No 'dogma': Democrats walk tightrope on Barrett's faith

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Yankees come up short again

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jerry Oleksiak this week announced the additional layer of anti-fraud measures through ID.me is going into effect.
				L&I recently contracted with federally certified identity verification provider ID.me in response to a nationwide scam targeting the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program.
				The new measure will allow L&I to more quickly determine the legitimacy of new PUA claims and help legitimate claimants get the payments they need.
				&ldquo;The new anti-fraud steps we are taking with ID.me allow us to more efficiently process PUA claims while reducing fraud,&rdquo; Secretary Oleksiak said. &ldquo;Pennsylvania families are relying on the money they receive through the PUA program to pay their bills, buy food, and keep a roof over their families. ID.me is another step we are taking to help out-of-work Pennsylvanians get the PUA benefits they&rsquo;re eligible for while preventing fraudsters from illegally lining their pockets.&rdquo;
				Claimants should check their PUA dashboards for secure notifications from ID.me and promptly follow the directions they receive to verify their identities. Only PUA claimants who have been contacted can complete the steps.
				If claimants do not complete the steps, their payments may continue to be held.
				L&I contracted with ID.me to complete additional identity verification after detecting a surge of fraudulent claims through the PUA program in mid-September.
				Payments to all new claimants for the PUA program were temporarily paused while additional identity verification steps could be implemented to prevent payouts to fraudsters.
				ID.me can initially vet about 5,000 claimants daily and expects to ramp up its capacity in the coming days. This new step is in addition to several others taken since fraudulent activity began to be detected in the PUA program in several states this past Spring.
				State Senate votes to strengthen
				 penalties against child pornography
				The Pennsylvania Senate this week unanimously approved a bill that would strengthen penalties for child pornography and create a new task force to help prevent children from being victimized by this heinous crime, according to Senate Judiciary Committee chair Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, who supported the bill.
				The bill was sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.
				&ldquo;This form of unforgivable abuse is not something that is accidental or unintentional,&rdquo; Baker said. &ldquo;It comes about thorough intimidation, force, and most chilling of all, natural trust in family members, neighbors, or authority figures that is cruelly violated.&rdquo;
				Senate Bill 1075 would increase penalties in all cases of child pornography in which the child is under the age of 10 or prepubescent. In these cases, the bill would increase the penalty for creating child pornography from a second-degree felony to a first-degree felony, with a maximum penalty of more than 10 years. A first offense for disseminating this sort of child pornography would also be increased from a third-degree felony to a second-degree felony.
				Baker said current law only provides an increase in grading of the offense when the crime includes a depiction of indecent contact with a child. The bill would ensure that a broader range of child pornography offenders could face increased fines and prison sentences.
				The legislation would also provide a sentence enhancement for offenses in which the child depicted is known to the offender.
				In addition, the bill would create a special Task Force on Child Pornography to review all laws pertaining to child pornography and make recommendations to improve the investigation and prosecution of offenders.
				The task force will also be responsible for developing guidance and tools for sexual abuse prevention and suggesting any necessary changes to state law to help identify cases and hold offenders accountable for their crimes.
				&ldquo;No child consents to this kind of horrific and life-scarring exploitation,&rdquo; Baker added. &ldquo;Even as we strengthen penalties, it is hard to escape the fact that more needs to be done to treat and help heal to the extent possible those who have the misfortune to fall victim to evil and sick individuals.&rdquo;
				Oct. 19 is deadline
				to register to vote
				As the voter registration deadline approaches for the Nov. 3 presidential election, Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar this week urged Pennsylvanians to check their voter registration status at votesPA.com.
				&ldquo;Now is the time to make sure you are registered to vote, and your registration information is current before the deadline in less than two weeks,&rdquo; Secretary Boockvar said. &ldquo;We want every eligible Pennsylvanian to be able to exercise their right to vote on election day.&rdquo;
				Monday, Oct. 19, is the deadline for eligible Pennsylvanians to apply for a new voter registration or make changes to an existing registration before the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
				Individuals wishing to register to vote must be:
				&#8226; A citizen of the United States for at least one month before the election.
				&#8226; A resident of Pennsylvania and the election district in which the individual wants to register and vote for at least 30 days before the election.
				&#8226; At least 18 years of age on or before the date of the election.
				&ldquo;Pennsylvanians have more convenient, secure and accessible voting options than ever before,&rdquo; Secretary Boockvar said. &ldquo;They can vote by mail ballot, in person at their county election office before the election or at the polls on Nov. 3. The deadline to apply for a mail ballot is 5 p.m. on Oct. 27.&rdquo;
				On Nov. 3, Pennsylvania voters will elect:
				&#8226; President and Vice President
				&#8226; U.S. Representatives
				&#8226; State Attorney General, Auditor General and Treasurer
				&#8226; State Representatives
				&#8226; State Senators in odd-numbered districts
				The votesPA.com website also offers printable voter registration applications, early in-person voting information, a polling place locator, and county boards of elections contact information. It includes tips for first-time voters and military and overseas voters.
				Adoption and foster care tax
				 credit bill advances in Senate
				Seeking to increase the number of adoptions and foster care placements in Pennsylvania, Rep. Tarah Toohil (R-Luzerne) is the prime sponsor of legislation that would create a tax credit for families that provide permanency to children in the care of the Department of Human Services.
				House Bill 296 was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday and sent to the full Senate for consideration.
				The legislation passed unanimously in the House of Representatives in June 2019.
				&ldquo;The Commonwealth&rsquo;s child welfare agencies are doing heroic work, but they simply cannot find enough foster families to meet the growing demand, created in large part by the opioid epidemic,&rdquo; said Toohil. &ldquo;My proposal provides a financial incentive to encourage more adoptions and foster care placements.&rdquo;
				House Bill 296 would establish a one-time $1,000 adoption tax credit and a $500 foster care tax credit that a parent can claim on his or her federal tax return. The Department of Human Services would make available $10 million in tax credits each fiscal year to support the program.
				&ldquo;Our hope is to get this bill to the governor&rsquo;s desk before the current legislative session ends in next month,&rdquo; Toohil added.
				State: Medicare open
				enrollment begins Oct. 15
				The Pennsylvania Department of Aging today reminded consumers that the annual open enrollment period for Medicare beneficiaries will begin Thursday, Oct. 15, and end Monday, Dec. 7.
				Any new coverage selected takes effect Jan. 1, 2021.
				During open enrollment, new Medicare beneficiaries can sign up for Medicare Prescription Drug coverage and health plans to complement Medicare, and current Medicare beneficiaries can review and join, switch, or drop Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Coverage so that it better meets their needs.
				&ldquo;Navigating any kind of health care option can be confusing, tedious and overwhelming. Whether an older adult is a new Medicare beneficiary or interested in learning all their coverage options, we encourage all seniors to take advantage of the free independent counseling services available through APPRISE,&rdquo; said Secretary of Aging Robert Torres. &ldquo;The trained APPRISE counselors can guide beneficiaries through their choices and help them be more informed and confident in deciding what may be the best option for them.&rdquo;

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L&I launches new identity verification steps to thwart unemployment fraud