Dear Friend,

Searching for POW, MIA andKIA Veterans

My staff and I are planning a ceremony toonor veterans wo were prsoners o war, ecaremissing in action or killed in the line of duty. Thedate of our event is Saturday, April 10.you now o someone wo as nto any othese categories, please contact my ofﬁce at (717)277-2101. Be prepared to include the followingnormaton on te veteran: name, ome aressand phone number (if applicable), branch of service,rank and time of service. Contact information isneeded in order to send out invitations.You may also register your veteran’s namethrough my Web site,

RepSwanger.com.

Spring 2010

Budget Breakdown

Last month, Governor Rendell issued his budget address and deﬁned his proposals for a spending plan for FiscalYear 2010-11.

Spending

The governor’s budget proposal relies on no broad-based tax increases. The 2010-11 total General Fund budgetis $29 billion – an increase of $1.15 billion or 4.1 percent after accounting for the use of nearly $2.7 billion in federalAmerican Recovery and ReinvestmentAct (ARRA) funds in 2009-10 and nearly $2.8 billion in 2010-11. The major spending increases in this budget come in basic education, public welfare, corrections and debt service.While we need to enact a budget that balances fiscal restraint with thoughtful planning for the future, I am con-cerned with the idea of $1.2 Billion in new spending at a time when projections have us facing a $525 Million shortfallthis year.We are all being forced to make difficult decisions in our households with regard to spending habits. State gov-ernment did not sufficiently em-ploy that way of thinking in nego-tiating our current budget, whichis why I voted against the plan.Were this proposal placed on thetable right now, I would vote in asimilar fashion.Members of the GeneralAssembly are sent to Harrisburgto be effective stewards of hard-earned taxpayer dollars. Weneed to rein in spending and notdepend further on the people of Pennsylvania.

Rendell Proposes New Taxes

While there are no broad-based tax increases in this budgetproposal, the plan does call for more than $1 Billion in taxincreases.Pennsylvania remains the only state in the nation that doesnot tax smokeless tobacco and is one of only two states thatdoes not tax cigars. The governor’s plan includes a tax on bothsmokeless tobacco and cigars at 30 percent of their wholesalevalue.You may have heard of the Marcellus shale natural gasreserve, the geologic formation believed to contain as much as500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. In a recent Marcellus shaleland lease sale, the Commonwealth received more than twicethe revenue it expected. The governor feels the industry canbear a modest tax — 5 percent of value, plus 4.7 cents per 1,000cubic feet of gas produced — without hurting industry growth.Pennsylvania is one of six states that does not tax naturalgas, and should remain that way. Natural gas is a burgeoningindustry in Pennsylvania and we should not be putting uproadblocks that may be a deterrent to what could be a solution toour addiction to foreign oil.

What Property TaxRelief?

The overwhelming topic brought up bythe people I meet continues to be propertytax relief. The governor addressed this inhis budget proposal by saying Pennsylvaniahomeowners, on average, will continue toreceive nearly $200 in state-funded propertytax relief – with even more savings for older adults who have the most urgent need.When gambling was legalized in 2004,signiﬁcant property tax relief was promised.The current budget proposal does nothing tokeep that promise. During the debate aboutexpanded gaming last year, House Republi-cans attempted to have table games reve-nue diverted to the Property Tax Relief Fund.The legislation was defeated on a party linevote.My hope is that the proposed increasein basic education funding will not only leadto Lebanon County schools being sufﬁcientlyfunded, but also will result in the lack of necessity for an increase in local propertytaxes.

Applications Now Available for Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program

Applications for the state’s Property/Tax Rent Rebate program for tax year 2009 are now available. Eligible par-ticipants can receive a rebate of up to $650 based on their rent or property taxes paid in 2009. The program benefitseligible Pennsylvanians who are 65 years or older, widows and widowers 50 years or older, and those 18 years or older with disabilities.Eligibility income limits for homeowners are set at the following levels, excluding 50 percent of Social Security,Supplemental Security Income, and Railroad Retirement Tier 1 benefits:• $0 to $8,000, maximum $650 rebate (Homeowners and renters)• $8,001 to $15,000, maximum $500 rebate (Homeowners and renters)• $15,001 to $18,000, maximum $300 rebate (Homeowners only)• $18,001 to $35,000, maximum $250 rebate (Homeowners only)Six weeks after a resident submits an application, he or she may visit the site to check the status of the rebate byentering the following information:• Social Security number • Date of birth• Anticipated rebate amountThe service will allow applicants to confirm the status, re-bate amount and the date a rebate is expected to be mailed or direct depositedThe Property Tax/Rent Rebate program is one of many ini-tiatives supported by the Pennsylvania Lottery, which dedicatesits proceeds to support programs for older Pennsylvanians.Since the program began in 1971, more than $4 billion hasbeen paid to qualified applicants.Residents are reminded to provide all the necessaryincome, property tax or rental information required to processclaims quickly and accurately. Applications are due by June30.Property Tax/Rent Rebate claim forms are available bycontacting my office at (717) 277-2101 or by visiting my Website at

RepSwanger.com.

Visit My Web Site: RepSwanger.com

Sales Tax Reductionand Expansion

n ecemer, spoe at a state apto news conerenceannouncing the National Security Begins at Home illegal immigration reform package, which would reportedly save Pennsylvania taxpayers no less than 728 millionannuay.

Last year, I was on hand to present a House citation to the Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority (GLRA) in celebration of its 50th anniversary.Pictured with me (left to right) are Michael Pavelek II, GLRA execu-tive director; Roberta DeSantis, GLRA chairwoman; Donald P. Klees,GLRA vice chairman; Curby the Recycling Robot; Joe Anspach, GLRAtreasurer, and LuAnn Horn, GLRA secretary. GLRA and PPL have con-structed the Renewable Energy Education Facility which provides a sideby side educational experience of how wind, solar and landﬁll gas canbe combined in a mutually beneﬁcial way.

Shopping for Electricity

Most of Lebanon County will not seean increase in their electric bills due tothe lifting of rate caps until the end of thisyear. It is not too early to start shoppingfor electric rates and possible savings youmight be able to realize. Please visit myWeb site,

RepSwanger.com

, and clickon Shopping for Electricity. You will ﬁndanswers to your questions about electricchoice, information on how to shop for electricity and a list of available suppliers.

Jury Commissioner LegislationApproved by House LocalGovernment Committee

Legislation I sponsored that would give counties the option of pursung emnaton o te o ce o ury commssoner as eenpassed by the House Local Government Committee. House Bills2000 and 2001 will now be considered by the full House.ennsyvanas county governments sou ave te coceto decide whether or not they wish to continue to staff the positionof jury commissioner. Our municipalities are being squeezed inthese difﬁcult economic times, and the job of jury commissioner has become obsolete in many of our counties because of computer technology. Signiﬁcant savings could be realized through theelimination of this position.e aw wou prove county commssoners wt a vece ywhich the position could be liquidated through a ballot referendum.The bills also provide for a process by which constituents couldorce te ssue to te aot.Pennsylvania has eight classes of counties, based onpopulation. My legislation does not mandate that this job beemnate.