High Quality
Open the downloaded document, and select print from the file menu (PDF reader required).
PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGEPAIDHARRISBURG, PAPERMIT NO. 529
StateRepresentativePO Box 202005Harrisburg, PA 17120-2005
EVANS
John
John
SPRING 2009
Dear Resident,
Even though the new legislative sessionstarted a couple of months ago, it is already turning out to be one of the more challengingones I have witnessed in Harrisburg. is yearis also my first serving on the House Appro-priations Committee, and during February and March, we heard testimony offered on thegovernor’s $29 billion budget proposal.In these tough economic times, we know that many, many families are struggling, andeven more families and individuals are fearful of what their future may hold. is situation hasbeen at the forefront of our budget hearings anddiscussions. e members of the Republican Appropriation Committee’s thoughts on thebudget is that we must curtail state spending,and our caucus has taken that challenge very seriously by reducing our expenses 10 percentin each of the last three budgets, and we haveplans to cut our costs even more this year.Unfortunately, our priorities for next year’sbudget are not quite meshing with those of theadministration, and I foresee a very interest-ing budget approval process in the comingmonths.In the meantime, there are a number of programs and services that are available to helpPennsylvania families in facing these difficulttimes. You’ll find more information about where you can find the details of the programson Page 2.In addition, we are working on severalother issues, and details about various piecesof legislation – as well as happenings aroundthe district – are located inside this edition of my newsletter.If you should ever need assistance with astate-related problem or issue, please do nothesitate to contact any of my offices. Completecontact information is on the last page of thisnewsletter.
Evans to be Honored by CommunityHealth Care Association
Seeing that health care is affordable and accessible to residents of northwesternPennsylvania, as well as those who live throughout the Commonwealth, has beenone of my priorities while serving at the state Capitol.erefore, I sponsored legislation last session that would give additional fundingto Federally Qualified Health Centers and other “look-a-like” community health cen-ters in Pennsylvania. ere are two such centers right here in the 5
th
District: Primary Health Net in Linesville and Conneaut Valley Health Center in Conneautville.ese centers are so valuable because not only do they offer health care services,but they can serve as a “medical home” – meaning they keep records and provideindividuals and families with their own primary care physician and family practice.is helps ensure continuity of care.Fortunately, the proposal passed the House, but there wasn’t enough time inthe last legislative session to gain approval by the Senate. However, similar proposalsare included in this session, and I am hopeful they will be signed into law so thatthousands of Pennsylvania residents can have the quality medical care they needand deserve. As a result of this advocacy, five lawmakers, including myself, are being honoredby the PA Association of Community Health Centers at an upcoming reception in theCapitol. Joining me in this honor are Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-Westmoreland) andSen. Edwin Erickson (R-Delaware) in addition to my colleagues who serve with meon the House Republican Health Care Task Force - Reps. Scott Boyd (R-Lancaster)and Kathy Watson (R-Bucks). We are very humbled to receive this award from anorganization that does such fine work for our health care community.
To maintain the open lines of communication with local residents, I held a legislative breakfast at Ruth’s Restaurant in Conneautville on April 16. During the gathering, which was attended by 30 people, I spoke about the upcoming state budget negotiations, as well as other legislationand policy issues the House Republican Caucus is developing this legislative session.
VISIT MY WEB SI
Track the Federal Stimulus in PA
You cannot turn on the television news or read an article in thenewspaper these days without hearing about the federal stimulusplan and what it means in Pennsylvania.Known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, itsintent is to jumpstart the economy and get people working again. While the new law was very controversial in getting passed, it’s now a reality, and I hope this money can be spent in a way that will bebeneficial to all. After all, it is YOUR money. As of this writing, Pennsylvania is expecting to receive upward of $16 billion in federal stimulus money for a wide range of projects–from transportation and infrastructure to health care and educationto helping those who have been affected by the struggling economy.Many of the details of funding are still being worked out, and therecontinues to be a lot of questions as the money is being committed and received.To ensure that the public is well informed of where their money is going, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has posted an Internet Web site at
that is your link to the stimulus.
You can access the stimulus information online through my Web site at
, y
ou can read the basics of the stimulus,review a presentation given to the Legislature, read the full text of the new law, learn about grant opportunities, link to federal agency recovery sites, and find out where your money is going on a nation- wide scale.
Nearly 100 students from EdinboroUniversity showcased their musical talents in the state Capitol Rotundaon March 18. e public concert featured the Edinboro University Singers (pictured at right), a con-cert choir of about 52 students, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and the university’s 48-student concert band. e concert represented the first performance at the State Capi-tol for either of the musical groups.ey were led by Dr. Gary Grant and Dr. Peter van den Honert. Pic-tured with us is Edinboro President Dr. Jeremy Brown.
