MMI to hold Open House

Election Day Café at Trucksville United Methodist Church

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, recently examined how well prepared the United States is for a cyber-attack on the electrical grid.</p><p>The sub-committee heard testimony that states and localities should be prepared to face weeks, rather than days, of power outages following such an assault.</p><p>Barletta chaired a subcommittee hearing for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee titled: &#8220;Blackout! Are We Prepared to Manage the Aftermath of a Cyber-Attack or Other Failure of the Electrical Grid?&#8221;</p><p>Barletta&#8217;s subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management heard from government witnesses and electric utilities, who said that preparations have been made, but the threat from terrorists continues to evolve.</p><p>Among the utilities represented at the hearing were PPL Corporation and Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative.</p><p>&#8220;State and local governments, who are on the ground, will be the first ones charged with the protection of people and property,&#8221; Barletta said. &#8220;Whether it is a Category 5 hurricane hitting Miami or an 8.0 earthquake in Los Angeles, the federal government has realistic estimates or scenarios for states to plan. The federal government does not have this basic planning scenario for a cyber threat to the power system and there is a huge disparity in what different groups think is a potential scenario for which states and local governments should prepare.&#8221;</p><p>Leaders of federal agencies tasked with preparation and response said the threat is evolving and they are working to anticipate and respond to potential scenarios. Barletta asked how long localities should plan to be without power in the event of an attack, and the answer was clear.</p><p>&#8220;Planning needs to be measured in weeks, particularly if there&#8217;s damage to infrastructure,&#8221; said Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. &#8220;With cyber, we have seen restoration potentially very quickly if there&#8217;s not physical damage. But if you do have damage to things like very large transformers or generator capacity, that will extend it.&#8221;</p><p>The electric utility representatives testified they are aware of the changing risks of a potential cyber-attack on the U.S. power grid and they continue to make preparations.</p><p>William H. Spence, chairman, president and chief executive officer of PPL Corporation, which serves 10 million customers in the United Kingdom and U.S., including Pennsylvania, said PPL and the broader electric power industry are committed to protecting the nation&#8217;s power grid from threats of all types.</p><p>&#8220;This commitment did not arise in the face of new, modern threats; it is a shared commitment that is deeply rooted in the fabric of the industry,&#8221; Spence said. &#8220;We have made, and continue to make, significant investments in tools, technology and people to strengthen our defensive capabilities and ensure grid reliability and resiliency.&#8221;</p><p>In particular, Spence said, utility companies recognize cyber threats are persistent and evolving.</p><p>&#8220;Even as we enhance our responses to meet the rising threats, there is no way to fully guarantee a breach will not occur,&#8221; Spence said. &#8220;As such, we plan and drill regularly to ensure we can respond and recover quickly and effectively should an emergency arise.&#8221;</p><p>Following the hearing, Barletta indicated he had received &#8220;at least an estimated answer&#8221; to the broad question of how long portions of the national electrical grid could be expected to be down.</p><p><strong>Wolf administration recognizes</strong></p><p><strong>child abuse prevention efforts</strong></p><p>In acknowledgement of Child Abuse Prevention Month, members of the Wolf administration joined commonwealth representatives and community advocacy groups at the annual Child Abuse Prevention Month Legislature Breakfast, hosted by Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance.</p><p>The theme of this year&#8217;s event is &#8220;Celebrating Our Partners for Change&#8221; to acknowledge the profound efforts improving the lives and safety of Pennsylvania&#8217;s children.</p><p>&#8220;All of us have an obligation to provide children with a sense of safety and security as they grow into adults,&#8221; said DHS Secretary Ted Dallas. &#8220;It will take all of us working together to successfully keep kids safe.&#8221;</p><p>The Department of Human Services (DHS) believes that protecting Pennsylvania&#8217;s children from abuse and neglect is a vitally important responsibility. The cause unites lawmakers, community partners, the child protective services system, citizens and families to provide a safe environment for children throughout Pennsylvania.</p><p>In partnership with counties, schools and community organizations, the department is promoting evidence-based programs that give parents the skills and supports, both formal and informal, they need to prevent child abuse and neglect. By working together and relying on natural supports like family members and neighbors, outcomes for families can be improved and children can be protected.