PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAIDHARRISBURG PAPERMIT NO 529
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Michele Brooks
17
th
Legislative District
Dear Friends,
As the new legislative session is now in full swing, Iwant to thank you for the opportunity to once again serveyou in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, andupdate you on the many happenings in Harrisburg andaround the 17th District.I will continue to ensure the values and thoughts of the people of the 17th District are reflected in the StateCapitol. I take these duties seriously because of thevalues instilled in me by my parents. Last year, I lostone of my greatest mentors, my mother. Not only wasshe supportive of my involvement in public service, butshe taught me the importance of hard work, integrity andhelping others. This year has been fraught with all sortsof challenges for residents. From the state budget andreducing state spending, to ensuring valuable programscontinue to help those most in need, we definitely hadour work cut out for us.On a daily basis I make decisions regarding thevarious challenges we face. In making these decisions,I remember your input, personal stories, priorities andsacrifices, which reflect our families, businesses andcommunities.It is a privilege to work with you in helping make our area an even better place to live, work and raise our families. My door is always open. Please do not hesitateto stop by or contact any of my offices.Respectfully,
Michele BrooksMember, PA House of Representatives17th Legislative District
Fall 2009
Swearing-inday was aspecial onefor me as I took the oathof office tobegin my second termin the stateHouse. I wasvery pleased to have family and friends join me for the ceremony.
Information Sought on
VIETNAM WAR ERA VETERANS
Veterans to be recognized at upcoming ceremony
In an effort to honor veterans from the Vietnam War era at a recognition ceremony at Thiel College at 7 p.m.on Thursday, Nov. 19, I am searching for area residents inthe 17
th
District who have served our country during thistime. This ceremony will be similar to one I held to honor veterans of the Korean War.It is a distinct honor to thank our veterans and their families as we recognize what our world would be like todayif we didn’t have the bravery, sacrifices, and sense of dutyfrom our veterans throughout our history.
If you wish to participate in this event but havenot yet contacted my office, please call my Greenvilleoffice at (724) 588-8911 or my Vernon Township officeat (814) 337-8132 as soon as possible so you may beincluded in the program.
I-80 Update: Turnpike CommissionResubmits Application
You can join our efforts in trying to prevent tolling by signing online petition
For more than two years, residents, businesses, economic development agencies,chambers, legislators and many others have united in our efforts to stop the tolling of I-80.But the fight is not over. Even though the federal government denied the first application,the Turnpike Commission has resubmitted a revised version to the Federal Highway Administration.We are continuing our efforts to communicate to the FHWA that contrary to what theTurnpike Commission and administration are saying, local economies along the I-80 corridor would be negatively impacted with this tolling plan. We are sending the federal govern-ment additional documentation that emphasizes the original application has not changedin merit, no matter how they rewrite it. Our correspondence will also include the new studyby a Grove City professor identifying the impact of tolling on our economy.The Turnpike Commission believes that the new administration in Washington, D.C. willbe more favorable to its application, which has the support of the governor. Gov. Rendelltold KYW Newsradio of Philadelphia he believes the federal government will approve theapplication and I-80 will be tolled. Gov. Rendell said the following: “We’ve applied againfor the third federal slot and I think this time we’re going to get it. And again, people don’tlisten. What we’ve done is we’ve created a system where if you’re a Pennsylvanian andyou’re going to see your grandmother on I-80, you get essentially 65 to 70 free miles.”It’s unfortunate that those who support the tolling do not understand that I-80 is thelifeline of business and industry in western Pennsylvania and that adding tolls to this vitallink will be disastrous to our economy, as well as add additional costs to our residents.In the meantime, the Turnpike Commission has spent millions of dollars on this I-80tolling project, including a $3 million consulting contract and hundreds of thousands of dollars in print, radio and television advertisements, as well as direct lobbying.Please join us in our efforts to try to prevent the tolling by signing the Stop I-80 Toll-ing petition posted at
RepMicheleBrooks.com
; it is available at my district offices. Moreinformation about the tolling application is available by visiting
www.paturnpike.com
.