New Web Site Launchedto HelpDuring Economic Crisis
Pennsylvania has a new online resource to helpresidents find the government resources their familiesmay need during this economic crisis.rough the Web site
, Penn-sylvanians can find information regarding employ-ment, family services, housing, programs for seniorcitizens and economic development.rough the employment section of the Website, visitors can access the online unemployment compensation form, information on the Children’sHealth Insurance Program (CHIP) and Adult Basichealth insurance, as well as job training and employ-ment opportunities. e housing section includesbeneficial information regarding mortgage assistanceand ways to lower home heating bills.Information about other programs available toCommonwealth residents is available on my Website at
or by calling my offices at (814)734-2793, (814) 774-2892 or (814) 683-5550.
A group of Conneaut Lake High School students were recently honored for their efforts to promote safe driving. e entry inPennDOT’s “Drive Safe PA” radio contest was submitted by senior Mark Holcomb; juniors Cameron Smith, Holly Bond and Robert Courtney; sophomore Morgan ompson; and freshman Matthew Johnson. During their trip to Harrisburg to record the spot, they joined me for lunch and a tour of the state Capitol. e radio spot will air throughout the state in May. Pictured with me are (back row, from left): Matt Johnson, Cameron Bish, Mark Holcomb,and John Wiltrout; (front row) Morgan ompson, Holly Bond and English teacher Mary Morris.
TE: REPEVANS.COM
Around the District. . .
e long-standing tradition of feed-ing bread to the carp at the PymatuningState Park Spillway will continue for theforeseeable future.e spillway is a tremendous assetto our region and local economy, and Iappreciate the Department of Conserva-tion and Natural Resources (DCNR)and other state agencies coming togetherto work with us in preserving the time-honored family traditions at the spillway.I’d like to thank the residents and localbusinesses for their efforts in the re-evalu-ation of this monumental decision. Yourvoices truly made a difference.To ensure your voices were heardabout the proposed ban, I joined withSen. Bob Robbins and Rep. Michele
Tradition to Continue Feeding Bread to Carpat Linesville Spillway
Brooks in hosting a public meeting inLinesville last September. More than 350turned out to oppose the ban.is final decision from the DCNR follows months of evaluation by the stateagency. Last year, DCNR proposed a con-troversial ban on the feeding of bread inan effort to keep the spillway clean and todiscourage overabundance of geese at thespillway.In order for the federal government,under the U.S. Department of Agriculture,to manage the geese, both agencies compro-mised to propose the feeding of fish throughfish pellets that would have been sold at thespillway. Last fall, DCNR put the ban onhold for a year to re-evaluate its proposal.In the meantime, visitors to the spillway were allowed to continue feeding breadto the fish. At a time when our regional economy is struggling, both visitors and businessesdepend on the spillway. It would havebeen a true shame to diminish a majorattraction in our backyard. I applaudDCNR officials and those of the otherstate agencies involved for re-evaluatingthe decision and allowing the feeding of bread to continue.More than 300,000 people visit thespillway each year, making it one of themost visited attractions in Pennsylvania,and a decision to prohibit bread fromthe spillway would have had a significantimpact on local businesses and tourism.
House GOPPolicy CommitteeTraveled to Edinboro
Committee hears about perilsof universal health care
To help learn more about universal health care andits impact on people, the House Republican Policy Committee and its Health Care Task Force traveled toEdinboro on April 30. A public hearing allowed us tofurther study universal health care and the single-payerinsurance system.Such a system may very well put the government incharge of health care decisions – decisions that shouldbe made by an individual and his or her physician.Several countries including Canada and Europehave single-payer systems where consumers are on long waiting lists for health care services. Many even cometo the United States to get their care.Our hearing focused on the failures of these sys-tems and brought in experts from all over the world todiscuss why Pennsylvania and the nation should notmove to a government-run health care system.Our task force, of which I have been a membersince 2007, has been developing and advocating healthcare policies that put the consumer in charge of theirhealth care decisions, rather than some governmentbureaucrat. To that end, we are also consistently fight-ing for more accessible and more affordable healthcare in order to ensure that no one is without accessto quality health care.More information about our plan is available onmy Web site at
.
Devin Smith, a student at the Erie County Technical School, visited the Capitol this winter as part of Career and Technology Educa-tion Week sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Smith, whois enrolled in the electron-ics program at the school,attends Girard High School,and has participated inthe SkillsUSA electronic competitions, Rotary’s lead-ership camp and EdinboroUniversity’s AmericanSociety for Metals (ASM)International Program. He plans to enter the PittsburghInstitute of Technology this summer to study electrical engineering technology.
Jamie Forinash, a4-H student fromSpringboro, recently visited Harrisburg and joined me in my office for a discussionon agricultural and education issues. She was in Harrisburg for Pennsylvania 4-H Capitol Day. Jamie, asenior at Cambridge Springs High School,is the 2009 PA 4-H State Council presi-dent.
Add a Comment