State Representative PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE

Gordon Denlinger
Representing the 99th Legislative District
PAID
HARRISBURG, PA
PERMIT NO 529

Spring 2007

December 2009

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As we enjoy the blessings of family and
friends during the holiday season, I wanted to
Partners in Progress
send you an update on a number of key topics For several years, local project and they deserve a
and legislative efforts in Harrisburg. This has residents have expressed great deal of credit for their
been a year of much debate in Harrisburg over concern about traffic and role in seeing it through to
the size and direction of state government, pedestrian safety at the completion. Their efforts are an
and that debate will continue into next year. intersection of Route 322 and excellent example of what can be
As I look back over 2009, one thing stands Railroad Avenue. In an effort to accomplished when government
out. The volume of citizen comments shared address those concerns, Rep. and the private sector work
with me and all elected officials has grown Denlinger worked closely with the together for the betterment of our
by leaps and bounds. Whether through e- Earl Township Supervisors, Sen. community.
mails, calls, letters, or just catching up in the Mike Brubaker (R-36), and other Special thanks to:
hardware store aisle, I regularly hear from local business and community
citizens who are passionate about health care, leaders to initiate improvements  Martin Limestone
taxes, education, libraries, and a host of other to the intersection. The result  Garden Spot Village
causes and concerns. of those efforts is a new state-  Lester R. Summers, Inc.
While some may think of the renewed level of-the-art traffic light and many  Good’s Furniture and
of citizen input as a negative, I view this as an other roadway improvements at Flooring
amazingly positive, vitally important direction. that location.  Valley Proteins, Inc.
Our representative form of government Several local businesses  Berk-Tek, Inc.
survives and thrives based on the active pledged their support to this  H.R. Ewell, Inc.
debates that happen in our community from
neighbor to neighbor, and the communication
of those same thoughts and views with those
who hold office.
Clearly, in a House district with nearly
65,000 residents, not all views will prevail.
But as your representative, input from all of
my constituents is appreciated and valued.
It has been and continues to be my honor
to listen to and exchange ideas with a
growing number of folks in Eastern Lancaster
County. To that end, I thank you for the high
honor which has been extended to me, and
I remain,

Yours in Public Service,

Rep. Denlinger joined elected officials and local business owners at a ceremony
marking the placement of a traffic light at the intersection of Route 322 and
Railroad Avenue in Earl Township. Pictured are (from left to right): Lynn Weaver,
Gordon Denlinger Martin Limestone; Steve Lindsey, Garden Spot Village; Sen. Mike Brubaker; Ray
State Representative Martin, Earl Township supervisor; Calvin Ewell, H. R. Ewell, Inc.; Fred Wissler, Earl
99th Legislative District Township supervisor; Steve Ewell, H. R. Ewell, Inc.; Rick Kochel, Earl Township
supervisor; and Rep. Denlinger.

Visit me on the Web at www.RepDenlinger.com

 Denlinger Chairs Task Force on Budget and Economic Policy
At the start of this legislative
session, House Republican Policy
Committee Chairman Stan Saylor
(R-York) created several task forces
to examine and develop legislative
solutions on the state budget and
economic policy; education and job
training; government reform; health
care; infrastructure; energy; and small
business.
As a long-time advocate of
limited government and responsible
spending, I was honored when Rep.
Saylor asked Rep. Craig Dally (R-
Northampton) and me to serve as
chairmen of the Budget and Economic
Policy Task Force. Our task force
has been holding hearings across
Pennsylvania as part of our effort
to develop sound budget practices,
responsible budget cuts and innovative
ideas to reduce government spending
in light of Pennsylvania’s growing
budget deficit.
Pennsylvania finished the last fiscal
year with a deficit of more than $3
billion and revenue collections for
this year are already $160 million
below predicted levels. Moreover, the
fact that the recent budget impasse
dragged on for more than three
months past the legally mandated
budget deadline is a clear indication
that we must reform the state budget
process.
I look forward to working with
members of the task force and the rest
of my House Republican colleagues
to develop a comprehensive strategy
to address Pennsylvania’s economic
challenges and to develop pro-growth
and pro-jobs solutions for our future.

