Kristin's Corner

Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) talks with former NCAA swimmer Paula Scanlan about fairness in women's sports. Paula shares her personal experience competing against a biological male and why she chose to speak out. They discuss the impact on female athletes, the importance of protecting opportunities through Senate Bill 9, and what's at stake for the next generation if we don't act.

Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) sits down with her friend, colleague, and new Senate Chamber neighbor, Sen. Dawn Keefer (R-York/Cumberland), as she steps into her new role representing the 31st District. They discuss their shared priorities for York County, including economic growth, small business support, government accountability and fiscal responsibility. Tune in to hear how they plan to collaborate to best serve their constituents and ensure York County continues to thrive.

York County proudly ranks second in Pennsylvania for the number of farms, and agriculture is the county's top industry. In this special episode recorded at the 109th Pennsylvania Farm Show, Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) sits down with Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding to discuss the latest trends in farming, the growing opportunities in agritourism, and the challenges posed by energy projects. They also explore educational initiatives like those at York College.

In this episode, I sit down with Luke Bernstein, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, about how the SPEED program is redefining Pennsylvania's business landscape. Just like every great era has its transformation, this one's all about streamlining permits, boosting job growth, and paving the way for Pennsylvania's economic comeback. Get ready—PA's business scene is entering its new era!

Join Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill as she explores the history of Camp Security, a Revolutionary War prison camp in Springettsbury Township. Guests Carol Tanzola and John Crawmer from Friends of Camp Security discuss ongoing archaeological efforts and the site's rich history. Learn about the lives of English and German troops held there and how the community is working to preserve this historic site. Discover how you can get involved in uncovering this fascinating chapter of American history.

Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill sits down with Danielle Wells and Karen Roberts Conley to discuss the origins and history of the Rehoboth Welsh Chapel, located in Delta, Pennsylvania. They discuss the significance of “Gymanfa Ganu,” which is a festival of the Welsh church where the congregation sings sacred hymns. The annual event brings worshippers with Welsh ancestry from all across the country to the Rehoboth Welsh Chapel. The church is celebrating its 170th anniversary and today continues to hold bilingual (Welsh and English) worship services.

York College of Pennsylvania formally inaugurated Dr. Thomas Burns to serve as its fifth president over the past weekend. Dr. Burns brings an extensive and impressive resume as a leader at growing enrollment at other higher education institutions. His outside-the-box approach and collaborative nature with the entire community are his recipes for success. He joins Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill to discuss his vision for York College of Pennsylvania.

Women's History Month honors and recognizes the legacy of female trailblazers over the years. Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) is joined by Sarah Messer, the recently appointed President of the Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce, to talk about Sarah's background and plans in this leadership role. Sarah shares her vision for the Chamber and how the greater Hanover community can continue to grow and thrive. Kristin and Sarah also share advice on the importance of role models to grow professionally and personally and advice to young women who will be future leaders. Learn more about the Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber at https://www.hanoverchamber.com.

March is recognized as Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Liz Lanza serves as director of the Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling at the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. She joins Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill to talk about her background and how she is proactively working to address problem gambling across the Commonwealth. Sen. Phillips-Hill and Ms. Lanza cover a variety of topics, including signs to look for with someone who may have a gambling addiction and steps to take to help someone with a gambling addiction. They also review legislation that would drive all new gaming revenue to school property tax relief and a measure to provide additional treatment to problem gamblers. If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling addiction, please call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit ResponsiblePlay.pa.gov.

Even before graduation, high school students are inundated with financial decisions – from student loans for college to the purchase of a first vehicle. However, equipping those students with the knowledge to make informed decisions has proven to be a big challenge. Latest studies show recent high school graduates (18 years of age) through 29-year-olds carry average credit card debt totaling $2,900. As these students grow older, so does their credit card debt. Gen X carries the highest credit card debt load with more than $8,000 in credit card bills. This does not include mortgages, vehicles or other items that are financed. Sen. Chris Gebhard wants to build a better foundation for future financial decisions starting in high school. He authored a new law that will give students basic money management skills and long-term financial planning through a mandatory course every Pennsylvania student will take in high school. The half-credit personal finance course will be a graduation requirement under the new law he authored. He joins Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill to discuss his effort, why he sponsored the bill and what it means for the future financial health of everyday Pennsylvanians, starting with the next generation of high school graduates. You can learn more about Sen. Gebhard's new law here: https://senatorgebhard.com/2023/12/13/gebhard-bill-to-improve-financial-literacy-set-for-enactment/

One of Pennsylvania's great traditions is back and bigger than ever with the 108th annual Farm Show held in Harrisburg Jan. 6 – 13. Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Lisa Graybeal sits down with Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill to preview the nation's largest indoor agricultural expo. To learn more about the upcoming Farm Show, please visit: https://www.farmshow.pa.gov/pafarmshow/Pages/default.aspx

Sen. Ryan Aument joins Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill to discuss Senate Bill 7, legislation that would empower parents to protect their own child from accessing sexually explicit content at school, without impacting the books available to other students. Sen. Aument walks through what the bill does and does not do and addresses many misconceptions and myths about his legislation. Sen. Aument recently launched a website to help educate Pennsylvanians about the extreme and graphic content contained in the materials. You can learn more about the issue here: https://www.senatoraument.com/parental-control-of-sexually-explicit-content/

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.