Dear Neighbor

With the new year under way, I want to make you awareof the issues Pennsylvania and the 196th District are facingin 2010.The General Assembly will have some difficult choicesahead this year, as our economic situation has not improvedand we are again falling behind in revenue collections. I believewe are headed for another challenging budget process.Complicating our budget challenges is the approachingspike in the employer contributions to public employee andteacher pensions, which could cost taxpayers billions of dollars.The state is obligated to pay these pensions and the court hasruled three times that we cannot evade this responsibility. Ihave been working with my colleagues to find a solution to theimpending crisis, and I am hopeful that we can find an answer that will reduce the impact on Pennsylvania taxpayers.Another issue we are tackling in the Legislature is aproposal to ban the use of hand-held cell phones and textmessaging while driving. House Bill 2070 passed the Housein late January and is awaiting the consideration of the Sen-ate. I voted in favor of this measure because I believe it willultimately save lives by reducing distracted driving.If you have any questions about any of the issues dealtwith in this newsletter or any other state matter, please do nothesitate to contact me at (717) 767-3947.Sincerely,Seth GroveState Representative196th District

RSRT STD.S. POSTAGEAIDARRISBURG, PAERMIT NO 529

www.RepGrove.com

State Representative

SETH GROVE

196th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT

Winter/Spring 2010

Community Calendar

LEGISLATIVE EGGS AND ISSUES BREAKFASTSLEGISLATIVE LUNCHEONTOWN HALL MEETINGSSPRING DISTRICT OFFICEOPEN HOUSE

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In December, Rep.Grove welcomed the Central PennCrushers YouthSporting ClaysShooting Team fromWellsville to theHouse floor. Theteam was issued a citation for itsfirst place finishat the national championships and for its successes inthe Scholastic ClaysTarget Program.

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Grove Legislation Aims to Protect Teensfrom Child Predators, Felony Prosecution

Recently, I introduced legislation to address the practice of minors texting risqué photos of themselves or their peers, called “sexting.” After seeing reports of how widespread this dangerous practice had become and hearing about an incident in one of the school districts I represent, Iknew something had to be done.Sexting is dangerous because it can expose children to genuine sexual predators. Once these images are sent out in electronic form, there isno telling where they can end up, and police in York uncovered such photographs on the computer of a convicted sex offender. Sexting can alsolead to low self-esteem, harassment, bullying and has been linked to the suicide of two teen girls.Under current law, individuals who send these inappropriate text messages can be prosecuted with a felony crime if the messages contain anude picture of person under the age of 18. A minor who participates in this type of activity could be charged with sexual abuse of children, beforced to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law, and be marred by this conviction for a minimum of a decade.The goal of House Bill 2189 is to balance the very real need to protect children from exploitation with a fair punishment for the adolescentswho do not fully understand the ramiﬁcations of their actions. The legislation would create a misdemeanor of the second degree for teens caughtsexting and would apply if a minor sends nude images of himself or herself or another teen via electronic communication. It would not apply toimages portraying any sexual act or minors under 13 years of age.By classifying sexting as a misdemeanor, rather than a felony, it sends the message to teens that this is against the law and carries considerablepunishment, but not a punishment that would preclude a child from attending college, joining the military or getting a good job.This legislation has the support of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, and is expected to be considered by the House JudiciaryCommittee in March.

Recently, Rep. Grove participated in a “ride along” with the West Manchester Police Department. Grove is pictured here with Ofﬁcer Hal Brook.

Grove Takes Comprehensive Approach toLowering DUI Incidents

oo many senseless deaths and auto crashes occur when anindividual whose judgment has been impaired by alcohol gets behindthe wheel of a car. Those who drink and drive are not only riskingtheir own lives, but are also imperiling every other driver with whomthey share the road.o address this problem, I have introduced three pieces of leg-islation, which would work to reduce the number of repeat “DrivingUnder the Influence” (DUI) offenses.Treating Alcohol AddictionHouse Bill 1919 would allow judicial districts throughout Penn-sylvania to establish DUI courts to adjudicate individuals chargedwith a DUI. The objective of this legislation is to decrease incidentsof DUI and DUI-related deaths by getting to the root of the problem – alcoholism. The bill would impose a $25 surcharge on defendantsconvicted of drug- or alcohol-related crimes to help financially sup-port the court, instead of relying on taxpayer funding. A similar bill,Senate Bill 383, has been approved by the Senate and could bevoted on in the House soon. My DUI court legislation was amendedinto this bill.Creating a special court to deal with these types of offenses wouldsave money, reduce recidivism, keep families together and provideeffective treatment for people suffering with addiction. These courtswould be a proactive and practical method of reducing crime, andwould stop the cycle of repeat imprisonment for people with alcoholaddictions. When you consider that for every $1 spent on treatment,we see a $7 savings in the first year alone, it becomes clear that DUIcourts are not only a good investment, they are also commonsense judicial practice. York County’s special court has saved taxpayershundreds of thousands of dollars.Closing the Multiple First Offenses Loopholehave also introduced legislation to address a loophole createdby the case Commonwealth versus Haag, which allows repeat DUIoffenders to be charged with multiple first offenses. In this case, Haagwas charged with a DUI at 11:40 p.m., after which he was releasedto the custody of his wife. At 1 a.m. the next morning, only one hour and 20 minutes later, he was caught driving again and was cited for a second DUI offense. The case was originally tried as a first DUIand a second DUI offense, but a decision by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled these offenses should have been consideredtwo first DUI offenses since neither had been adjudicated yet.My legislation will correct this loophole to allow for any DUIviolation which occurs after the initial offense, but before a hearing,to be considered a subsequent offense.Taking DUI Offenders Off the Roadhen a person is convicted of certain violent crimes, we bar them from purchasing firearms. An intoxicated person behind thewheel of the car is wielding a dangerous weapon, and we must takeaway a repeat DUI offender’s ability to hurt or kill another personwith a vehicle.am introducing legislation that will require a two-year mandatoryminimum prison sentence for habitual DUI offenders with a provisionto force them to forfeit their vehicle. A stipulation is included in thelegislation to protect “innocent owners.”his legislation will apply to individuals who have had numer-ous opportunities to comply with the drunken driving laws and totake advantage of drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitationprograms, but have either failed or refused to do so.

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No Help for Homeowners in Table Games BillPennsylvania’s Financial Difﬁculties Continue in 2010

Spending:Budget Cuts:Budget Increases:Sales Tax Expansion:

As you are probably aware, Pennsylvania recently adopted a law to allow table games at slots parlors. I voted againsthis expansion of gambling for several reasons, but my main concern was the lack of immediate property tax relief for Pennsylvania’s struggling homeowners.When slots parlors were legalized in 2004, it was with the promise of property tax relief. Not only have we not seenmeaningful property tax relief from slots, but this legislation does not allocate a dime of table games money to the Propertyax Relief Fund until the Rainy Day Fund reaches a threshold of $750 million. As our Rainy Day Fund has a zero balanceoday, it will likely be a decade or more until homeowners see any benefit from table games.Along with my disappointment over the disregard for property tax relief, I was also concerned by the lack of importantand necessary gaming reforms in the legislation. Some of the issues needing to be addressed include political contributionso public officials from gaming interests, allocation of the local share of revenue, licensing standards and the relationshipbetween the Gaming Control Board and casino interests.We will see in time how much revenue this gaming expansion brings into the Commonwealth, but with surrounding statesmoving to legalize gaming, I do not think the results will be as favorable as the governor has presented. I have heard thisrush to legalize gambling called a “race to the bottom,” and I guess we will find out who reaches the all-time low first.