DISTRICT OFFICES:LEHIGH COUNTY:

Northwest Centre, Suite 3026299 Route 309New Tripoli, PA 18066

Phone: (610) 760-7082

BERKS COUNTY:

127 Quarry Road, Suite 1Kutztown, PA 19530Phone: (610) 683-3385

HARRISBURG OFFICE:

PO Box 202187Harrisburg, PA 17120-2187Phone: (717) 787-3017

REP. GARY DAY

187

Legislative District

Dear Neighbor:

With the Pennsylvania budget finally passed, albeit 101 days late, I wanted totake the opportunity to update you about what is happening in the Legislature andthroughout our district.It has certainly been an interesting time at the Capitol, and I can say that my first budget as a state legislator was extremely frustrating. Not only was this budgetridiculously late, but it was not the budget I would have chosen for the people of Pennsylvania, because it is not a responsible, forward-looking budget.Some people may think this late budget was a failure of the legislative system, butin some ways it proves the system works. If Governor Ed Rendell had the power to unilaterally pass a budget, Pennsylvania would spend $29 billion in the 2009-10fiscal year and taxpayers would pay 16 percent more in income taxes. While theadopted budget is far from perfect, it does spend less than the governor’s originalrequest and does not require an immediate income tax increase.Perhaps the one positive aspect of this year’s budget fiasco is that people seem to be more interested in state government and how it spends taxpayer dollars.I am trying different ways to keep people engaged, including

e-mails and tele-town hall meetings.

Tele-towns are interactive phone calls where you can ask questions of your legislator.

To sign up for e-mails, just visit my Web site at

RepGaryDay.com

and sign up for E-Mail Updates.

Citizen participation makesfor better government. Everyone’s voice matters and factors into the important de-cisions that impact our daily lives.Finally, as unbelievable as it may seem, we are only three months away from thegovernor’s annual February budget address to the Legislature, during which he willannounce plans for the 2010-11 fiscal year budget. I am hopeful this year’s experi-ence will ensure that next year’s process will be less controversial and much moreefficient than what we experienced this year.If you have any questions regarding the budget or any state matter, please do nothesitate to contact my office or e-mail me at

gday@pahousegop.com

Berks County OfﬁceNow Open

Berks County Ofﬁce

Maxtawny Township Building127 Quarry Road, Suite 1Kutztown, PA 19530(610) 683-33859 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mon. through Fri.

Lehigh County Ofﬁce

Northwest Centre, Suite 3026299 Route 309 New Tripoli, PA 18066(610) 760-70829 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mon. through Fri.

RepGaryDay.com

Kristy Barry, Louis Bobbyn and KathyMcQuilken work in Rep. Day’s district ofﬁces in New Tripoli and MaxatawnyTownship.

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAID

HARRISBURG, PAPERMIT NO. 529

Property Tax/Rent Rebate ApplicationDeadline Extended

I would like to inform residents that the deadline to file for the state’s PropertyTax/Rent Rebate program has been extended from June 30 to Dec. 31, 2009.Eligible participants can receive a rebate of up to $650 based on their rent or property taxes paid in 2008. The program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians whoare 65 years or older, widows and widowers 50 years or older, and those 18 yearsor older with permanent disabilities.Eligibility income limits for homeowners were expanded last year to the fol-lowing levels, excluding 50 percent of Social Security, Supplemental SecurityIncome, and Railroad Retirement Tier 1 benefits:

• $0 and $8,000, up to $650 rebate (Homeowners and renters).• $8,001 to $15,000, up to $500 rebate (Homeowners and renters).• $15,001 to $18,000, up to $300 rebate (Homeowners only).• $18,001 to $35,000, up to $250 rebate (Homeowners only).

Berks-Lehigh Regional Chief Michael P.Weiser spoke with Rep. Day during Top-ton Community Days about community safety and neighborhood watch issues. Rep. Day met with workers from Good’s Potato Chips, whohad a booth at Upper Macungie Emergency Preparedness Day, Rep. Day met with members of the Virginville Volun-teer Fire Company at the Topton Parade. Rep. Day visited the Lehigh Valley Association of RE- ALTORS (LVAR) and their Government Affairs Com-mittee (GAC) on June 5 to provide a legislative update. Pictured are (from left): GAC Chairman Frank Renaldi Jr.; Rep. Day; GAC Vice-Chair Tiffany Hayward; and 2009 Association President Susan Seidel.Wanda Moser, a ToptonCommunity Days orga-nizer, greeted Rep. Dayduring his visit to ToptonCommunity Days.The Topton Parade on Oct. 19 featured aCrime Watch Group represented by a coupleof young mascots.

