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StateRepresentativePO Box 202005Harrisburg, PA 17120-2005
EVANS
John
John
SPRING 2010
Dear Friends,
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As a way to reduce costs,I have opted to use an onlinenewsletter this spring insteadof a traditional mailed newslet-ter. The most expensive partof a newsletter is the mailingcost, and with more and morepeople turning to the Internetto obtain their information, Iwanted to try this approach. If you would like to obtain a hardcopy, please stop by any of mydistrict offices.Inside this newsletter, you’llfind information about the ad-ministration’s new proposal for the 2010-11 state budget, aswell as an update on legisla-tion impacting our region, our hard-working residents and our economy. I’ve also included in-formation about state financingthat has been awarded for localinfrastructure projects.As always, please feel freeto contact me or my staff aboutany question you have on stategovernment issues. Contactinformation is located on page4 of the newsletter.Sincerely, Rep. John Evans5
th
District
Vietnam War Veterans Sought forSept. 17 Recognition Ceremony
To honor the men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forcesduring the Vietnam War era, I am searching for veterans who live in the 5
th
District to honor at a ceremony to be held Sept. 17.Every veteran deserves to be honored and thanked for his or her invalu-able contribution to our country and to our freedom, and that includes thosewho served our country during the Vietnam era. This ceremony will be similar to ones held for veterans of World War II and Korea, and I encourage allVietnam War era veterans or their families to contact my office to ensure thateveryone is included.Vietnam War veterans, their families or loved ones are asked to call myEdinboro office at (814) 734-2793, the Girard office at (814) 774-2892, or the Linesville office at (814) 683-5550 with the following information aboutthe veteran: name, home address, phone number, branch of service, rankand time of service, and the number of family members who will be attend-ing the event.The information can also be dropped off at any of my district offices or the information can be mailed to: 123 Meadville St., Edinboro, PA 16412.Veterans and their families can also download a copy of a form or completethe information online at
RepEvans.com
.
More details about the event locationand time will be announced later.My staff and I are also working with local veterans organizations to ensureall local veterans from the era are honored.We are also looking for names of local soldiers who may have been listedas Missing in Action (MIA) or Prisoners of War (POW) during the war so theycan be honored as well. Sept. 17 marks the annual remembrance of MIAsand POWs nationwide.
Evans Disappointed with Sales TaxIncreases Proposed by Governor
As a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, I have theprivilege and responsibility of examining the details of the governor’s budgetproposal through a series of public budget hearings.During these hearings, we are presented with information from variousstate agencies and departments regarding their goals, performance and budgetrequests for the next fiscal year. Like last year, much of my committee’s workwill be to find out how we can continue to trim state expenses while providingprograms, services and functions of state government.Much of our debate will also focus on the governor’s proposed budget. Thisproposal is 4 percent more than the current year’s enacted spending plan anddoes not reflect the realities of our economy. Already, our revenues are morethan $374 million below estimates,and we are on track for a half-billiondollar deficit by the end of June.My overriding goal is to ensurethat we enact a responsible budgetby the June 30 deadline. Last year’sbudget debacle was one I am hope-ful to never see repeated. However,this will depend on how steadfast thegovernor is to his ambitious spend-ing, in spite of trying to recover fromthe economic recession.One of his goals involves ex-panding but lowering the state salestax from 6 percent to 4 percent while
As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I took the opportunity to ask questions of Attorney General Tom Corbett on his request for additional funding during appropriations hearings on Feb. 4. At left is Ed Nolan,executive director of the House Appropria-tions Committee.
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House AdvancesHighway Safety Bill toSenate
Legislation includes ban ontexting, hand-held cell phones
Legislation that will ban the use of hand-held cellphones while driving in Pennsylvania has cleared theHouse of Representatives and is on its way to the Sen-ate for consideration.House Bill 2070, which I was pleased to co-sponsor,passed the House by a vote of 189-6. The legislationoriginally included a ban on all texting behind the wheeland a prohibition of cell phones for drivers ages 16 and17. However, an amendment added on the House floor expands the ban to include all hand-held cell phones for drivers of all ages.As a member of the House Transportation Com-mittee and chairman of the Subcommittee on HighwaySafety, I am well aware that much of the outcry for a banon hand-held cell phones comes from the motoring publicthemselves who see such distractions causing crashesand endangering people’s lives. We all know that textingwhile driving is dangerous and cell phone use hindersone’s ability to pay full attention to the road ahead.The ban includes any interactive wireless communi-cation device. Exceptions will apply to operators of emer-gency vehicles and volunteer emergency responderswho are responding to an emergency and are engagedin the performance of their official duties.According to a 2009 poll, 85 percent of Pennsylva-nians favor a ban on the use of hand-held cell phoneswhile driving.A number of states have already enacted cell phonewhile driving bans, and I am pleased that Pennsylvaniais one step closer to joining that list.Those who are found in violation of the legislationwill face a fine of $50. Fines would double to $100 if the offense occurs in a school zone, active work zone,highway safety corridor or emergency response area.A portion of the fines will be used for public awarenessand education programs for distracted driving.Cell phones with hands-free devices will still bepermitted to be used by drivers.
During a Capitol press conference in November, I stood in support of legislationthat would ban texting while driving for all drivers in Pennsylvania. I have heard from numerous residents who support such a ban, and they believe that a ban on texting will help prevent crashes and save lives. House Bill 2070 has since been amended to include a ban on hand-held cell phones while driving.
