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Dear Friend,
I am pleased to present my electronic newsletter. These e-newsletters enable
me to provide information about issues, events and activities in Harrisburg and
around the 47th Senatorial District to you in a timely manner while saving
postage costs.
If you find this e-newsletter useful, I invite you to visit my website
www.senatoreldervogel.com for
more information about your state government. If you do not wish to receive
these e-newsletters, please click the “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of the
page.
Sincerely,
Elder Vogel
The Senate Appropriations Committee hearings present the opportunity for the public and their elected officials to examine in-depth the proposals contained within the Governor’s 2015-16 budget
Special Report: 2015-16 Budget Hearings
Week 3
As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I participated in the
third and final week of public hearings on Governor Wolf’s proposed state budget
for the 2015-16 Fiscal Year. We heard detailed reports from several cabinet
secretaries and other officials over the three-day period of March 30 – April 1.
More information on the budget, as well as photos, audio and video from the
hearings, is available at:
www.pasenategop.com/state-budget/
Monday, March 30, 2015
Department of Education
Appropriations Committee members told Acting Education Secretary Pedro Rivera
about the need to change the public school retiree pension system to reduce
skyrocketing costs that are diverting funds away from the classroom. In
particular, I discussed public-private partnerships and state support for career
and technical programs in Pennsylvania’s schools
(video). Other topics included:
- Career and technical education funding.
- Early warning system for identifying students at risk of dropping out.
- The constitutionality of the Governor’s proposed property tax reduction
plan.
- The negative effects of the “hold harmless” clause which prevents state
aid from being diverted to districts with rising enrollment.
- The growing responsibilities of school nurses.
- The need to address wages and benefits driving increased education
costs.
- The savings to be realized by eliminating prevailing wage mandates on
school construction projects.
- Spending on pre-kindergarten education programs.
- Schools being required to teach to the state-mandated tests.
- Concerns that the Governor’s proposed property tax reductions are not
permanent.
- The need to increase accountability with any new state education
funding.
- The formula for proposed cyber education funding.
- The lack of additional money for PlanCon school construction funding.
- Disparities in state funding from district to district, and disparities
in proposed property tax reductions.
- The burden of requiring school districts to prepare a report by May 15
on budgeting proposed new state funding.
- The need to reform the state basic education funding formula.
- Removing pension spending from the education general fund budget gives a
misleading view of actual education funding.
- Funding and effectiveness of adult literacy programs.
Click
here to watch the hearing.
Department of Labor & Industry
Acting Secretary of Labor & Industry Kathy Manderino answered questions on a
number of issues related to jobs and workers. I asked Acting Secretary Manderino
about efforts to stop prison inmates from receiving unemployment compensation
and updates to the state uniform construction code
(video). Other topics discussed during the hearing included:
- Staff complement and pension-related costs.
- The need to increase vocational rehabilitation funding to get more
people into the workforce.
- The rationale for using an out-of-state company for labor negotiations.
- A crisis in finding skilled labor, particularly for manufacturing jobs.
- Workers’ Compensation fraud.
- The time frame for transferring information for Pennsylvania residents
who work out of state.
- Increased funding for assisted technology, which helps those with
disabilities.
- Providing funds and assistance for the Centers for Independent Living.
- How the proposed increase in the minimum wage would affect small
businesses.
- Sole proprietors who pay into unemployment compensation, but cannot
receive benefits.
- Encouraging young people to obtain training in trades.
- Cost savings realized by preventing inmates from receiving unemployment
benefits.
- The importance of New Choices/New Options in helping workers who have
been out of the workforce for an extended period of time.
- Vocational training for inmates before re-entry into society.
- The status of the State Workers Insurance Fund and its importance to
state businesses.
- The effectiveness of the Unemployment Compensation Amnesty Program.
Click
here to watch the hearing.
Department of Banking & Securities
Acting Secretary of Banking & Securities Robin Wiessmann fielded questions
from members of the Appropriations Committee on a number of topics related to
the banking industry in Pennsylvania including:
- Issues facing community banks.
- Mortgage servicing.
- Bank shares tax.
- The influence of global banking trends on Pennsylvania’s banks.
- Financial scams.
- Electronic transactions and cybersecurity.
- The impact of the Governor’s proposed sales tax expansion on the
securities industry and investment services.
- Payday lending operations.
- Regulations on loan origination.
- Passive versus active investment strategies for pension funds.
Click
here to watch the hearing.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Department of Revenue
Acting Revenue Secretary Eileen McNulty was questioned about the
Administration’s unprecedented tax hikes and the impact on the Pennsylvania
economy. I questioned Revenue Department officials about over-optimistic
projections for the Governor’s proposed severance tax and the negative impact
that a cap on local funding would have on Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties
where drilling operations are expected to increase in the coming years
(Video).
