HARRISBURG – State Sen. John N. Wozniak has introduced legislation intended to increase research into the challenges faced by residents of Pennsylvania’s rural areas.
“Rural Pennsylvania is still facing some of the same challenges and some new ones,” Wozniak said. “We have to update our effort to preserve the lifestyle of rural Pennsylvania while, at the same time, make sure the residents have access to health care, quality education and jobs.”
Senate Bill 607 would amend the regulations for the “Center for Rural Pennsylvania,” an agency of the General Assembly governed by an 11-member board. The board oversees distribution of grants to faculty members at colleges and universities to fund study of the issues facing rural communities, including economic development, educational outreach and government finance. Under current law, only universities in the State System of Higher Education and Penn State are eligible to participate. Wozniak’s bill would add the regional campuses of the University of Pittsburgh, while increasing the maximum grant to $60,000. The bill also adds agriculture along with health and welfare concerns to the list of subject areas eligible for grants.
The bill has bipartisan co-sponsorship and Wozniak said he is confident that it can be passed this session.
“Many Pennsylvanians live in small communities that are feeling the pressures of change,” Wozniak said. “The endless growth of suburbs and the big problems of big cities sometimes eclipse the concerns of rural Pennsylvanians. We need to find ways to help.”
