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HARRISBURG, PAPERMIT NO. 529

STATE REPRESENTATIVE

Martin Causer

Legislative District

PO Box 202067Harrisburg, PA 17120-2067

Proposed Budget Spends More thanWe Can Afford

When federal stimulus funds run out in2011, Pennsylvania could be faced with a $2billion-plus budget deﬁcit.House Republicans argued last year, andwill do so again this year, that stimulus fundsshould be one-time investments. The moneyshould not be used to start or fund recurringprograms that will need money year after year.Those warnings fell on deaf ears.Now Gov. Ed Rendell is recognizing thata “ﬁscal tsunami” is coming our way due tothe expiration of stimulus funds. But rather than cut spending to address the shortfall, heis calling for new taxes to create a “StimulusTransition Reserve Fund.”The fund would be supported by the fol-lowing tax changes:• Lower the sales tax to 4 percent andexpand it to 74 currently exempted items,such as non-prescription drugs, personalhygiene products and a variety of

For the second year in a row, Pennsylvania isfacing a budget deficit, and for the second year in a row, Gov. Ed Rendell wants to increase statespending anyway. At his annual budget address in February,the governor proposed a $29 billion budget, anincrease of $1.2 billion (or 4 percent) over the cur-rent year’s spending, despite an estimated $525million deficit by the end of the fiscal year on June30. While we are better off financially than we werelast year, the fact remains that when you have lessmoney, you should spend less money.Instead, the governor plans to finance thisincreased spending with two sources of fundingthat are far from guaranteed. The first is more than$450 million from the tolling of Interstate 80. How-ever, the federal government has twice returnedthe application to toll the highway. The TurnpikeCommission submitted a third application late lastyear, and a decision on that is pending. Even if it would be approved, which I consider unlikely,there is little chance they would be collecting tollsthis year.The second source of funding the governor isrelying upon is $800 million in federal welfare dol-lars. Congress has yet to approve this funding.If one or both of these items falls through,there will be a substantial hole to fill in the state’sbudget.The people of Pennsylvania have said theywant less government and less spending. It ismy priority to adopt a fiscally responsible budgetin a timely manner.

Rep. Marty Causer presents a House citation to Zippo executives in honor of the company receiving the 2009 Governor’s Award for Safety Excellence. Zippo is one of just 10 companies across the state to receive the award. Pictured left to right are Jim McDonough,Vice President, Operations; Greg Booth, President and CEO; George Duke, Owner and Chairman of the Board; Ed Hayden, EHS Manager; and Rep. Causer.

Stimulus Transition FundWrong Approach

professional and technical services.• Establish a new tax on smokelesstobacco and cigars.• Implement a severance tax on theextraction of natural gas, including thatcoming from the Marcellus Shale region.• Change the state’s business tax structureby moving to mandatory unitary combinedreporting with a lower Corporate NetIncome Tax rate of 8.99 percent, and byadopting a single sale factor and removingthe current cap on net operating losses.According to the governor, these taxes wouldgenerate $874 million in 2010-11 and $1.4 billionin 2011-12. Although he indicated these fundscould not be spent until stimulus funds run outin 2011, I am skeptical this pot of money wouldremain untouched until that time.I am opposed to increasing taxes while our economy, and our citizens, are struggling torecover from the recession.

Spring 2010

Time to Find Alternatives forHighway, Bridge Funding

Regardless of the federal government’s decision on the governor’s application to tollInterstate 80 (at the time of this writing, no decision had been announced), it’s time for lawmakers and the Rendell Administration to find more affordable alternatives to funding our highway infrastructure needs.One of the alternatives being used in several other states, including Virginia, Florida,Texas, Illinois and Indiana, is public-private partnerships. Called P3s for short, these projectsinvolve state government joining with a private entity to construct new lanes or new highways,most often in large metropolitan areas with severe traffic problems. Typically the partnershipinvolves construction of a high-occupancy vehicle lane that motorists must pay a toll to use.While our region certainly would not benefit from any high-occupancy lanes, using public-private partnerships to fund maintenance and expansion of highways and bridges in metroareas would free up some additional state transportation resources that could be directed toroad and bridge maintenance projects in rural areas like ours.A study of the state’s road and bridge conditions found that we need $2 billion per year in additional transportation funding just to meet existing and immediate infrastructure needsstatewide.Two dozen states allow public-private partnerships to fund transportation projects. Thisis an idea the Legislature should carefully explore as we attempt to find new ways to fund our transportation infrastructure.

