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PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE
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Harrisburg, PAPERMIT NO 529
Inside This Issue:
Fall 2009
Finally a Budget for Pennsylvania
House Acts to Discourage DistractedDrivers
New Law to Help Consumers
Report Poor Road Conditions onRoad Damage Hotline
Internet Program Features ElectronicRecycling Proposal
Solar Energy Rebates Available
Consumers Able to Verify Contractor Registration
How Do I Obtain a Disability ParkingPlacard?
FREE Weatherization for EnergySavings
Sharing the Road Safely
Finally a Budget for Pennsylvania
Passing a state budget in Pennsylvania is never easy, but this year the Gov-ernor and Legislature got caught up in the bitterest deadlock in many years.Adapting to the twin realities of a sudden $3.2 billion drop in revenues and afierce resistance to increased taxes, we were left with the need to make difficultcuts to popular programs.While I voted for a lower spending budget earlier this year, I could not sup-port the final version, ultimately signed by the Governor. Since reporting aboutthe budget has been sketchy at best, I want to explain my concerns to you insomewhat greater detail.It is hard to exaggerate how significant the change in circumstances for thebudget negotiations was this year. Year in and year out the basic budget wascreated by giving an “across the board” increase to nearly all the programsfunded in the previous year.This year we actually cut spending below last year’s levels. Significant andpainful as this was, I believe that we have only begun to address our fiscalproblems. Revenues were expected to be flat, matching last year’s reducedlevels, but we are already $140 million below that target. If collections continueat this rate, we will be short $1 billion by fiscal year’s end.
House Acts toDiscourageDistracted Drivers
The House of Representativesrecently passed an amendment toHouse Bill 67 to penalize distracteddriving resulting from activities suchas using a phone, eating, drinking or putting on makeup. The amendment,which I sponsored, was approved by avote of 179-16. House Bill 67, whichalso makes changes to the state’sgraduated licensing system, mustnow be voted upon by the Senate.If approved, distracted drivers couldface a $50 fine in addition to penaltiesrelating to the primary traffic offense
Sharing the RoadSafely
Recently, I was quoted in a newsarticle as being in favor of bicyclesafety on our roads here in Ches-ter County. In the context of thearticle, I am afraid that it may haveseemed that I was favoring bicycleenthusiasts over motorists. I wantto point out that I meant that weshould focus on developing goodrelationships between motoristsand bicyclists.Historically, Chester County’sroads were primarily designed for horse-drawn vehicles. This cre-ates a challenge now because theroads are ill-equipped to accom-modate cars and trucks, let alone
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Winners of the “2009 One Vote Counts! Poster Contest” were recently honored in Harrisburg.Pictured front row L-R, are Thea Toocheck,Upland Country Day School; Jessica Cestare,Uwchlan Hills Elementary School; Olivia Donia,New Garden Elementary School; DaniellaAlvarez, Caln Elementary School; JessicaBrain, Brandywine Wallace Elementary School;and Kyra Lunkins, Hillendale ElementarySchool. Pictured with the students are Rep.Chris Ross and Rep. Curt Schroder.
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This year’s budget was balancedby using more than $2 billion from ac-counts set aside to support parks andlibraries and funds reserved to offsetdoctors’ high medical malpractice in-surance. Just as when an individualempties his savings account to payhis monthly bills, this tactic only delaysthe tough choices needed to achievea sustainable balanced budget.Since our budget problems wereaggravated by the sudden downturnof the economy, economic recoverywould ease some of this pressure.Unfortunately, two other problemscloud the horizon. The federal stimu-lus dollars, which have helped cover Medicaid and basic education costs,disappear after next year. At the sametime, state contributions to the pen-sion system must increase steeply tomeet contractual obligations as “baby-boomers” retire.The only way to deal with this on-coming fiscal train wreck is to havea serious and detailed debate aboutspending. What do we as a peoplereally value? What can we do with-out? Once we agree on what our stategovernment should be doing, then weneed to find ways to deliver these ser-vices more efficiently. How can we getmore value for our tax dollars?While I am glad that we finallypassed a budget, we have only begunthe process of making the tough choic-es ahead. I am committed to pressingforward to tackle these choices andsettle the budget on time next year.
Budget
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Internet Program FeaturesElectronic Recycling Proposal
To help Pennsylvanians recycle more easily, I havesponsored House Bill 708 which creates a statewide elec-tronic waste recycling program to help meet that goal. Ihave detailed my proposal on a five-minute video programthat you can watch by visiting my Web site and click on theYouTube video.The measure is designed to recover and recycle elec-tronic waste, mainly computer equipment and televisions.In many cases, recycling events are held only a few times ayear and transporting items to these events can be trouble-some. A comprehensive state program is needed becausea recycling program has not been enacted on the federallevel.House Bill 708 has been approved by the House Environ-mental Resources and Energy Committee and is currentlyin the House Appropriations Committee. The bill may comebefore the full House by the end of the year.
New Law to Help Consumers
Recently, the Governor signed Act 42 of 2009 (House Bill 222), which re-quires convicted identity thieves to pay restitution to their victims to help offsetinvestigation and legal expenses. Identity theft is a growing problem in Penn-sylvania, costing businesses and consumers millions of dollars every year. Thisact takes effect Nov. 17.Another bill which would help consumers is House Bill 312. This legislationhas been passed by the House and is awaiting action in the Senate. If enacted,this bill would enable consumers to more effectively compare facilities whenshopping for long-term care services by requiring the availability of informationrelating to licenses, certifications and any enforcement actions. This bill is cur-renlty in the Senate Aging and Youth Committee.
