By: Eryn Spangler, Press Assistant
With the year coming to an end, Pennsylvania state agencies have released their 2016 accomplishments to highlight the progress made by each agency this year.
Since taking office, Gov. Tom Wolf has focused on three priorities for his administration: creating Jobs That Pay, funding Schools That Teach and providing a Government That Works for all Pennsylvanians.
State agencies are essential in helping Wolf implement and improve programs that move these three initiatives and Pennsylvania forward.
Some highlighted accomplishments of 2016 include:
Select an agency to see full list of 2016 accomplishments.
- Helping the governor implement a new fair-funding formula and to secure a historic $640 million increase in funding for Pennsylvania schools.
Department of Labor & Industry
- Increasing access to workforce training and development through programs, such as the Pennsylvania’s Apprenticeship Initiative.
Department of Community and Economic Development
- Announcing the completion of 58 projects through the Governor’s Action Team that will enhance job creation and investments across the Commonwealth.
- Working to implement Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program and working collaboratively with other state agencies to tackle the current opioid abuse epidemic plaguing Pennsylvania.
- Establishing Centers of Excellence to treat individuals suffering from Substance Use Disorder and increasing the number of Pennsylvanian’s enrolled for healthcare benefits.
Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs
- Implementing a “warm hand-off” policy to ensure that overdose survivors are directed into treatment and providing drug take-back boxes across the state so Pennsylvanian’s can properly dispose of unwanted prescriptions.
- Hosting several community forums statewide to receive feedback from thousands of stakeholders on how to enhance the lives of older Pennsylvanians and working with the Department of Human Services to rollout Community HealthChoices to improve long-term care in Pennsylvania.
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
- Coordinating efforts to place more than 2,500 homeless veterans into permanent housing and working with Wolf to enact several bills that support the military and veterans, such as increased pay for state active duty.
- Announcing savings of $2.7 million by making changes in investment manager’s fees.
- Improving customer service by reducing wait times at Driver License Centers and creating a new mobile app for Driver License examiners and construction inspectors.
Department of Banking and Securities
- Announcing a new program designed to identify and protect Pennsylvania seniors from financial abuse.
- Publishing the first annual report of accomplishments for the Governor’s Office of Transportation, Innovation, Management, and Efficiency (GO-TIME), highlighting projects that helped save over $156 million for taxpayers.
- Announcing that nearly 900,000 Pennsylvanians registered to vote by the October registration deadline by using Online Voter Registration.
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
- Issuing its State Forest Management Plan that will help protect and sustain Pennsylvania’s forests.
Department of Environmental Protection
- Implementing mine land reclamation projects to put coal miners back to work and continuing to improve investments in Pennsylvania’s energy economy.