Town HallMeetings Set
Maintaining open lines of communication is essential aswe work together to make the 17th District an even better place to live, work and raise our families. It is in this spirit thatI have scheduled additional town hall meetings throughout thedistrict.For the convenience of residents, three additional locationshave been scheduled:
Dec. 1 – Coolspring Township Building,852 North Perry Highway, Mercer.
Dec. 2 – Cochranton Firehall, 113 Adams St., Cochranton.
Dec. 3 – Washington Township Building,1413 George Washington Road, Volant.
All meetings will be held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.There is no need to register. For more information, call myoffice at 1-800-457-2040.
New GI Bill to Help Veterans, Military Personnel with College Costs
Veterans and current military personnel who have served our countrysince Sept. 11, 2001, are now eligible for additional financial assistancefor higher education.Under the new “GI Bill,” veterans and active military personnel seekinghigher education can receive funding based on a percentage – deter-mined by the length of active duty service – of the amount of tuition andfees, in addition to money for housing, books and supplies. A one-timepayment of $500 may also be payable to certain individuals relocatingfrom highly rural areas.This program helps pay for graduate and undergraduate degrees, andvocational/technical training, as well as tutorial assistance, and licensingand certification test reimbursement. Some eligible veterans may alsoreceive funding to pursue training for apprenticeship, correspondence,flight and preparatory courses. Applications are now being accepted, either online or by mail. Thosewho are interested in learning more about the program should regularlycheck the GI Bill Web site at
www.gibill.va.gov
. The program applies toveterans and military personnel who are now seeking higher educationopportunities.For more information, visit
RepMicheleBrooks.com
or call the De-partment of Veterans Affairs at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551). Although the new GI bill is available to veterans nationwide, severalprograms help veterans and military personnel better afford higher edu-cation in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania National Guard offers a com-petitive scholarship, and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency offers a complete list of scholarships and grants for members of our armed forces at
www.pheaa.org.
Committee Work Focuseson Ag, Aging, LocalGovernment Issues
As part of my
second term in the House, I continue to serve ontwo committees from last session while also adding an assignmentworking with local government.I am very pleased to continue on the Aging and Older AdultServices and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs committees. With thestrong agricultural tradition in the 17
th
District and agriculture beingPennsylvania’s number-one industry, I believe it’s imperative thatour region have a voice on this committee to ensure that agricultureremains a vital industry and rural issues receive important attentionand consideration.With Pennsylvania’s large percentage of senior citizens and aninflux of Baby Boomers retiring, the Aging and Older Adult ServicesCommittee will be considering a number of pieces of legislation thissession to help seniors maintain and improve their quality of life. Thiscommittee is also charged with legislation regarding elder abuse andlong-term care from a resident’s rights standpoint, as well as the Area Agencies on Aging and the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program.Having served on Jamestown Borough Council and the Mercer County Board of Commissioners are experiences that are serving mewell on the Local Government Committee. This assignment is allow-ing me to add your voice – and that of our local officials – to policydevelopment at a statewide level.
To help reduce the burden of unfunded mandates on local governments and school districts, I stood in support of legislation to prohibit the Commonwealthof Pennsylvania from enacting unfunded mandates. House Bill 1377 includesan amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution which would then be placed onthe ballot for the state’s voters to consider. We are also working to protect thestate from unfunded mandates from the federal government. Pictured with meat the Capitol press conference are (from left): Reps. Mike Fleck, Mike Peifer,Dick Stevenson and Mario Scavello.During the Lawrence County Fair 4-H Show, I had the pleasure of meetingwith several students from the Wilmington School District. Pictured with meare (from left) Olivia Sniezek, age 13; Jenna Horchler, age 9; and MattieSue Horchler, age 7. The girls exhibited sheep that were raised on the farmof Ralph Jr. and Melanie Horchler of Volant who are the parents of MattieSue and the aunt and uncle of Olivia and Jenna.Molly Kennedy and Walker Dunn, both of Cochranton, take a littletime out from caring for their 4-H animals during this year’s Crawford County Fair to speak with me about what they do to keep their animals looking their best for this year’s competition.
