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In this Update:

• Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving
• Firearms Deer Season Begins Saturday, Nov. 25
• Playing Santa? Shop Small on Saturday
• Healthy, Free Food Available to Low-Income Seniors
• Preparing Pennsylvanians of All Ages for Career Success
• Winter Life Jacket Requirement in Effect

Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving

Pennsylvania has a rich history related to celebrating the day of thanks, as the first nationally recognized Thanksgiving was celebrated in York County in 1777. Americans had just soundly defeated the British in the Battle of Saratoga in the American Revolution. To mark the victory, the Second Continental Congress proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving.

The first Thanksgiving Day Parade was also held in Pennsylvania in 1920 – four years before the first Macy’s parade.

May your holiday be filled with an abundance of blessings, health and good times. In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, my office will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 23, and Friday, Nov. 24.

Firearms Deer Season Begins Saturday, Nov. 25

Firearms deer season opens Saturday, Nov. 25, and hunting will be allowed on Sunday, Nov. 26. As you prepare to head out to our fields and forests, be sure to keep safety in mind. The Pennsylvania Game Commission offers these important tips:

Basic Safety

• Positively identify the target – Be sure you are shooting at legal game and not another hunter. And never shoot at sounds or movement.
• Stay in the zone! Hunters should be spaced 25 to 40 yards apart, and always in sight of one another. Never shoot at game moving between you and someone else.
• Plan your hunt! Let someone know where you’re hunting and when you’ll return.
• Buckle up! If you hunt from an elevated stand, always wear a full-body, fall-restraint device as soon as your feet leave the ground until they return.
• Become familiar with your hunting area! Learn how to use a map and compass or GPS unit. Be prepared for emergencies. Carry a basic survival kit and know how to use it.
• Be seen! Wear or display the required amount of fluorescent orange clothing.

Firearms Safety

• Handle all firearms as if they’re loaded. Never assume they are unloaded and double check to be sure.
• Always point the muzzle in a safe direction and don’t put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
• Unload and place your firearm on the ground before crossing a fence, log or other obstacle, or climbing a tree.
• Shoot only when a safe and adequate backstop exists. Don’t shoot at hard, flat surfaces, water or a target on the horizon.

For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission website at pgc.pa.gov.

Playing Santa? Shop Small on Saturday

Small Business Saturday is this weekend, a great time to shop small when thinking about gifts for the holiday season.

Small businesses account for 99.6% of Pennsylvania businesses and half of our jobs. That’s why I’ve advocated for the continued phase-out of the state’s excessive Corporate Net Income Tax – which burdens many small business operators – and voted for a host of measures this year to cut government red tape that is hampering the work of these crucial job creators.

You can find state resources on starting a small business here.

Healthy, Free Food Available to Low-Income Seniors

The Senior Food Box Program supplements low-income seniors’ diets with nutritious food, including non-fat dry and shelf-stable fluid milk, juice, oats, ready-to-eat cereal, rice, pasta, dry beans, peanut butter, canned meat, poultry, fish and canned fruits and vegetables.

To participate, individuals must be at least 60 years old and meet income eligibility guidelines. A single senior’s annual income may not exceed $18,954, and the income for a couple is capped at $25,636.

Seniors who would like to participate should call 800-468-2433 to be directed to the regional food bank distributing the Senior Food Box in their county of residence. Learn more here.

Preparing Pennsylvanians of All Ages for Career Success

People at any stage of their careers – and even before their careers have begun – may use SkillUp PA, Pennsylvania’s free online job training platform. The free trainings are designed to fill critical skill gaps that can be a barrier to employment, prepare people for credential or certification tests and sharpen soft job skills.

Some of the courses include Being an Effective Team Member, Essential Skills for Professional Telephone Calls, Interpersonal Communication: Listening Essentials and Thinking Critically: Coming to Terms with Assumptions.

Learn more about SkillUp and enroll here.

Winter Life Jacket Requirement in Effect

Until April 30, all boaters are required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket while underway or at anchor on boats less than 16 feet in length or on any kayak, canoe or paddleboard on all Pennsylvania waters.

A disproportionate number of boating fatalities occur from November to April in Pennsylvania, and cold water is one of the primary reasons. When water temperatures are less than 70 degrees, the cold water shock can cause an involuntary gasp, hyperventilation, breathlessness and a reduced ability to control breathing and swim.

A life jacket greatly increases your chance of survival in cold water. It also increases the amount of time for you to be rescued. Find more cold water survival safety tips here.

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