PA State Rep. Joe Emrick

During Wednesday’s legislative session day in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Claire Dos Santos, who is in eighth grade at Nazareth Area Middle School, served as a guest page. Claire has a strong interest in politics and told me she may pursue a career as a lawyer, following in the footsteps of her father, Chris, who accompanied her to the state Capitol.

I recently attended Northampton Community College’s spring legislative luncheon with NCC President David Ruth, which allowed me to talk with President Ruth and students about how we can make college more affordable.

NCC is in the heart of the 137th District and offers a multitude of educational options that ultimately strengthen our region’s workforce and economy. We should always prioritize continued and increased access to high-quality education.

That’s why we were thrilled to announce that same morning NCC received a $401,907 state grant to help expand access to dual-credit programs for high school students who want to pursue higher education. Dual-credit courses allow high school students to satisfy their curriculum requirements while also earning college credits. These classes have proven to be highly successful in preparing students for college while also improving their academic performance overall.

The funding was made available through the PA Dual Credit Innovation Grant, which was created by the General Assembly in 2024 and receives its funding through General Fund appropriations approved by the General Assembly.

On Saturday, April 18, a few days before Earth Day 2026, I hosted a document shredding event in the parking lot of the Palmer Park Mall.

The extremely successful free event for 137th District residents saw nearly 400 vehicles drop off approximately 20,000 pounds of paper documents containing sensitive personal information, all of it securely destroyed by Shred-it.