YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO THE STATE HOUSE

Fall 2008 Report

Glen Grell

Despite a process which prevented meaningful inputand debate, I voted in support of the 2008-09 state budget, acompromise budget, which met several notable goals. Totalspending was fixed at $28.26 billion, up less than four percentfrom the prior year.This is a more responsible budget that will benefit thecitizens of Central Pennsylvania. I am quite pleased thatthis budget slows the growth of state government and puts inmotion the potential for fiscally sound budgets in future years.Most importantly, this budget includes no tax or feeincreases and preserves the Commonwealth’s Rainy DayFund, which currently has a balance of approximately $744million. Although the economy is struggling and tax revenueshave waned, there was no need to use the Rainy Day Fundthis year to balance the state budget, contrary to the urgingof the House Appropriations Committee’s chairman whoproposed increasing spending by 4.8 percent by raiding theRainy Day Fund. This fund was intended for the sole purposeof recovering from an economic downturn. I am gratified thatwe were able to keep it intact for use in future years.An additional $274 million has been devoted to educationin reaction to the recent “costing-out” study commissioned bythe General Assembly. The governor’s original plan calledfor minimum increases of 1.5 percent, and the final approvedbudget raises that floor to 3 percent. School districts in the87th District will receive increases ranging from 3 percent to7.72 percent. This significant increase in state funding willallow local school districts to control the financial burden onhomeowners.Another accomplishment was securing $800 million for improvement of wastewater treatment facilities and other infrastructure projects throughout the Commonwealth. I havebeen actively involved in pushing for funding to help localmunicipal sewer systems with the extra costs of complyingwith the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy. In March,I testified before the House Appropriations Committeeurging my colleagues to provide funds to comply with thesemandates, and these efforts paid off.The money, which the Commonwealth will borrow, is to bedistributed to municipal sewer authorities in the form of grantsand loans with priority for those locations that are subject tothe federal mandate of reducing nutrients in the ChesapeakeBay. An additional fund of $400 million may also be availablefor infrastructure if voters approve a ballot question toauthorize the additional borrowing this fall.It is significant that this budget includes this much-neededfinancial assistance. Had the state not come through with thisfunding source, the citizens of the 87th District would have

State Budget Slows Growth and Provides Funding for Chesapeake Bay Clean-Up Strategy

been strapped with extraordinary sewer bills.To help reduce the cost of state government, awork group of the Speaker’s Commission on LegislativeReform, which I led, recommended that the House of Representatives cut its own appropriation by 10 percent. Although this suggestion was partially disregarded, theHouse did reduce its appropriation by 2.5 million, or 1.3percent.Of course, no budget is perfect. I would have preferredto see a larger cut in the General Assembly’s budget. Wemust be cognizant of the fact that the people we representpay for the operations of the House, and we need to ensuretheir money is used wisely.Overall, I am satisfied with the budget, although Iraised serious objections to the budget process employedby House leaders, which minimized the involvement of rank-and-file members and prevented members from beingable to offer floor amendments at the time the budget wasconsidered.Had such amendments been permitted, further spendingcuts, including deeper cuts in the Legislature’s budget, mighthave been possible.If we are truly concerned about reducing the burdenon taxpayers, we need to control what is being spent inHarrisburg.For additional information about the state budgetvisit my Web site at RepGrell.com and click on “2008-09Budget.”

At the grand opening of the Hampden Pool on May 30, Rep. Glen Grell participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony to reveal the new tot pool and bath houses.Pictured from left are Mike Gossert, HampdenTownship Manager; Ken Fetrow and John Thomas,Hampden Township commissioners; Grell; Mel Finkelstein; president of Hampden Township Board of Commissioners; Don McCallin, Hampden Townshipcommissioner; Tracy Polovick, Sen. Pat Vance’s ofﬁce;and Al Bienstock, vice president of Hampden TownshipBoard of Commissioners.

Stay in touch - You can always e-mail Rep. Grell at

GGRELL@PAHOUSEGOP.COM

Urging House Leaders to Implement Reform MeasuresAdvanced by Reform Commission

As a member of the Speaker’s Commission on Legislative Reform, I believe it is prudent for House leaders to movelegislation to implement several reform measures that were advanced by the commission but were not acted upon in 2007.The Speaker’s Commission was a bipartisan committee that investigated many ways to restructure the operating rules of the House. We held numerous work sessions and public hearings to reach consensus on making recommendations to the fullHouse for changes in its rules and operating procedures. Although the House was successful in adopting a few proposals,including new House Rules and a strong Open Records Law, it fell short on furthering the reform movement.I am pleased that my colleagues in the House changed the rules by prohibiting ﬂoor votes from taking place between 11p.m. and 8 a.m., posting votes on the Internet by the end of the business day on which the votes occur, limiting the power of the House Rules Committee from amending any piece of legislation, and requiring a 24-hour waiting period before amendedbills can be voted upon. Although these measures put an end to questionable activities conducted in the past, I believe there is more to accomplishto better serve the people of Pennsylvania.We have a lot of work to do to regain the trust and respect of the electorate. I have advocated for additional changes inthe operations of the House, which I believe would help to change the perception of elected ofﬁcials among citizens.As a member of the reform commission, I presented a series of which were adopted by the Commission and forwarded toHouse leaders for implementation.

