Northhampton News

State Sen. David Argall (R-Mahanoy) recently announced the passing of $25 million in federal relief funds to emergency medical services (EMS) companies.

House bill 253 is a bipartisan bill that swept the House in a 200-0 vote. The support comes in the form of money that can be used for equipment purchases, building renovation or construction, debt reduction, training, recruitment or retention of personnel or revenue losses, according to Penn Live.

"Senate delivers on promise $25M in federal relief funds to EMS companies, building on January's $225M for hospitals & their employees," Argall said in a Feb. 1 tweet. "Funding provides fire companies access to loans currently available to volunteer co's."

In January, Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) announced $225 million to support health care workers.

“Three weeks ago, my administration convened a working group including all four caucuses to identify immediate investments to support the health care workforce overburdened by staffing shortages after years of battling the pandemic on the front lines,” Wolf said in a statement. “Together, Democrats and Republicans came together in a bipartisan effort to address this issue through House Bill 253."

Gov. Wolf in February signed Senate Bill 739, which appropriates $25 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to support Pennsylvania’s EMS companies, according to Penn Live.

"I am proud to sign this critical legislation into law to support our health care workforce and ensure Pennsylvanians can continue to receive quality care for emergency health issues and life-saving procedures," Wolf said in a statement.

Argall represents Pennsylvania's 29th District. Assuming his role as a Senator in 2009, he first began service in 1984 in the House of Representatives and served as Republican Whip from 2004 to 2008, according to Wikipedia.

The Republican lawmaker earned his bachelor's degree from Lycoming College and holds a Ph.D. in public administration from Penn State, according to the Senator's website.