Keystone Works Plan Seeks Legislation Would Implement

to Lower Pennsylvania’s
Unemployment Rate
Our Commonwealth and our nation are enduring
the worst economic recession since the Great
Depression. While Pennsylvania’s unemployment
rate is lower than the national average, it has
nearly doubled over the last two years and
something must be done to improve it.
The House Republican Policy Committee’s
Budget and Economic Policy Task Force, of
which I am co-chairman, is currently developing a
package of legislation known as Keystone Works.
These bills are designed to create incentives for
employers to hire by reducing the costs associated
with filling job vacancies and pairing unemployed
Pennsylvanians with employers who are actively
seeking to hire.
The Keystone Works package includes:
 Keystone Works I -- This bill, which will be
introduced by Rep. Stan Saylor (R-York) and
co-sponsored by me, will allow people collecting
unemployment benefits to work for selected
businesses up to 24 hours a week for eight
weeks at no cost to the employer. Employers
will be required to certify that they intend to
immediately hire for the position and follow
up with a performance evaluation, whether
they hire the worker or not. A similar program
has been implemented in Georgia and is
seeing great success.
 Keystone Works II – This bill, which will be
introduced by Rep. Curt Sonney (R-Erie) and
co-sponsored by me, is similar to Keystone
Works I, but will target public assistance
recipients who are seeking to return to
employment.
 Teen Employment Incentive Tax Credit – Teen
unemployment in the United States is at a
record high of 27.6 percent. This legislation,
which I plan to introduce, would provide tax
credits to businesses which provide jobs
to teenagers (ages 14 to 17).
These bills are currently being drafted and will
be introduced in the near future.
Much-Needed Reforms at DPW
Now more than ever it is important that state government
gets the most out of every taxpayer dollar it spends. That
means we need to take a very close look at state spending
and take steps to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse wherever
we find it. A prime example is the Pennsylvania Department
of Public Welfare (DPW), which consumes about one third of
the state budget.
Recent audits have highlighted serious inefficiencies and
abuse in the department, including improper Medicaid eligibil-
ity determinations, failure to justify payments made through
the special allowance program, and fraud in the Low Income
Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
As a co-chairman of the House Republican Budget and
Economic Policy Task Force, I have worked closely with Rep.
Mauree Gingrich (R-Lebanon) and my House Republican
colleagues to develop House Bill 1856, a series of reforms
designed to bring about greater accountability and efficiency
within DPW to ensure that the Pennsylvanians who truly need
assistance are receiving it. Among other things, our legisla-
tion would:
 Require that residency be a prerequisite for receiving
assistance. Residency would be established when an
individual resides in the Commonwealth for at least 90 days.
 Require applicants between the ages of 18 and 65 to take and
pass a test for illegal drugs as a condition of receiving benefits.
 Prohibit the purchase of alcoholic beverages with
welfare dollars.
 Require DPW to submit information on its plans and
operations, including work participation and verification
plans, to the General Assembly and the state treasurer’s
office and post them on the Internet.
 Provide for a comprehensive audit of DPW, which includes
provider and recipient sampling to identify fraudulent actions
in the department.
 Establish a computerized Income Eligibility Verification
System that would cross check 19 different federal
and state databases on a quarterly basis to ensure that
applicants are eligible for the benefits they are claiming.
 Eliminate special allowances – except for fees or dues
that are conditional on gaining employment and are
pre-authorized – for welfare recipients including special
payments for the purchase or repair of a vehicle, tools, etc.
House Bill 1856 provides reasonable, commonsense solu-
tions to the problems at DPW. I strongly urge House leaders
to bring it up for a vote as soon as possible.

