State Rep. Paul Takac (D-82) is pictured during his visit to The Express. BREANNA HANLEY/THE EXPRESS

LOCK HAVEN — State Representative Paul Takac of District 82 wants his constituents to know more than anything that he’s invested in giving back to the people and communities he represents.

“I see this as a privilege and an opportunity to represent folks and advocate for our area in Harrisburg. I will work with anybody who’s willing to do that,” said Takac during a meeting with The Express Editorial Board.

Takac has taken the initiative to set up office hours in various municipalities in his district to better meet with his constituents and answer any questions they may have.

The 82nd District covers many rural and urban areas including Beech Creek, Blanchard, Boalsburg, Clarence, Fleming, Howard, Julian, Karthaus, Lemont, Milesburg, Moshannon, Snow Shoe, State College, Unionville, University Park and Yarnell.

His main office is located at 216 W. Hamilton Ave., State College, but Takac has regular office hours in other areas. He has regular hours in both Snow Shoe and Howard, and has pop-up offices in various areas. He is also working to establish office hours in Milesburg and the Boggs Township area.

“There’s a wide range of things that we can help with that are related to state services. Whether those are applications, PennDOT issues, disability placards, unemployment compensation issues, property tax rent rebate forms, legal documents — birth certificates, death certificates. We can help find whether people have unclaimed property at the Treasury — there’s a long list. But we can also be a liaison to other agencies,” said Takac.

Takac said he has a close working relationship with Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson, Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman, and noted that if something comes up that could be considered a federal issue he can help make that connection.

“If people are unsure, they should come in and talk to us,” said Takac. “There’s a number of programs that people aren’t necessarily aware of.”

“I spent over 20 years working with schools all over the commonwealth. Through that process you engage a lot with the community, and I kept seeing that there were a lot of communities that were struggling and I did not feel were very well represented. They were sort of being told that less is more, but that wasn’t working out for them. They were really struggling, whether that was with funding or support. I saw that need in urban areas, suburban areas and rural areas,” said Takac.

Takac gained experience in local government while serving as a member of College Township Council, and as Chair of both the Spring Creek Watershed Commission and Centre Region Council of Government’s Public Safety Committee.

Takac serves on numerous committees in Harrisburg, including:

— Agriculture and Rural Affairs

— Committee on Committees

— Environmental Resources and Energy, Subcommittee on Mining, Chair

— Tourism and Economic and Recreational Development, Subcommittee on Recreation, Chair

— Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness

— House Education Committee (As of Oct. 2)

— America250

“I’ve only been in office since January, but I feel like we’re making a real difference,” said Takac.

Recently, Takac worked with state Senator Cris Dush and put partisanship aside to secure grants, lobby for state money to buy new equipment and find ways to bring new businesses to the area.

The pair have worked to obtain funding for local infrastructure projects, including repairs at the Snow Shoe Township building, upgrades at the Moshannon Community Center, and a new leaf collection truck for Snow Shoe Borough.

Takac is strong in his convictions that the workforce needs support as well. He pointed out that, for many individuals, they would actually be losing money if they went to work.

Between gas prices, the cost of childcare and numerous other factors, workers are no longer incentivised to work, he said.

“I’ve talked with childcare workers who are experienced — they have a degree in child development, they have 15 years experience — they are torn because they can go to Sheetz and make more as a starting wage than they can as an experienced child care provider. We have to fix that. We’re penalizing our workforce,” said Takac.

Takac is firm in his belief that corporations should be held accountable for responsible practices, ending corporate handouts and eliminating tax loopholes for billionaires and corporations.

“I think there’s dignity in work, but I also believe that people who work should earn a living wage. We need to make sure that we’re ensuring people who get up every single day and go to work can actually support themselves, their families and their communities,” said Takac.

He acknowledged that some local businesses are already paying their workers $15 an hour, but pointed out that it’s not the local businesses who are taking advantage of minimum wage.

“There are large national and multinational companies that take advantage of this. There’s a lot of folks that are making the current minimum wage working for big box stores. They work full time, but qualify for public assistance. We’re subsidizing their profits with public dollars by keeping people poor. By allowing them to keep people poor. I think it’s exploitative,” said Takac.

Another issue Takac brought up was the problem with higher education — both post-secondary education and university settings. Pennsylvania is the third most expensive state to get a degree in, he said.

“There’s a lot of young people who can’t afford to go to college. Or if they do, they come out with crippling debt that does not allow them to go back to their hometown. The sword of Damocles hanging over their head is the student loan payments. It shouldn’t be that way. It not only hurts individuals, it totally hamstrings our economy,” said Takac.

He pointed out that with the younger generations in crippling debt, they don’t have the income to invest back into their communities — they can’t afford to start a family or purchase a house. Many of them are forced to leave the Commonwealth to pursue higher paying jobs that they need to pay off their debt.

Takac was thrilled to be appointed to the education committee recently, citing that he is a product of public education at all levels.

“I think there’s no greater investment we can make in our communities and our futures than fully and fairly funding education,” said Takac.

Takac said that it’s important to take steps to make education a priority in Pennsylvania. He suggested revamping the Fair Funding Formula to distribute funding in a more equitable manner and regulating cyber charter schools to meet public school standards. He also suggested that the state find ways to fund universal pre-k and childcare and expand grant programs.

“Anybody who uses public dollars should play by the same rules,” said Takac. “They should have the same transparency requirements, the same reporting requirements — they should be expected to uphold the same standards. That is not the case right now, particularly for Cyber Charter Schools.”

According to Takac, there are millions of dollars every year that flow out of local tax bases to support “largely unaccountable and underperforming schools.”

“It’s short sighted in my mind to short change public education,” said Takac.

Takac described his office in Harrisburg, indicating that he has his district map hanging on his wall, a photograph of a bald eagle taken at Bald Eagle State Park and two bricks from the Orviston Brickyard.

“It reminds me of who it is that I’m representing. I really love the district that I’m in. It truly represents the diversity of Centre County. I have everything north of I-80. I promised that I would represent the whole district, not just part of it,” said Takac.

“I’m so appreciative of the opportunity and I want people to know they can stop and say hello. I represent over 65,000 people and I certainly hope I can get to know some of them. Reach out to us, I’m always happy to talk and answer questions when I can,” said Takac.

To get in contact with Representative Takac you can either fill out an email form at www.pahouse.com/takac/Contact, visit him during his office hours, or call toll free at 833-821-1757.