By: David G. Greineder, IOM, ABC Keystone Director of Government Affairs

In the previous pages of this month’s Merit Shop Spokesman, you read about ABC’s advocacy on a legislative proposal to reform the state’s apprenticeship and training program. Over the summer, the ABC Government Affairs team has been speaking with lawmakers about other areas we can engage in to shape public policy. One such area is criminal justice reform. We know there are many laws that are outdated or provided unreasonable barriers to individuals looking to get back into the workforce. The ABC Government Affairs team is looking for your ideas and suggestions on how we can be a part of a criminal justice reform package the Legislature may take up soon. From ensuring people have the means to get to work, to reforming the way in which we conduct background checks for school construction, we need your thoughts!

In the coming months, the Legislature will begin debating proposals on how to fund the state’s transportation network. Pennsylvania ranks high nationally in the number of road miles and currently has more than 3,700 bridges with a rating of “poor.”

The current transportation funding bill (Act 89) is set to expire and will need to be reauthorized by another act of the Legislature. This is another area in which ABC can be “at the table” in influencing and shaping public policy. With a transportation network as massive as Pennsylvania’s, and funding options in short supply, our lawmakers will be looking for any and all ideas on how to invest in improving our aging and crumbling infrastructure.

If you have ideas on how ABC can be engaged in criminal justice reform and/or transportation funding, please send them to me at davidg@abckeystone.org.

September 4, 2019