These include:

• An across-the-board reduction of the General Assembly’s appropriation by 10 percent.• Conducting a full Legislative branch audit of each two-year legislative session and recommending further spending cuts.Each audit would then be made available to the public for inspection.• Examining all caucus paid staff positions to determine which “non-policy” positions may be eliminated or converted frompartisan caucus positions to non-partisan positions.• Investigating whether facilities currently maintained separately by the four caucuses in the House and Senate, such asbill rooms, television and radio production studios, computer operations, printing facilities and others and determinewhether efficiencies may be achieved by combining them with comparable facilities operated by another caucus or chamber.• Creating spending accounts for each member with established limits for use on member-directed constituentcommunications, such as newsletters and other mailings, media outreach and publications to hold each member accountable for his/her spending.• Conducting a study to identify current staffing levels and costs for a member’s district offices, followed by the adoption of written policies limiting the number, operation and maintenance of such district offices.• Adopting and publishing written policies for the awarding of legislative staff bonuses to allow for legitimate bonuscompensation for extraordinary efforts and eliminating the potential for arbitrary awarding of such bonuses.• Placing limitations on the accumulation and retention of legislative reserve accounts through the “non-lapsing” of unexpected appropriations.• Creating and adopting an annual legislative capital expenditure plan to better control expenditures for office renovations,furnishings, technology enhancements, computer equipment replacements and other capital expenses.• Making all expenditures of each legislator available for public inspection.• Requiring that all unexpended funds from a member’s expense account be returned to the General Fund instead of lapsing to legislative reserve accounts.• Reviewing various quasi-legislative entities to determine whether they continue to provide a necessary service to theGeneral Assembly and whether any operating efficiencies could be realized. Some of these are controversial initiatives among my colleagues and leaders, but I truly believe they are necessary for our democratic process. There have been too many reports and claims of misappropriations of taxpayer dollars, and we need toestablish spending limits and better accounting practices of the people’s money.I believe the vast majority of members and staff of the General Assembly are honest, hard-working people who do their very best to serve the public. But, this still does not abrogate our responsibilities to our constituents by providing an open andtransparent Legislature.I am hopeful that when the House returns to session in September many of these recommendations will be vetted andfinally adopted. Although hopeful, I am not optimistic. With the speaker and the majority leader controlling the legislative agenda, it isincumbent upon them to put these issues on the legislative calendar for consideration. The Legislature had an opportunityto cut its line item in the 2008-09 budget, but failed to do so. I urge legislative leaders to implement those recommendations,which do not require action by the full House, and to allow those that do to come before the House for a vote.

Insurance Reform Provides Coverage for Autism

As the result of legislation enacted in July, Pennsylvania now has the most comprehensive autism insurance law in the nation,according to Autism Speaks, a national support group.I was pleased to support this legislation so that families can obtain the necessary medical care to treat this affliction. I have heardnumerous accounts of how families have been financially strained by a child having autism. As a member of the House InsuranceCommittee, I studied the issue carefully in an effort to balance the cost of an insurance mandate with the importance of the coveredservices to the policyholder.Under the measure signed by Gov. Rendell on July 10, insurance companies now will have to pay for medically necessaryservices for the 6,000 Pennsylvanians up to age 21 who have autism.The new law requires coverage up to $36,000 a year for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and other necessary treatments, andgoes beyond many state insurance reform measures by mandating coverage up to age 21 with no lifetime cap. It also creates, for the first time under Pennsylvania law, an expedited appeals procedure for denied claims as a safeguard to ensure compliance byinsurance providers.Private insurers will be required to provide coverage beginning in July 2009. The bill exempts groups with 50 or fewer insuredemployees, but it requires coverage of autism treatment up to age 21 by state government insurance programs such as CHIP andadultBasic.Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is oftenaccompanied by extreme behavioral challenges.

Property Tax/Rent RebateApplication DeadlineExtended

The deadline to file for the state’s Property Tax/Rent Rebateprogram has been extended to Dec. 31, 2008.Eligible participants can receive a rebate of up to $650 basedon their rent or property taxes paid in 2007. So far, more than515,000 claims have been filed for this year’s rebates.The program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians who are 65years or older, widows and widowers 50 years or older, and those18 years or older with permanent disabilities.Eligibility income limits for homeowners were expandedlast year to the following levels, excluding 50 percent of SocialSecurity, Supplemental Security Income, and Railroad RetirementTier 1 benefits:• $0 and $8,000, maximum $650 rebate (Homeowners andrenters)• $8,001 to $15,000, maximum $500 rebate (Homeownersand renters)• $15,001 to $18,000, maximum $300 rebate (Homeownersonly)• $18,001 to $35,000, maximum $250 rebate (Homeownersonly)The Property Tax/Rent Rebate program is one of four programs supported by the Pennsylvania Lottery, which dedicatesits proceeds to support programs for older Pennsylvanians. Sincethe program began in 1971, more than $4 billion has been paid toqualified applicants.Residents are reminded to provide all the necessary income,property tax or rental information required to process claimsquickly and accurately.Property Tax/Rent Rebate claim forms are available bycontacting my office or visiting my Web site.

LIHEAP to ResumeOperations in EarlyNovember

Low-income residents throughout the 87th District maybe eligible for heating assistance through the Low-IncomeHome Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) beginning in earlyNovember.Administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare(DPW), LIHEAP is a federally-funded program which enablesthe Commonwealth to help low-income households meet their home heating needs.The program consists of three components: cash beneﬁtsto help eligible households pay for home-heating fuel; crisispayments to resolve weather-related, supply shortage, andother household energy-related emergencies; and energyconservation and weatherization measures to address long-range solutions to the home-heating problems of low-incomehouseholds.To check eligibility or to download an application visitDPW’s Web site at Dpw.State.Pa.Us. Residents can alsocontact the LIHEAP hotline at 866-857-7095.

Beverley Gordon,aresident of HampdenTownship, washonored recently for her induction intothe PA Voters’ Hall of Fame for voting inevery General Electionfor the past 50 years.