Evans Cites JobCreation for ‘Yes’ Votefor Table Games
The addition of table games will have a dramatic im-pact at Presque Isle Downs by likely creating hundredsof new jobs in the region. That is why I voted in favor of Senate Bill 711 – the legislation allowing table games atPennsylvania’s 14 casinos.The addition of table games at the slots casinos inPennsylvania represents more than putting in blackjack,poker and roulette tables. This new law is also aboutfinding another way to meet an existing revenue shortfalland to make our state more competitive. Each day, welose thousands of both residents and visitors who go toAtlantic City and Las Vegas instead of Pennsylvania.This keeps the money in Pennsylvania while meeting atremendous financial need.Under the new law, Category 1 and Category 2 li-censed slot machine facilities can operate up to 250 tablegames at any one time, while Category 3 licensees canoperate up to 50. Licensees approved by the Pennsyl-vania Gaming Control Board to operate table games willpay a one-time fee of $16.5 million. The fee for Category3 licensees will be $7.5 million. Presque Isle Downs hasa Category 1 license.It is estimated that table games could be in place atPennsylvania casinos sometime this summer.The legislation, which was sponsored by Sen. JaneEarll (R-Erie), makes several needed reforms to the gam-ing industry. Under the new law, gaming board membersare prohibited from owning any financial interest in anapplicant or licensed facility, among other stipulations.In addition, the legislation includes a lifetime ban onapplicants who seek a principal license and have beenconvicted of a felony.I applaud Senator Earll, who chairs the GamingOversight Committee in the Senate, for putting forththese very necessary reforms. Unfortunately, the gamingindustry has gotten off to a very rocky start in Pennsyl-vania, and if significant improvements are not made tothe Gaming Control Board and its operations, gamingcannot be successful. Property tax relief, the state budgetand thousands of employees depend on the success of gaming.
Girard residents Tracy Carner (far left); his daughter, Sarah; and son, Aus-tin, visited the Capitol on Nov. 9. During their trip to Harrisburg, they stopped by to see me and took a tour of the 103-year-old Capitol building.
including 74 items that were previously exempt. I am veryconcerned about the services he wants to tax that will placea tremendous financial burden on our residents. Whilemany struggle to make ends meet, the governor wants toadd a sales tax to most of the bills you pay each month:electricity, home heating oil, propane, water and sewerageservice, along with basic television and phone services.This is completely unfair, and I will not be voting in favor of such a proposal.More information about the 2010-11 budget proposalis available on my Web site at
RepEvans.com
.
SALES TAX ...
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Dr. James Rummel, a local veterinarian, was recently honored with a ci-tation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to acknowledge anaward he received from the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association.e Dr. A. Wayne Mountan Memorial Media Award is given for excel-lence in communicating veterinary medical contributions to animal and public health via newspapers, magazines or broadcast. is is in recogni-tion of his series on grief after the loss of a pet.I recently had the opportunity to honor Ken and Ruby Loucks of Edinborowith a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. e cita-tion acknowledges the Louckses’ 40 years in the upholstery business.Students from Edinboro University traveled to the state Capitol in October to participate in the Undergraduate Research at the Capitol symposium.From left, psychology students Jamie Cacchione and Brandon Lewis, along with their adviser Dr. Michael Skelly, presented information about their re-search on memory and text markings, including highlighting and underlin-ing. In their research, they learned that various forms of text markings may be using different cognitive processes. In practice, they suggest that students should use highlighters to maximize their learning of text material.Interior design students and faculty from Mercyhurst College in Erie trav-eled to the state Capitol on Oct. 5 to support House Bill 1521. is leg-islation would create licensure requirements for the profession of interior designer. Pictured (from left) are: Kathy Weidenboerner, chairperson, De- partment of Interior Design; Leann Boyd, interior design student; and Meagan Fogel, interior design student.
DISTRICT OFFICE SERVICES
Services my staff and I provide include:
Driver’s license and vehicle registration applications and renewals,and assistance with other PennDOT paperwork
PACE and PACENET applications for seniors
Property Tax and Rent Rebate applications
State tax forms
Student aid applications
Copies of legislation
Tours of the State Capitol
Referrals to agencies to resolve state-related matters
If you need help with any of the above or with any other state- related matter, please do not hesitate to call my district office.
New System Can NotifyResidents of Prison Emergencies
Local residents can sign up for AlertPA to know when anurgent situation has happened at our nearby state prisons. Thissystem helps officials quickly send emergency text and e-mailalerts, and other important notifications, to users to assist themin making informed decisions.Individuals can register at
www.pa.gov
by clicking on “Alerts& Advisories.” Users can choose the method of notification – pager, text or e-mail – and select what type of information theywould like to receive. Individuals should review this informationto ensure they are fully informed of services the system providesand any responsibilities placed upon the user, including theneed to have text messaging on their cell phone accounts.Citizens who are interested in prison alerts, but do nothave access to the Internet, may contact their nearest statecorrectional institution’s critical incident manager to have their names and phone numbers added to the AlertPA system inorder to receive voice messages.You can also call the DOC’s emergency message line at1-888-316-8950. This outgoing message system will be updatedas major emergencies occur.
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