</p><p>&#8220;Keeping children safe is a critical part of our mission at DHS,&#8221; said Secretary Dallas. &#8220;We must be the voice of those who cannot speak for themselves and Pennsylvania&#8217;s children need us to do everything we can to protect them today and in the future.&#8221;</p><p>To report suspected child abuse or neglect, DHS offers an around-the-clock, toll-free hotline, ChildLine (1-800-932-0313). For more information on critical components impacting child protection, visit www.KeepKidsSafe.pa.gov.</p><p><strong>Pennsylvania voters reminded</strong></p><p><strong>about absentee ballot deadline</strong></p><p>Secretary of State Pedro A. Cort&#233;s reminds voters that requests for absentee ballots must be completed, signed and received by their county board of elections no later than 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 19.</p><p>&#8220;As everyone knows, we have a very important primary election coming up on April 26,&#8221; Cort&#233;s said. &#8220;Absentee balloting gives eligible Pennsylvanians who are unable to go to the polls on Election Day the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.&#8221;</p><p>Absentee ballots may be cast by deployed members of the military, Pennsylvania students attending out-of-state colleges or universities, individuals with illnesses or disabilities and individuals who will be away from their municipality on Election Day. Comprehensive information about absentee ballots, including a downloadable request form, can be found at the Department of State&#8217;s website votesPA.com.</p><p>Although the deadline to apply is April 19, Cort&#233;s encouraged citizens who must vote by absentee ballot to submit their requests as early as possible.</p><p>&#8220;Completed absentee ballots must be received by county election offices no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, April 22,&#8221; Cort&#233;s explained. &#8220;Due to recent cutbacks in service by the U.S. Postal Service, anyone who is planning to mail their absentee ballot risks missing that deadline.&#8221;</p><p>Voters may also deliver their own absentee ballots in person to county election offices.</p><p>Pennsylvanians applying for an absentee ballot must provide their driver&#8217;s license or PennDOT ID number. If they do not have a driver&#8217;s license or PennDOT ID, they must give the last four digits of their Social Security number. If a voter has neither, he or she must present a copy of an acceptable photo ID. A list of approved alternative types of identification is available at votesPA.com.</p><p>For additional information, call 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772) or visit votesPA.com.</p><p><strong>Kaufer says streamlining</strong></p><p><strong>social services is necessary</strong></p><p>In an effort to streamline social services, the House unanimously voted in favor of Rep. Aaron Kaufer&#8217;s (R-Luzerne) bill Wednesday to place the operation of the state&#8217;s compulsive and problem gambling program under the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP).</p><p>&#8220;During a time when our state budget is tight, we need ways to save money and to streamline government services,&#8221; Kaufer said. &#8220;This bill will send the money for compulsive gambling and gambling addiction directly to the agency that will oversee the programs, providing more efficiency and ultimately more resources to combat this underground epidemic.&#8221;</p><p>Current law places the state&#8217;s compulsive and problem gaming program under the Department of Health. House Bill 1843 corrects state law to reflect the fact that the compulsive and problem gambling program is actually operated within DDAP.</p><p>&#8220;This bill is technical in nature, but I sponsored it to correctly place the program under the department in which it operates,&#8221; Kaufer said. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s important to place the responsibilities for people who may be addicted to gambling under the DDAP where other addictions are treated.&#8221;</p><p>For more information about this legislation, or any other state-related issue, contact Kaufer&#8217;s district office at 161 Main St., Luzerne or by phone at 570-283-1001. Information can also be found online at RepKaufer.com or Facebook.com/RepKaufer.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, left, chairs a hearing of his Transportation &amp; Infrastructure sub-committee. Ranking member Rep. Andr&#233; Carson, D-Indiana, listens to testimony as well. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Barletta-hearing.jpg</photo0><caption0>U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, left, chairs a hearing of his Transportation &amp; Infrastructure sub-committee. Ranking member Rep. Andr&#233; Carson, D-Indiana, listens to testimony as well. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Ted-Dallas.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dallas </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Ted-Dallas.jpg</photo1><caption1>Dallas </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Kaufer.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">Kaufer </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Kaufer.jpeg</photo2><caption2>Kaufer </caption2><photoCredit2>Submitted photo </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Capitol Roundup: Cyber-attack could cause weeks, not days, of power outages