Other topics included:
- Confusion over a possible sales tax on lobbying.
- Services covered by the proposed sales tax on financial planners.
- Re-release of the bulletin on bank shares tax.
- Ability to nullify existing contracts to prevent drillers from passing a
severance tax onto property owners.
- Disparities in property tax reductions under the Governor’s plan.
- The failure of the Governor’s school property tax plan to prevent
property taxes from going back up.
- Unrealistic projections for severance tax revenue.
- The Governor’s plan to cap natural gas impact fee funding and the effect
on communities.
- Strategy for meeting projections for lottery revenue increases.
- The possible need to review criteria for Property Tax/Rent Rebate
regarding surviving spouses over 50 and non-citizens.
- The likelihood that retailers will round up the proposed 6.6 percent
sales tax to 7 percent.
- The complexity and legal challenges with implementing combined-reporting
requirements on businesses.
- The proposed sales tax on amusement park admissions and impact on local
amusement taxes.
- The Administration’s plan to implement a whole new regime of taxation
and the ability to administer with current staffing.
- The burden of adding $9 billion in new costs on the Pennsylvania economy
under the Governor’s plan and the effect on economic growth.
Click
here to watch the hearing.
Historical & Museum Commission
Senators asked James Vaughn, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission about his agency’s budget and mission,
including:
- The use of public-private partnerships and volunteers in operating
historical sites.
- Increased fees and how they affect the number of visits.
- The trend in attendance at historical sites and museums.
- How important cultural and historical sites are to tourism.
- Concerns about expanding the sales tax to cover admissions to facilities
and the impact it would have on the number of visitors.
Click
here to watch the hearing.
Department of Transportation
During the hearing on the Transportation budget, I asked Acting Secretary of
Transportation Leslie Richards about CNG filling stations, the Green Light Go
Program and the use of roundabouts
(video) . Other topics discussed during the
hearing included:
- Act 89, the state’s transportation funding plan, and the positive impact
it has had on infrastructure.
- Addressing the serious pothole problem caused by the harsh winter.
- Federal legislation and funding needed to continue improvements.
- Public-private partnerships for bridge replacement and other projects.
- Exemptions for emissions testing for new vehicles.
- The state’s Dirt and Gravel Road Program and its success in protecting
streams.
- Ensuring that seasonal workers are treated fairly with unemployment
compensation and other benefits.
- How to move transportation and development projects forward while
protecting the environment.
- Notifying communities when bridges are going to be closed or
weight-restricted.
- Solving serious traffic issues on Route 422.
- A status report on the state’s structurally deficient bridges.
- Encouraging the use of compressed natural gas and increasing the number
of stations.
- Updating the Pennsylvania Transit Revitalization Investment District (TRID)
Act
Click
here to watch the hearing.
Department of Agriculture
As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee, I discussed
a number of topics with Acting Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding including:
inequity in tax breaks for farmland, particularly in light of the array of tax
increases proposed by Governor Wolf; support for the horse racing industry in
Pennsylvania; a proposed “Green Agriculture” initiative; and, funding for Penn
State’s agriculture programs and the University of Pennsylvania’s vet school
(video) .Other issues discussed during the hearing
included:
- The impact of Department regulations on church fundraising activities.
- State support for fairs and the potential for those events to be taxed
under the Governor’s proposed sales tax expansion.
- Dog licensing and dog law enforcement.
- Objections by the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau to the Governor’s temporary
and limited property tax reduction proposal.
- Elimination by the Governor of funding for a number of programs in the
Agriculture budget.
- Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) tax credits to assist
farmers.
- High school agriculture science programs.
- The PA Preferred program and promotion of Pennsylvania-grown products.
- Farmland preservation efforts.
Click
here to watch the hearing.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
PEMA Director Richard Flinn and State Fire Marshal Timothy Solobay briefed
members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on emergency operations and
services. I asked the officials about preparations for emergencies in Marcellus
Shale drilling areas and the inability of some county 911 centers to handle text
messages
(video). Other topics discussed included:
- Legislation to implement the updated statewide 911 system and how fees
will be assessed.
- Concerns about the statewide radio system.
- The dwindling number of volunteer firefighters and emergency services
workers.
- A status report on the new PEMA building, including costs involved in
its construction.
- Recruitment and retention of volunteer fire fighters and the savings
they provide to communities.
- Efforts to attract new volunteers, including tuition credits, loans and
training.
- PEMA’s working relationship with the State Police.
- Training for responding to incidents involving Marcellus Shale.