Re p D e n l i n

I was pleased to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the
expansion of Astro Machine Works, Inc.’s manufacturing facility
in Ephrata. Pictured are (from left to right): Ephrata Mayor Ralph
Mowen; Bill Youndt, vice president, Astro Machine Works; myself;
and Eric Blow, president, Astro Machine Works.
Recently, I welcomed students from Twin Valley Bible Academy
to the Capitol.
I recently presented House citations to Anna Harsh and Elizabeth
Martin in recognition of their 100th birthdays. Both women are
residents of Garden Spot Village retirement community in New
Holland.
i n g e r. c o m
Bill Would Protect Citizens’
Right to Self Defense in
their Homes
Each year, there are thousands of cases of murder,
in-home assault, kidnapping and rape across our
nation. While our law enforcement officials do
an excellent job of protecting us, they cannot be
everywhere all the time. Citizens must have the
legal right to defend themselves and their families
from attack, even it means using lethal force.
With that in mind, I support the Castle Doctrine,
which holds that an attacker or intruder in a person’s
legally occupied home or vehicle intends to do great
bodily harm, and that protective/lethal force may be
used to defend oneself, one’s family, and others in
the face of an attack. Under current Pennsylvania
law, an individual must demonstrate that they had a
reasonable belief that they were in imminent danger
of death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping or rape to
justify the use of lethal force in self-defense.
I have co-sponsored House Bill 40, which would
establish the Castle Doctrine as the legal standard
for the use of force in self-defense. This bill would
create the presumption that an attacker or intruder
intends to do great bodily harm. In addition, it would
offer specific protection against civil liability for the
lawful use of force in self-defense.
This bill is not intended to give anyone the legal
right to misuse lethal force. However, it is important
to assure Pennsylvania’s law-abiding citizens that
they have the explicit legal right to protect themselves
and their families if the need should arise. House
Bill 40 would provide that assurance.
Recently, I took part in a ceremony honoring Steve Loewen, who
received a Jefferson Award for his volunteer leadership in the New
Holland Community. Pictured are (from left to right): myself, Mr.
Loewen and New Holland Mayor Wilbur Horning.
 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Now Open
Pennsylvania’s Low-Income
Home Energy Assistance Program
(LIHEAP) has begun accepting ap-
plications for cash grants. Crisis
grants will be available on Jan. 4,
2010.
LIHEAP helps low-income people
pay their heating bills through home
energy assistance grants and crisis
grants. Cash grants are awarded
based on household income, fam-
ily size, type of heating fuel and
region. Crisis grants are provided
in the event of a heating emergency,
including broken heating equipment
or leaking lines that must be fixed
or replaced, lack of fuel, termination
of utility service or danger of being
without fuel or of having utility service
terminated. In most counties, assis-
tance with home heating crisis situa-
tions is available 24 hours a day.
Applications will be available at
the Lancaster County Assistance Of-
fice at (717) 299-7543. Applications
are also available from local utility
companies and community service
agencies, such as Area Agencies
on Aging or community action agen-
cies.
Income eligibility for cash grants
begins at $16,245 for individuals,
$21,855 for couples, and $33,075
for a family of four.
For complete eligibility require-
ments and additional information
on LIHEAP, visit my Web site at
RepDenlinger.com and click on
“LIHEAP Information.”

PACE and PACENET Provide Low-Cost Prescription

Drug Assistance for Seniors
Senior citizens who rely on prescription drugs to stay cations. If this is not paid on a monthly basis, it will ac-
healthy may qualify for financial assistance through the cumulate. In addition, the individual will pay $8 for each
state’s PACE and PACENET prescription drug assistance generic prescription medication and $15 for each brand
programs. name.
Eligibility restrictions for PACE require that ap- Individuals who believe they qualify for PACE or
plicants be residents of Pennsylvania for at least 90 PACENET can contact my district office at (717) 733-
consecutive days prior to application. Additionally, ap- 4002 or visit my Web site at RepDenlinger.com.
plicants must be age 65 or older and have a total income
for the preceding calendar year of less than $14,500 for
a single person, or less than $17,700 combined for a
married couple.
Once enrolled in the PACE program, a benefit
card will be mailed, and enrollees will be required to pay
a $6 co-payment for each generic prescription medica-
tion. Brand name prescriptions require a $9 co-payment.
These co-payments are made to the pharmacy at the time
of purchase.
PACENET members who enroll in a Medicare
Part D plan will pay the Part D premium directly to the
plan. Depending on the Part D plan one is enrolled in,
monthly premiums will range between $14.80 and $28.45.
In addition, Part D cardholders will pay no more than
the PACENET co-payments of $8 for each generic pre-
scription medication and $15 for each brand name
to the pharmacy at the time of purchase.
PACENET members who do not enroll
in a Part D plan will pay $28.45 each month
at the pharmacy toward the cost of their medi-

WHAT MY OFFICE CAN DO FOR YOU . . .

HARRISBURG OFFICE
 Assist with car registrations, titles, special tags, license problems. PO Box 202099
 Obtain birth certificates.
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2099
 Obtain copies of House and Senate legislation. Phone: (717) 787-3531
 Provide state maps and publications. Fax: (717) 705-1951
 Distribute applications for higher education grants and various gdenling@pahousegop.com
professional programs.
DISTRICT OFFICE
 Answer questions on Pennsylvania income tax, senior citizen
607 E. Main Street
property tax and rent rebates, and financial aid to students. Ephrata, PA 17522
 Follow-up on licensing applications, unemployment compensation Phone: (717) 733-4002
problems, welfare applications, and income tax rebates. Fax: (717) 733-3992
Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

R e p D e n l i n g e r. c o m