Report Poor RoadConditions on RoadDamage Hotline
To report potholes and other prob-lems with state roads, motorists maycontact PennDOT on a toll free hotline,1-800-FIX-ROAD (1-800-349-7623).Callers are encouraged to:• Report the county and munici-pality where the problem is located.• Report the state route number,which can be found on the small white-and-black signs posted along stateroads, where the problem is located.• Describe familiar landmarksnearby in order to help PennDOTcrews locate the problem.In addition to reporting potholes,motorists may also report missinghighway signs, shoulder drop-offs,roadway washouts and other potentialhazards.equestrian, bicycle, and pedestriantraffic. Redesigning existing roadsis extremely expensive, so we willneed to be creative in thinkingabout ways to accommodate dif-ferent types of traffic safely. Manymunicipalities are working on long-range plans to create a separatetrail network for pedestrians andbicycles. Also, new traffic-calmingplans can sometimes incorporatebike lanes into their designs.Because most of our roads donot have marked bicycle lanes,bicyclists are forced to ride inlanes that are open to all traffic.Often, this can create dangerousconflicts between motorists thatare traveling at a higher rate of speed and bicyclists, particularlyon hilly and twisting roads. Toensure the safety of both motoristsand bicyclists, it is imperative for us to develop good relationshipswith one another on the road. InPennsylvania, bicycles are definedas vehicles and are subject to the
Sharing the Road
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laws in the Vehicle Code, as arecars, trucks and other motor ve-hicles. I believe that it is importantthat all vehicles follow these rulesand regulations.Recently, a resident asked aquestion that I did not know the an-swer to, and I thought that it wouldbe useful to share the answer withyou. The person asked if therewere any regulations regarding theoperation of bicycles at night. As Ilearned, bicyclists are required toride with a headlight on their bikebetween sunset and sunrise. Thisregulation helps make bicyclesmore visible to motorists, as wellas improves bicyclists’ awarenessof hazards on the road.If you would like more informa-tion, are interested in seeing other parts of the Vehicle Code as itpertains to bicycles, or would likea Bicycle Safety Manual, pleasecontact my district office at 610-925-0555 or visit my Web site atwww.RepRoss.com.
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for which they were stopped.I am attempting to take a comprehensive approach to discouraging all formsof distracted driving which includes, but not limited to, talking or texting on cellphones, eating or drinking, reading printed material, or using personal groomingitems. Traffic safety experts have told me that we need a penalty and a compre-hensive education program. Speaking recently at the federal Distracted DrivingSummit, Dr. Tom Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute,said that driver education was the best way to prevent distracted driving.Last year, according to a report from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, 5,870people died and 515,000 were injured in crashes in which some form of distracteddriving was cited in the crash report.To see an interview about my legislative efforts to address distracted driving,please visit my Web site, and click on the YouTube video.
Distracted Drivers
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Consumers Able toVerify ContractorRegistration
In an effort to provide residentswith better information when choosinga contractor to perform work on their homes, all contractors doing more than$5,000 of home improvement workmust now be registered with the Penn-sylvania Office of Attorney General.Additionally, contractors are requiredto provide the Attorney General’sOffice with details surrounding courtproceedings, bankruptcies, and other background data for individuals listedin the registration. Please remem-ber that registration under the HomeImprovement Contractor ProtectionAct (HICPA) is not an endorsement,recommendation or approval by theAttorney General of the contractor’scompetency or skill.There are several things that youshould watch for to protect yourself from disreputable or fraudulent homeimprovement contractors. Unsolicited,traveling contractors who come to your home and point out specific problemsshould be met with caution. If theyarrive in an unmarked vehicle andrefuse to provide proof of insuranceor references, they are probably notreputable contractors.When hiring a contractor, youshould obtain a written contract thatincludes a start and finish date and athree-day right-to-cancel notice. Youshould never sign a blank contractor hire a contractor that does nothave a business card or local phonenumber and address. Also, final pay-ments should be withheld until workis finished and you are completelysatisfied. You are also encouragedto continue asking for references,seeking multiple bids, and checkingwith the Better Business Bureau for complaints filed against a specificcontractor.For details, you may call my officeor visit my Web site and click on “Con-tractor Registration.” You may alsocall the Attorney General’s toll-freehotline, 1-888-520-6680.
Solar Energy Rebates Available
With the rising cost of energy and the downturned economy, I would like toalert residents to a state program to cut energy costs. The PA Sunshine Solar Program offers homeowners and small businesses the opportunity to receiverebates to help fund solar electric and hot water improvements. The programis part of the Alternative Energy Investment Fund that provides for $650 millionto explore and encourage alternative forms of energy in Pennsylvania.With $100 million in rebates, eligible participants can be reimbursed for 35percent of the purchase and installation cost of solar improvements. In combi-nation with federal tax credits for the use of solar energy products, consumershave the opportunity to reduce system costs by 45 percent.Homeowners and small businesses wishing to apply for a rebate must firstselect an installer that has been approved by the Department of EnvironmentalProtection. The installer will submit all application materials on the consumer’sbehalf. Project approval will be granted on a first-come, first-served basisuntil funds are depleted. Rebates will be dispersed upon completion of theproject.For more information, contact my office or visit my Web site and click on“Solar Rebates.”
Fun Fest ‘09
On July 25, 2009 area residents enjoyed the annual Family Fun Fest sponsored byRep. Chris Ross and the Kennett Area Park Authority.
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