Rep. Marty Causer joined several Pennsylvania lawmakers on a trip to Washington, D.C., in December to meet with members of the Federal Highway Administration and voice opposition to the Rendell administration’s application to toll Interstate 80. The application has been returned twice since the law authorizing tolling passed in 2007. A decision on the most recent proposal is pending.

Heating Assistance Program Extended

Pennsylvania’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) has beenextended to April 2.Administered by the Department of Public Welfare (DPW), LIHEAP helps income-eligiblehouseholds pay for heat during the winter months with two types of grants.Cash grants are awarded based on household income, family size, type of heating fueland region. Crisis grants are provided in the event of a heating emergency, including brokenheating equipment or leaking lines that must be ﬁxed or replaced, lack of fuel, termination of utility service or danger of being without fuel or of having utility service terminated.Income eligibility for cash grants is up to $33,075 for a family of four. For complete eligibilityrequirements and additional information on LIHEAP, call my ofﬁce or visit

RepCauser.com

Applications are available at your local County Assistance Ofﬁces:• Cameron County -- 814-486-3757.• McKean County -- 814-362-4671.• Potter County -- 814-274-4900.

Staying Safe Online

The Internet offers a seemingly unlimited supply of entertainment and information to our children.Unfortunately, it also increases their risk of beingexploited by a child predator. Statistics cited by thePennsylvania Ofﬁce of Attorney General show:• 1 in 7 kids was sexually solicited online in 2005.• Almost 1 in 8 children ages 8-18 discovered theywere communicating online with an adultpretending to be much younger.•

49 percent of teens have posted personalinformation on their Web pages, such as name,age or address, which put them at risk for exploitation.According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, thereare a number of steps parents can take to help keep their children safe while surfing the net:• Keep the computer in a common room, not your child’s bedroom.• Communicate with your child about the dangersof Internet predators. Instruct them to never arrangeface-to-face meetings with someone they metonline and to never give out identifying informationabout themselves.• Spend time with your children online and have themshow you their favorite online destinations.• Use parental controls offered by your Internet serviceprovider.• Maintain access to your child’s online account andrandomly check his or her e-mail. Explain to your child why the checks are important.• Closely monitor your child’s participation in anychat room.The FBI also offers this list of signals that may indicateyour child is at risk:• Your child spends large amounts of time online,especially at night.• Your child receives phone calls from people you don’tknow or is making calls, sometimes long distance, tonumbers you don’t recognize, or receiving mail or packages from someone you don’t know.• Your child turns the computer monitor off or quicklychanges the screen on the monitor when you comeinto the room.• Your child becomes withdrawn from the family.Maintain open lines of communication with your childrenabout their Internet surfing and help them understand thedangers. You cannot monitor their Internet surfing at schoolor at friends’ homes. The best way to protect your childrenis to teach them to protect themselves.For additional information, visit

RepCauser.com.

www.Rep

CHIP Provides Affordable Health Care to Kids

Pennsylvania’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is open to all children under the age of 19 who do not qualify for Medical Assistance.No family earns too much money for CHIP, and some families can even enroll for free if they meet certain income guidelines.Those who do not qualify for free CHIP services will pay low monthly premiums and co-pays for certain services. Families who qualify for low-costcoverage will pay premiums of $43 to $68 per month, per child. Families with higher incomes who qualify for at-cost CHIP will pay approximately $195per month, per child.Services covered by CHIP include visits to the doctor or dentist, immunizations, prescriptions, vision and hearing care, diagnostics, emergency careand up to 90 days of hospital care. Drug and alcohol abuse treatment, partial hospitalization for mental health services, home health care, rehabilitationtherapy, hearing aids, and durable medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, are also covered.CHIP insurers in the 67th District are Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Western Pennsylvania, UPMC for Kids and Geisinger Health Plan (Cam-eron and Potter counties only).For more information about eligibility and enrollment, call my ofﬁce or visit

