staffing shortages at Bureau of Prisons correctional institutions by allowing for competitive pay that better reflects the cost of living, commute times, alternative careers, and the hard work and dedication of BOP employees.
“BOP employees are understaffed, underpaid, and overworked. Without enough staff, prisons are relying on cooks and teachers to guard inmates, which presents a dangerous health and security risk,” said Sen. Casey. “This legislation provide much-needed investment in the well-being of prison officers and employees and is a critical first step towards ensuring safe and professional operation of our prison system.”
“Prison officers face a unique kind of danger, and it is imperative we provide them with every tool and authorization necessary to protect their lives and well-being,” said Rep. Cartwright. “This much needed pay increase will help address critical staffing shortages at USP Canaan and federal prisons across the country and will serve as an investment in the safety of the brave correction officers who go to work in them every day.”
After the brutal murder of USP Canaan Corrections officer Eric Williams by an inmate, Casey and Cartwright introduced The Eric Williams Correctional Officer Protection Act, requiring BOP to provide pepper spray to all correctional workers in medium and high security facilities.
The bill, which became law, includes a comprehensive training requirement for employees and calls on the Government Accountability Office to oversee the effectiveness of this program. Senator Casey and Congressman Cartwright have continued to prioritize safety at USP Canaan and Bureau of Prisons facilities through enacted legislation, enforced safety initiatives, and increased federal funding.
The shortage of correctional officers has grown each year over the past four years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 7% decline in correctional officers by 2032.
Understaffed prisons and overworked employees have created increasingly dangerous work environments. Under current policies, BOP uses cooks, teachers, and nurses to guard inmates.
Rep. Cartwright’s proposed legislation addresses educator workforce shortage
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, along with U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA-03) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), this week introduced bicameral, bipartisan legislation to address the national educator workforce shortage by assisting in the recruitment and retention of educators.
The Strengthening Educator Workforce Data Act would establish a permanent, national mechanism to collect demographic data on public school teachers and principals to improve the accuracy of educator workforce data.
The legislation stems from research showing that all students benefit from a high-quality, diverse educator workforce, and that students of color with at least one same-race teacher often have improved academic performance, attendance, graduation rates, and aspiration to attend college.
Current solutions to address both educator workforce shortages and diversity gaps use incomplete data that is not easily accessible. Without a national data-set, legislators cannot identify which schools need the most help, nor can they evaluate the effectiveness of federal investments in recruitment and retention programs like the Teacher Quality Partnership and the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence.
Access to educator workforce data is necessary to track the impact of federal dollars in schools, as well as boost efforts to increase educator diversity.
“Research shows that a good teacher matters more to student achievement than any other school-related factor,” Cartwright said. “That is why we must take steps to address our nationwide teacher shortage. The Strengthening Educator Workforce Data Act would direct the Department of Education to collect and centralize educator data to help policymakers and stakeholders produce data-informed policies to address nationwide teacher shortages, and strengthen the educator workforce, to better serve our nation’s students.”
Specifically, the Strengthening Educator Workforce Data Act would direct the Department of Education (Department) to collect data from public schools, disaggregated by race, ethnicity and sex.
This data would then be published through the Department’s Civil Rights Data Collection and made publicly available. The bill would ensure privacy is protected, and individually identifiable information about teachers and principals would remain confidential.