September 24, 2019
McKeesport – Sept. 24, 2019 – Sen. Jim Brewster (D- Allegheny/Westmoreland) will host a Senior Wellness and Safety Expo in McKeesport this Thursday, Sept. 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at McKeesport Palisades, 100 Fifth Avenue.
“Hosting this event is an excellent opportunity to provide valuable information to our seniors,” Brewster said. “It is also an opportunity to provide them with beneficial health services and screenings.”
Brewster said that there will be health screenings for hearing, vision, blood pressure, bone density, carbon monoxide and blood glucose. He said that seniors will also have the opportunity to receive a flu shot for free with no proof of insurance required.
Rep. Austin Davis (D- Allegheny) is partnering with Brewster for this event.
“I look forward to seeing many of our senior citizens come out for this fun and informative event,” Brewster said.
September 19, 2018
McKeesport, Sept. 19, 2018 – State Sen. Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny/Westmoreland) and Rep. Austin Davis (D-Allegheny) will host a Senior Wellness and Safety Expo in McKeesport on Thursday, Sept. 27.
The Expo will be held at the McKeesport Palisades at 100 Fifth Avenue in McKeesport. The event will open at 10:30 a.m. and close at 1:00 p.m.
“Helping seniors in the community connect with services and benefits that assist them is a top priority,” Brewster said. “By hosting events such as this we are able to increase awareness and provide access to many community services that improve the well-being of Pennsylvania seniors.”
“This event will highlight community services, opportunities, and assistance for seniors,” Davis said. “We encourage seniors and their families to attend the expo for the chance to discuss and find more information on a variety of programs available in the community.”
Services and organizations at the expo will include offering free flu shots, available without proof of insurance, and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Outreach Unit to connect veterans with available services.
More information on the September 27 expo is available at Brewster’s district offices. His offices are located at One Monroeville Center, 3824 Northern Pike, Suite 1015, Monroeville (Phone: 412-380-2242); 201 Lysle Boulevard, Suite 100, McKeesport (Phone: 412-664-5200); and New Kensington City Hall, 301 11th Street, Suite L, New Kensington (Phone: 724-334-1143).
Davis’ district offices at 627 Lysle Blvd, McKeesport (Phone: 412-664-0035), 3910 Main Street, Suite 5, Munhall (Phone: 412-476-3046), and 551 Ravensburg Blvd, Clairton (Phone: 412-233-2505).
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October 10, 2013
McKeesport – October 10, 2013 – State Sen. Jim Brewster said today that he was pleased to support plans introduced in the Senate that would freeze property taxes for seniors.
Brewster (D-Allegheny) said that he has co-sponsored Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi’s (R-Delaware) plan in addition to Sen. Lisa Boscola’s (D-Northampton) proposal – Senate Bill 484 – that freeze taxes for seniors. He said that he expects tax freeze legislation to be reviewed by the Senate in the near future.
“It is clear that we need to move forward with tax relief for all property taxpayers, but we can start with freezing taxes for seniors,” Brewster said. “There is so much pressure on seniors now and they need immediate help.”
Pileggi’s plan, introduced as Senate Bill 299, would freeze property taxes following the establishment of a base payment. Any person aged 65 years of age or older who has paid their taxes and had a homestead exemption for the previous five years would be eligible for the freeze. Qualifying seniors would not have to pay more taxes in excess of the base payment.
“As co-sponsor of both Sen. Pileggi and Boscola’s plans, I am strongly supportive of any effort that reduces the tax burden faced by seniors,” Brewster said. “We also need to move quickly to enact a comprehensive reform that meets the needs of all property taxpayers.”
Brewster said he has sponsored legislation by Sen. David Argall (R-Carbon/Schuylkill/Berks) called the Property Tax Independence Act (Senate Bill 76) that would totally eliminate school property taxes and replace that levy with a combination of personal income and sales taxes. This plan provides a two-year phase in tax elimination period and sales taxes would generate about two-thirds of revenue necessary to replace property taxes.
The lawmaker said that there is renewed energy in the General Assembly to act on property-tax relief legislation. He said that analysts from the state’s Independent Fiscal Office are slated to appear at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday, October 15 to discuss the Senate and House (House Bill 76) plans that eliminate property taxes.
“The bottom line is that we need to act soon to address the hardship experienced by seniors and other property taxpayers resulting from high property tax bills,” Brewster said. “Doing nothing is not an option.”
Brewster is the former mayor of McKeesport and now serves as Democratic chair of the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee.
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