RepCauser.com

Causer Bill Names Area Bridges,Roadway in Honor of Dedicated Veterans

A bill I introduced to honor area veterans was recently signed into law by Gov. EdRendell.The measure recognizes the contributions of many veterans who have served our Commonwealth and our country by renaming an area roadway and three bridges in their honor.The bridge on U.S. Route 6 over the Allegheny River in Liberty Township, McKeanCounty, becomes the Lt. Colonel Richard J. Berrettini Memorial Bridge. Berrettini, a Port Allegany High School nurse, died in January 2008 from injuries he suffered in Afghanistanwhile serving with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.The bridge on U.S. Route 6 over Potato Creek in the Borough of Smethport becomesthe POW/MIA Memorial Bridge. There are more than 1,100 veterans from Pennsylvaniawho are listed as prisoners of war or missing in action. Nationwide, there are more than93,000.The bridge on U.S. Route 6/Main Street over the Allegheny River in CoudersportBorough becomes the Potter County World War II Veterans Memorial Bridge. A 1.4-mile section of State Route 120 in the Borough of Emporium becomes theGeneral Joseph T. McNarney Memorial Boulevard. McNarney was born in Emporium andlater became Commanding General of the U.S. Army in Europe and Military Governor of the U.S. Occupation Zone in Germany during World War II.

Rep. Marty Causer presents a House citation to former McKean County Jury Commissioner Wanita Lane upon her retirement after 35 years of service to the county.

auser.com

Area Residents Speak Out About ProposedWood Boiler Regulations

Causer Proposal Would Rein in EQB

Last fall, the state Departmentof Environmental Protection’s (DEP)Environmental Quality Board (EQB)adopted new, stricter regulations of outdoor wood-fired boilers.Recognizing that many people in our region rely on these boilers as a source of heat or electricity, I asked the EQB to holda hearing in our region so you could makeyour voices heard on this proposal. Morethan 150 people attended the hearing atCoudersport High School, many speakingagainst the regulations. As of this writing DEP has finishedcollecting public comment on the proposedregulations, and those comments arenow being reviewed. It is not clear whena decision will be made, but DEP has theoption to keep the regulation as it is, reviseit, or withdraw it completely. I will keep youposted on how this issue progresses.Under the proposed regulations:• A person may not purchase, sell, offer for sale, distribute or install a boiler unless it meets Phase 2 standards for efficiency.• New boilers must be installed at least aminimum of 150 feet from the nearestproperty line.• New boilers must have a permanentlyattached stack that must be at least 10feet above ground and extend at leasttwo feet above the highest peakof the highest residence locatedwithin 150 feet of the boiler.• Existing boilers must also have apermanently attached stack that is atleast 10 feet above ground and extendat least two feet above the highestpeak of the highest residence locatedwithin 500 feet of the boiler.• Only clean wood, wood pellets madefrom clean wood and certain homeheating oil, natural gas or propanefuels can be used in the boilers.It is my belief that state governmentdoes not need to step in to regulate theseboilers. Local governments are alreadyempowered to do so, and are better able todetermine the level of regulation necessaryfor their communities.I also believe the EQB oversteppedits bounds with these and other proposedregulations.I am introducing legislation to rein inthe EQB by requiring any of its proposedregulations be reviewed and approved bya majority vote of the General Assemblybefore becoming effective. EQB was notcreated to develop policy, and that is whatit is attempting to do with the wood boiler regulations. This is the job of the General Assembly.

Rep. Marty Causer testiﬁes before the state’s Environmental Quality Board about proposed outdoor wood-fired boiler regulations.More than 150 residents attended the wood boiler hearing at Coudersport High School.