AROUND THE 187

LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Day ResolutionProclaims September as Drug and AlcoholRecovery Month

I recently sponsored a House resolutionthat passed the House unanimously. It proclaims September as National Alcoholand Drug Addiction Recovery Month inPennsylvania.My goal in sponsoring the measure isto raise awareness of the importance of recovering from drug and alcohol addictionand to appeal to people in our communitiesnot to turn a blind eye from their friends,family and neighbors who have are facingthe challenges drug and alcohol addiction.

The 2009-10 fiscal year budget in Pennsyl-vania was not finalized for 101 days becauseit was difficult for the negotiating parties tofind common ground for compromise. Some of us in the Legislature wanted to cut the size of government. We opposed tax increases. Somemembers favored increasing taxes and the sizeof the state budget.I saw lawmakers sink to new lows duringthis process. I was astounded when the gov-ernor needlessly vetoed billions of dollars infunding for public schools and social servicesto put pressure on the Legislature to increasetaxes, and I was astonished when the HouseDemocrat leadership proposed a state budgetthat completely eliminated funding for higher education. The tricks and ploys seemed never ending during the impasse.On a positive note, I was also thrilled whena small group of House Democrats joined with

The 2009-10 Budget: The Highs and LowsEfforts to Change Budget Process

Local School Districts Receive Increases in State Budget

School District 2009-10 BEF Inc. 2009-10 BEF Ttl SEF Ttl BEF/SEF/ARRAInc. over 08-09 BEFBrandywine Heights Area $076,984, 2.00% $3,926,155 $0,986,747 $05,445,766, 12.6% Fleetwood $495,861, 9.31% $5,822,082 $1,149,678 $07,584,247, 17.1%Kutztown $062,099, 2.00% $3,167,034 $0,858,066 $04,600,743, 16.1% Parkland $270,179, 4.28% $6,585,611 $3,261,344 $12,559,160, 31.1% Northwestern Lehigh $157,876, 2.97% $5,475,614 $1,269,852 $07,372,662, 11.9%

BEF = Basic Education Funding SEF = Special Education Funding Ttl = Total Funding ARRA = American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

I am drafting my own legislation to improve the budget pro-cess and establish milestones that must be met by legislativeleadership and the governor, who are largely responsible for the pace of the budget process. It was a gross misuse of power bythe majority Appropriation Committee chairman, who did notintroduce a budget bill until July 11. This single act caused atleast a 30- to 40-day delay and contributed to the 101-day bud-get impasse. My legislation would take away their leadership position for a two-year period for missing budget deadlines.This would be more persuasive than docking pay.Other members have also proposed that the executive branchand General Assembly meet deadlines. The following measureswould help prevent a handful of people conducting backroommeetings from blocking a budget deal. We can never again al-low individuals, families and services to be held hostage to forcea tax increase.•A bipartisan Speaker’s Commission on Budgetary Re-form has been proposed that would determine timelinesand milestones in the budget process and institute conse-quences if these are not met. Performance-based budget principles would be adopted and greater involvement by

2009-10 BudgetFast Facts

• Final 2008-09 deficit (lastfiscal year): $3.25 billion.• Total 2009-10 spending(current fiscal year): $27.8billion.• New or increased taxes:$1 billion a year.• Revenue shortfall to date2009-10 fiscal year: $160million and counting.• Rainy Day Fund balanceafter this budget: $0.• Health Care ProviderRetention Account bal-ance after this budget: $0.

their Republican counterparts to oppose an in-crease to the Personal Income Tax (PIT). Our bi-partisan alliance essentially killed the ideaof raising the PIT, taxing the arts and placing anew tax on our local fire departments and com-munity organizations.This was a year when leadership made dealsand the “powerless” rank-and-file membersrefused to be forced into voting for legislationthey could not support. That is why there werethree different highly publicized “deals.”In the end, I joined the majority of my caucusin opposing the final budget proposal for sev-eral key reasons:

• It spends more than currentrevenues can sustain.• It increases taxes on employers,which will stiﬂe economic growth.• It completely drains all of Pennsylvania’s reserve funds.

every House member would be ensured. This commissioncould also implement budget continuity for state governmentoperations to prevent state workers or service providers whodepend on state money from being held hostage in the future.•

House Resolution 460

would institute a Committee of theWhole process to resolve budget impasses, allowing Housemembers to openly discuss budget-related topics and reach acompromise.•

House Bill 936

would automatically extend the last year’s budget if no new state budget is enacted by 12:01 a.m. on July 1.

•

House Bill 937

creates a more deﬁnitive timeline for futurestate budgets. If deadlines are not met by the House or Sen-ate, the daily pay for each member in the chamber delayingthe process would be docked until action is taken.•

House Bill 1629

proposes salary forfeitures by the governor,his cabinet and secretary of the budget, as well as Houseand Senate members when a budget impasse goes past July.Salaries would not be restored retroactively.•

House Bill 1751

would ban the act of leveraging roll callvotes for promises of legislative favors, hiring of staff, grantapprovals and capital projects.