(WHTM) - On This Week in Pennsylvania, host Dennis Owens talks to State Rep. Paul Takac (D-Centre), whose district covers Penn State University's main campus and SCI Rockview, a state prison that's recommended for closure.
Takac agreed it's a good thing Pennsylvania needs fewer prisons, but he wants to make sure any closures are "carefully done." He noted the impact not just for communities but for officers in prisons that see an increased inmate population.
Three other Department of Corrections facilities are part of the closure plan.
Takac also said he doesn't believe Penn State University President Neeli Bendapudi can unilaterally close branch campuses after she announced several smaller campuses would close.
"The Board of Trustees is very involved in all the major decisions in the university," said Takac. "It's really coming down to declining enrollments, but I also think the flat state funding over decades is playing a role in this, it's much much more expensive to go to college than it ever was in the past."
Most Reverend Timothy C. Senior, Bishop of Harrisburg, also joined the show to discuss the health of Pope Francis and human trafficking.
"I was really appalled, the reality was something I never suspected would be such a prevalent part of what we don't see, what flies below the radar," said Senior.
Senior also discussed issues pertaining to abortion, school choice, and immigration in the United States.