High Quality
Open the downloaded document, and select print from the file menu (PDF reader required).
PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE
PAID
HARRISBURG, PAPERMIT NO. 529
State Representative
Bernie O’Neill
PO Box 202029Harrisburg, PA 17120-2029
RepONeill.com
ECRWSSPostalCustomer
FALL 2009
Dear Friends,
The 2010-11 legislative session isupon us. This year will continue to bea challenging year in Harrisburg giventhe numerous problems that werepresented to us by our economic situ-ation. This past year’s long, drawn-outbudget process was unforgivable, andto me, personally embarrassing. I willbe taking a very pro-active stance inencouraging all of the House leadersand members to execute the next bud-get process in a more open and timelymanner. By adjusting our House rulesand getting an earlier start, I believewe can avoid another stalemate in our Commonwealth.Due to the prolonged process of our Commonwealth’s budget negotia-tions, I made the personal decisionto postpone many annual events. Myyearly Senior Expo will be delayeduntil March 2010. This issue of mynewsletter includes more informationon other upcoming events within thedistrict.As a result of the economic situa-tion, residents and families through-out the Commonwealth have manyconcerns. There are a number of pro-grams and agencies from which youmay benefit. These helpful resourcescan be found inside this edition of mynewsletter as well.Please allow me to close by wish-ing you and your family a very happyHoliday season and a healthy NewYear! If you need further informationregarding specific programs men-tioned in this newsletter, please donot hesitate to contact me. My officeoffers a variety of services that maybe helpful. Please visit my Web siteat
www.RepONeill.com
where youcan directly find contact informationor reach out to either of my offices.My staff and I are more than happy toassist in any way that we are able.Sincerely,
Economic Climate ImpactsState Budget Process
I am sure you are aware of the contentious debate over the state budget whichtook 101 calendar days past the June 30 deadline to be resolved. The 2009-10state budget produced a spending plan totaling $27.79 billion. This was the resultof combining $25.17 billion in state dollars and $2.62 billion in federal stimulusfunds. This came about in the face of a $3.25 billion deficit. I personally foundthis budget unacceptable because it cut costs to viable programs and services,yet increased spending in other areas, thus my rationale for voting against itsfinal passage.This budget depleted the Rainy Day Fund of its remaining $755 million. Thebudget drained the Health Care Provider Retention Account of $708 million. Itcut in half the M-Care funds, negatively impacting area doctors. Funds werealso cut that could be applied to prevent a growing deficit facing us in the nextfiscal year.In addition to these concerns, there were also tax increases totaling morethan $500 million coming in the form of an increased cigarette tax, a new tax inlittle cigars, an increased tax on Managed Care Organizations, and a revisionof the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax to the 2008-09 level of 2.89 mills, whichhad dropped to 1.89 originally.As an advocate for education, the proposal by the House Democratic caucusto remove funding for higher education from the state budget was truly upsetting.On a positive note, the final version of our state budget includes an increase inbasic education funding of $300 million. This also includes $715 million in federalstimulus funds directed to Title I (the program to improve academic achievementof disadvantaged students), Title IID (the program enhancing education through
ECONOMIC CLIMATE ... continued on page 3
Rep. Bernie O’Neill (back row, left) joins colleagues following the signing of House Bill 39, a strengthening of the Pennsylvania Dog Law.O’Neill’s amendment calling for a third-degree felony charge dealing with the practice of animal fighting was added to the final bill. Front row from left to right, Rep. Tom Caltagirone (D-Berks), Gov.Ed Rendell and Sen. Michael O’Pake (D-Berks). In the back row next to O’Neill are Rep.Ronald Waters (D-Delaware/ Philadelphia) and Rep. Duane Milne (R-Chester).
1
Legislative Update
Here are a few highlights on someof the many legislative proposalsI have been working on and havebecome law:
House Bill 867 (DirectReimbursement for Volunteer Ambulance Services)
House Bill 867 modifies thereimbursement structure betweenambulance corps and insurancecompanies. To address this problemthe legislation will implement twochanges. First, health insuranceproviders will be required to pay net-work ambulance providers directly. Insome parts of our state, ambulanceservice providers who are willing to join an insurer’s provider networkto ensure direct receipt of paymenthave not been permitted to do so bythe insurer. Considering the valuableservice provided in our communitiesby ambulance service providers, Ibelieve this scenario is very unfair.The second change would requirehealth insurers to pay out-of-net-work ambulance service providersdirectly when the ambulance serviceis dispatched to an emergency 911call. An ambulance service provider does not represent a typical businessbecause it does not have a choicewhen responding to such emergencycalls – they are legally obligated torespond (under Act 78 of 1998). Be-cause of this statutory obligation, anddue to the economic challenges thatmany of our volunteer ambulancecorps face, I believe they should beentitled to direct payment.