- Responding to motorists who are stranded on highways for long amounts of
time due to road condition.
- Concerns about trains carrying large amounts of crude oil through
communities and whether there is notification.
- Merging fire companies to save costs and prevent duplication.
- Funding issues faced by county 911 centers.
- Hazard mitigation efforts to prevent reoccurrence of flooding.
- Increased workers comp insurance rates for firefighters.
- Pipeline emergency response training.
Click
here to watch the hearing.
Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
Acting DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn answered questions about the benefits and
impacts of natural gas drilling on public lands. I asked her about timber sales
in Pennsylvania and amenities in state parks
(video). Other topics of discussion included:
- The legality and impact of the Governor’s moratorium on new natural gas
leases in state forests and parks.
- Increasing numbers of visitors to state parks.
- Proposed funding cuts for Heritage Parks.
- Funding for high-hazard dams.
- The impact of additional funding dedicated to dirt and gravel roads.
- A proposed increase in the Realty Transfer Tax.
- Avoiding using state parks and forests as political pawns in the event
of a prolonged budget debate.
- Uses of Oil and Gas Lease Fund revenues.
- Capital projects on public land.
- Areas available for the use of alternative energy.
Click
here to watch the hearing.
Department of Military & Veterans Affairs
Acting Adjutant General (Maj. Gen.) James Joseph discussed a number of issues
pertaining to the Pennsylvania National Guard, the Pennsylvania Air National
Guard and services provided to veterans by the Commonwealth. I asked General
Joseph about delays in processing Disabled Veterans Real Estate Tax Exemption
program applications and lauded the Veterans Court in Beaver County and the
Department’s mobile veterans outreach effort
(video). Other issues discussed during the hearing included:
- The number of National Guard members deployed.
- Trends in recruitment and retention.
- Information technology matters.
- Funding for the education of veterans’ children.
- Waiting lists for state veterans’ homes.
- Veterans service outreach efforts.
- Veterans Trust Fund donations and expenditures.
- Health care coverage for veterans under Medicaid expansion.
- A court ruling changing the definition of a paralyzed veteran.
- Matching veterans with job openings.
- Partnerships with the private sector to serve veterans.
- Terrorist threats against service members.
- Federal funding for veterans’ services.
- The success of county veterans’ courts.
- Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease issues among veterans.
- Increases in personnel costs caused by pensions.
- Privatization of some services.
- Creation of a separate Department of Veterans’ Services.
- Military advocacy of early childhood education.
- Options for long-term care.
Click
here to watch the hearing.
Department of Insurance
Acting Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller answered questions regarding the
effect of the federal health care law, as well as other topics including:
- The cost of healthcare exchanges under Obamacare.
- Consolidation of healthcare insurers and the effect on consumers.
- Federal concerns regarding minimum essential coverage under CHIP.
- The consent decree between Highmark and UPMC.
- Projected cost savings for employers in terms of Worker’s Compensation.
- Unfunded liability for MCARE and the number of malpractice claims in
Pennsylvania.
- Companies declining to sell long-term care insurance.
Click
here to watch the hearing.
My office, in conjunction with Beaver County Office on
Aging, has 3 upcoming informational events for seniors regarding physical health
& fitness. See Poster for more information
Recycling Performance Grants Announced
I’m pleased to report that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
recently awarded grants to two counties within the 47th Senate District under
the Recycling Performance Grant Program of Act 101 of 1988.
A grant of $81,919 was awarded to Butler County based on 9,474 tons recycled.
A grant of $44,269 was awarded to Beaver County based on 8,092 tons recycled.
All of the grants were based on the amount recycled in calendar year 2012 and
county population.
The Recycling Performance Grant Program provides incentive to help
Pennsylvania’s communities increase the amount of materials recovered through
recycling.
Monthly Revenue Report Released
Every month, the Senate Appropriations Committee releases a fiscal report
detailing revenue collections for all of the different taxes in Pennsylvania and
compares them to the official estimates. To summarize this month’s findings,
general fund revenue collections for February were 1% above estimate. To read
the report,
click here.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month in Pennsylvania. New laws significantly
improve the reporting, investigation, assessment, prosecution and judicial
handling of child abuse and neglect cases.
www.KeepKidsSafe.pa.gov/ outlines
these legislative initiatives and serves as a hub for information on how to
report child abuse and new requirements for working and volunteering around
children.
Follow Me on Twitter!
I have a Twitter account to better connect with my constituents
and provide daily updates on my voting record, whereabouts, state
government, and local news affecting the 47 S.D. To access my Twitter page,
click here.
Please contact me to provide input on any state-related matter, or to
receive help in dealing with a state agency.
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