Brooks Works to Help Stop Tax Increases and New Taxes, LooksToward Helping Change BudgetProcess
With a state budget now adopted, the Commonwealth can now beginto move forward. If you will recall, in the administration’s budget addressin February, he proposed a $29.2 billion budget that was supported bya 16 percent Personal Income Tax increase. This tax increase wouldhave cost the families and businesses of the 17
th
District approximately$8.2 million in additional new taxes. I was pleased that we were able tostop this tax increase as well as prevent new taxes on many of our firedepartments and nonprofit organizations. We do recognize there is stillwork to be done as many of us understand the money in these budgetsis yours.You demand that your government make the same difficult choices thatyour families have to make when there are shortfalls in your budgets.It is unfortunate that those who seek to do business as usual andspend beyond their means are the very ones who created this budgetcrisis for so many. They continue to believe the only way governmentcan operate is to ask taxpayers for more instead of government tighten-ing its belt, prioritizing spending, becoming more efficient and eliminatingwelfare fraud and abuse.I am not one of those in government who believes that solving thestate’s problems can be done by overspending and forcing taxpayers topay higher taxes. There needs to be a closer look at greater efficienciesand government living within its means, as our families do. We musteliminate fraud and abuse, such as what was documented by the auditor general in the Department of Public Welfare. He found cases in whichmillions of dollars were wasted by fraudulent activity and double dipping.Therefore, we are proposing several pieces of legislation which wouldaddress this serious issue.For those of us who have always met our budget deadlines whenwe served in local government, I am joining many of my colleagues insupporting several pieces of legislation that would prevent any governor or appropriations chairman from creating a crisis like this year from ever happening again in order to gain leverage over the Legislature for taxincreases and overspending that taxpayers cannot afford.Continually, the majority appropriations chairman spoke of having abudget done on time. However, he is primarily the only one with controlto bring a budget to the House floor for a vote. Obviously, this needs tochange. He refused to advance the budget bill from his committee untilmid-July. This triggered a series of events in which rank-and-file legislatorswere outraged by the process and the games that were played in order toforce a tax increase. We do not want this to ever happen again.I believe working together, we can put safeguards in place which wouldimprove the budget process.
To help bring an end to the budget impasse, I joined my colleagues in speaking at a Capitol press conference about the importance of passing a fiscally responsiblebudget that does not place additional burdens on taxpayers. Rank-and-file members proposed a rarely used legislative procedure that would convene a special sessionof the House that would meet every day until a budget would be passed.
Bill to Help Residents withTemporary Disabilities
This year, I have co-sponsored legislation that will help residentswith temporary disabilities obtain a temporary
emergency
disabilityplacard for their vehicles. The proposal will create these emergencyplacards and are designed to close the gap while waiting for thePennDOT-issued placards.Under the legislation, the placards would be valid for 30 daysbut could not be renewed. They would be available in any officeof a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly as a way tomake getting the placards more convenient.Current law says that people seeking a temporary disabilityplacard must get a form signed by a physician and file an applicationwith PennDOT. Until this request is processed by PennDOT and theplacard is issued – which can take several weeks – the applicantcannot legally park in handicapped accessible parking places.Residents seeking an emergency placard would still needto file the appropriate paperwork with PennDOT, which includesmedical authorization, and must verify this by providing a copy of the filed request.
Rep. Chris Sainato and I were excited to honor the Wilmington Area High School football team in the House of Representatives for capturing the PIAA Class AAstate championship. The team earned the state title with a score of 35-34 in doubleovertime. Joining us were Sen. Bob Robbins, head coach Terry Verrelli and coachesBob Mitcheltree and Mike Copper. Wilmington Area is only the third high school teamin Lawrence County – and the only Class AA school in the county – to win a statefootball title.
During Week of the Young Child, I had the opportunity to read “If I Were aPenguin” to the children at Kids Korner Children’s Center.
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BROOKS NL 11-09
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