House Bill 2126(Bowman’s Hill Preserve)
This legislation will allow Bowman’sHill to move forward with its missionand help make the preserve a crown jewel of Bucks County. This beautiful,peaceful and natural setting deservesthe continued care and financialresources that the Bowman’s HillWildflower Preserve Association hasdemonstrated over the years. The pre-serve features more than 800 speciesof native plants on 134 acres of landin Bucks County.
House Bill 1811 (Uniform Firearms Act)
House Bill 1811 clarifies Pennsyl-vania’s Uniform Firearms Act of 1995to ensure that all involuntary and vol-untary commitments under the MentalHealth Procedures Act are reportedto the National Instant Check System(NICS). The purpose of this bill is toprevent such persons from “slidingunder the radar” and passing an in-stant check in the Commonwealth or in another state that relies on NICS.My legislation clears up any ambiguityin the law as it relates to involuntaryand voluntary mental health treatmentunder the Mental Health ProceduresAct. With this legislation, I hope toprevent future incidents similar to whatoccurred on the Virginia Tech campusin 2007.
Act 131 (PA Crimes Code)
As an advocate against gun vio-lence, I introduced an amendment in2008 that would change Pennsylva-nia law to impose the same seriouspenalty for theft of a rifle or shotgunas for the theft of a handgun. Thislegislation was supported by all thegun rights organizations and theNational Rifle Association.
Act 39 (Pennsylvania Dog LawStrengthened)
I am happy to report that indi-viduals like Michael Vick and otherswho are involved in “dog fighting”activities, including spectators, willbe punished as a result of House Bill39 being signed into law this currentlegislative session. This bill resultedfrom my former House Bill 1926 andwas amended into House Bill 39,which is now Act 39. The outcomeof this bill is something I worked veryhard toward and made sure to be aninstrumental part of its passage. Thisnew law includes language fromlegislation which I proposed during aprevious session. My language cre-ates more harsh penalties to deter individuals from engaging in animalfighting. The law now clarifies thatanyone who steals or acquires ananimal for animal fighting will becharged with a felony offense.
If you would like to request a copy of any legislation, please do not hesitateto contact either of my offices. Updates on legislation can be obtained byvisiting the General Assembly’s Web site at
www.legis.state.pa.us.
At the Website you may sign up for daily session activity reports via e-mail.
Upcoming Events
Various district-wide events are being planned. I hopethat you will take the opportunity to attend these upcomingevents:
HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE –Thursday, Dec. 17 from 4p.m. to 6 p.m.
at 755 York Road, Suite 105, Warminster.There is no RSVP required.
CANINE BLOOD DRIVE –Saturday, March 6, from 9a.m. to 1 p.m.
at my Warminster District Office located at 755York Road, Suite 105, Warminster. Please call my Warminster district office to schedule an appointment.
SENIOR EXPO
–
Thursday, March 18, from 3:00 p.m.to 6:30 p.m.
at Middle Bucks Institute of Technology locatedat 2740 Old York Road, Jamison. Please RSVP by Thursday,March 4, by contacting my Warminster district office.Some upcoming events will include town hall meetings,human blood drives, SEPTA sign-ups, and more. Pleasewatch my Web site for future events.
RepONeill.com
Capitol Tours
I have always enjoyed watching our beautiful state Capitol transform through the seasons. Please remember my office inHarrisburg is available to host free tours of the artistic treasure that is our state Capitol. You may contact my Harrisburg office at(717) 705-7170 to schedule a tour. Tours are not offered on New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, or Thanksgiving.
Cub Scout Pack 318 of Warminster visited my Warminster district office to earn its citizenship badge.
2
technology) and IDEA, which is the Individualswith Disabilities Education Act.In this economic climate, my fellow Repub-lican caucus members and I were successfulin holding off a massive drive for large-scaletax increases. The 2009-10 legislative budgetspends less than Gov. Rendell’s original pro-posal. Rendell’s proposal to increase taxes, cutstate programs, and increase state spendingwould have negatively impacted the Common-wealth and, thankfully, this plan was rejected bythe majority of the Legislature.As I stated, this year’s budget did not includefunding for a number of programs. One of theseprograms includes grants within our community.These grant programs, more commonly knownas the Department of Community and EconomicDevelopment Program, were previously sup-ported through past budgets and were not incor-porated into the 2009-10 legislative budget.We will face a number of challenges in thiscurrent fiscal climate that will extend well intothe next calendar year. I am hopeful that delib-erations for the 2010-11 fiscal year budget willbe more efficient than what occurred this year.
