CENTRE COUNTY — On Tuesday, Oct. 29, State Rep. Paul Takac, D-Centre was announced as the newly appointed House Democratic caucus representative on the Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s new commission, the Rural Population Revitalization Commission.
Takac was appointed by Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton. McClinton was elected in 2015 to serve communities in west and southwest Philadelphia.
A projected amount of 5.8% of the population of rural Pennsylvania counties will decrease by 2050 and the new commission aimed to create strategies to combat this through “development and revitalization efforts to ensure the long-term growth and sustainability of these vital regions,” a statement from Takac’s office explained.
“From helping deliver a first-of-its-kind $10 million Agricultural Innovation fund to championing the reauthorization of the $50 million Rural Jobs Investment Tax Credit program — and from helping secure over $5.5 million in direct grant funding to prioritizing satellite offices and constituent services in Centre County’s most rural communities — I have worked to prioritize folks who often feel overlooked in Harrisburg,” Takac said in a statement. “I am proud to be a strong advocate for Pennsylvania’s rural communities and am excited for this opportunity to continue that important work.”
The commission has around 10 major goals:
• Increasing people participating in the Federal decennial census
• Keeping current residents and gaining new residents in rural Pennsylvania
• Making careers and education accessible
• Making healthcare accessible
• Affordable housing
• Making social services more accessible
• Addressing current issues facing rural Pennsylvania
• Creating grant awards and tax credit opportunities for residents and business owners
• “Statutory and regulatory costs and impacts on rural municipal governments, businesses and communities”
“I wanted to express my gratitude to Speaker McClinton for entrusting me with this opportunity to contribute to the commission’s critical mission of revitalizing Pennsylvania’s rural communities.” Takac said.“ I look forward to continuing our work of ensuring that the interests of rural Pennsylvanians are well represented in Harrisburg.”
