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News for Constituents – April 1, 2009 FraudNet Focuses on Accountability and Transparency of Recovery Funds Private citizens, government workers, contractors, and others are invited to report waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement of funds directed by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). With billions of dollars being channeled into job creation, infrastructure investment, and other economic development, the GAO is urging the reporting of waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement of Recovery Act funds. The GAO’s FraudNet offers four anonymous points of contact:
FraudNet is a part of the GAO’s Forensic Audits and Special Investigations Team. The automated points of contact provide the public an opportunity to report allegations related to the mismanagement of federal funds. ---------- National Work Zone Awareness Week 2009 -- Drive to Survive – Our Future Is Riding On It! Just as the highway construction season kicks into high gear, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) joins the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the 10th annual observance of National Work Zone Awareness Week 2009 set for April 6-10, 2009. The nationwide public awareness campaign, “Drive to Survive – Our Future Is Riding On It,” is aimed at reducing death and injuries in work zones across the country. During 2007, 835 workers and motorists were killed in highway work zones and more than 40,000 suffered injuries. Eighty-five percent of those killed in work zones are drivers or their passengers. While the goal is to remind the traveling public how they can help keep everyone safe when in a work zone, resources are also made available to professionals, including work zone best practices. Driving safely through a work zone is not just a good idea; it’s the law in Pennsylvania. Fines are doubled in work zones and headlights are required. ---------- Grants Will Fund Forest Fire Suppression Applications for grants to fund forest fire suppression equipment, clothing, and training are being accepted by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources until 4 p.m. on May 14, 2009. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is making available a total of $559,200 in federal funds to the State’s Bureau of Forestry to help Pennsylvania’s rural communities better guard against fires in forested, undeveloped, and unprotected areas. The maximum grant that will be considered for any fire company in 2009 is $7,500. All items approved for purchase under the 2008 fiscal year program must be purchased between Oct. 1, 2008, and Nov. 30, 2009. While priority is given to the purchase of wildfire suppression equipment and protective clothing, grant dollars may be applied to the purchase of mobile or portable radios, installation of dry hydrants, wildfire prevention and mitigation, training, or conversion and maintenance of federal excess vehicles received from the bureau to be used for fire suppression. Aid is granted on a cost-share basis. Grants for any project during a fiscal year cannot exceed 50 percent of the actual expenditures of local, public, and private nonprofit organizations in the agreement. ----------
Register Now For the Great American Cleanup of PA April 25 - May 9 Imagine what 10.5 million pounds of trash would look like strewn across Pennsylvania. More than 175,000 people needed no imagination to see 4,801 cleanup projects remove that amount of debris from 21,653 miles of roadway and 10,822 acres of park land during the 2008 Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania. The annual Cleanup is held in recognition of Earth Day on April 22. The 2009 “Pick It Up PA Days” will run from April 25 through May 9. The sponsors of “Let's Pick It Up PA,” the Pennsylvania Departments of Environmental Protection and Transportation, encourage you to register your event or find one near you. Consult the website for the Great American Cleanup of PA for assistance with conducting a cleanup, event promotion, litter ordinances, and results reporting. A list of Frequently Asked Questions can help you prepare to participate in the state’s recognition of Keep America Beautiful. ---------- Avoiding Mortgage Foreclosures Pennsylvania is taking steps to prevent the kind of mortgage surprises contributing to the recent foreclosure crisis, according to the PA Department of Banking. Under new rules, Pennsylvanians will get mortgages that they can understand and repay. Mortgage companies will be required to document income, fixed expenses, and other relevant financial information to determine a borrower’s ability to repay the loan. The lender’s review of this financial information will restrict low- and no-documentation loans, also known as stated income loans, in which borrowers did not have to provide proof of income, employment and other information. The Consumer Mortgage Disclosure Form contains notice of the following:
The new rules governing mortgage disclosures and practices grew out of legislation passed by the PA Senate and later signed into law in July 2008. ---------- Press release: http://www.banking.state.pa.us/banking/lib/banking/news_and_events/press_releases/2009/rls-bank-newmortrules2-031909.pdf
Applications Being Accepted for Solar Photovoltaic/Solar Thermal Hot Water System Installers Applications are now being accepted for solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal hot water installation contractors wishing to register to participate in the new Pennsylvania Sunshine Program set to debut this spring. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), through the PA Sunshine Program, anticipates approving $100 million in grants to the state’s homeowners and small businesses to purchase and install solar PV and solar hot water systems. Applicants will be required to use an installer from DEP’s approved list. Interested installation contractors should read and complete the PV Installer Application and Instructions and/or the Solar Hot Water Installer Application and Instructions Interested installers with questions regarding their company’s eligibility may contact Rebecca Campbell, Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, at (717) 772-8911 or pasunshine@state.pa.us before submitting an application. ---------- |