Virtual High School
The Virtual High School Study Commission had its last meeting on Dec.1. This legislative commission was created out of the omnibus School Codelegislation that I introduced. The commission voted 20-0 to report its recom-mendations and the full report to the General Assembly. The GovernanceSubcommittee – which I chaired – and the full commission recommends thatthe General Assembly create a supplemental virtual learning program aimedat enhancing the public education system by providing equitable classes toall schools. By definition, a supplemental virtual learning program is onethat offers courses or other learning opportunities to students who are oth-erwise enrolled in physical public school entities; and, this state-led onlineprogram should serve students part-time, on a course-by-course basis, toenhance enrolled students’ learning experiences in a public school entitywhere the district is unable to provide such courses. Now that the commis-sion is finished with its report, we hope to begin writing the final legislationin January 2010.
ECONOMIC CLIMATE ...continued from page 1
LIHEAP
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
(LIHEAP) helpsindividuals with lower income pay their heating bills through home energyassistance grants and crisis grants. Cash grants are awarded based onhousehold income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. There is amajor change in the program this year as the income eligibility level has beenset at $33,075 for a family of four.If you have Internet access, your application can be received immediatelyby visiting
.
Hard copies of applications are also avail-able at the Bucks County Assistance Office at 1-800-362-1291. Lastly, if youare a PECO Customer and wish to apply you may call 1-800-34-HELP-4.
Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program
There is still time for eligible applicants to apply for a rebate on rent or property taxes paid in the 2008 calendar year. Applications for the 2008Property Tax/Rent Rebate program are being accepted until Dec. 31. For the2009 calendar year applications will be available in February 2010.Homeowners with an annual income of $35,000 or less, excluding half of their Social Security income, as well as renters who receive no more than$15,000 as annual income are eligible for the program. If you need an ap-plication to apply one can be obtained from either of my district offices.The program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians who are 65 years or older and widows and widowers 50 years of age or older. Individuals who are 18years or older with permanent disabilities may also apply.If you’ve already applied for a rebate for the 2008 calendar year and wouldlike to check the status of your claim there are a few options. To receive anupdate on the status of your claim over the phone you can reach the depart-ment at 1-888-PATAXES. You may also visit the department’s Web site at
to obtain the statusof your claim instantly.
News for Our Veterans
The anticipated opening of the new Wash-ington Crossing National Cemetery is expectedto take place in early 2010. This 205-acre site willserve veterans of our region for decades to come.For more information call (609) 880-0827 or visit:
.
The Bucks County Bureau of Veterans Af-fairs is a helpful resource that offers a wide-rangeof services and can provide you with informationregarding possible benefit opportunities. Contactthe bureau at (215) 345-3885.
Calling all veterans! I will be hosting aPresident’s Day Veteran’s Appreciation Breakfastin February 2010. If you are interested in attending,please contact either my Warminster district officeat (215) 441-2624 or my Buckingham district officeat (215) 794-1055 for further information.
Congratulations to the Warwick AmericanLegion Post 119 for its recognition of having thehighest increase in membership in the Legion’sDistrict 9 for the year. This newer post, which isonly five years young, is commanded by RocciSchuima. For more information about AmericanLegion Post 119, please call (215) 343-8484.
PennDOT Information
Traveling on York Road through the construction inBuckingham has been difficult. PennDOT reports that alllanes of York Road should be open for the holiday sea-son. Currently we are awaiting a report from PennDOTregarding the remainder of the York Road Project. Also,PennDOT’s new program “PA 511” can be used for in-formation on weather conditions, traffic and more. Justdial “5-1-1” on your home or cell phone. You can alsovisit the program’s Web site at
.
Helpful Resources
A Woman’s Place – (800) 220-8116
Bucks County APPRISE – (215) 348-0510
Bucks County Area Agency on Aging – (215) 348-0510
Bucks County Center for Independent Living(CILBC) – (215) 781-5070
Bucks County Opportunity Council(Emergency Crisis Info/Food Bank)– (215) 345-3295
Bucks County United Way – (215) 949-1660
Bucks County Military Affairs – (215) 345-3307
Department of Public Welfare – (800) 692-7462
Network of Victims Assistance (NOVA) –(800) 675-6900
PACE/PACENET – (800) 225-7223
Bar Association – (800) 932-0311
Department of Revenue – (888) 222-9190
Treasury/Unclaimed Property – (800) 222-2046
PECO Cares - 1-800-34-HELP-4
Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) -(800) 986-5437
Adult Basic Health Insurance – (800) 462-2742
Unemployment Compensation – (888) 313-7284
3
Add a Comment