Serving the People of the 171st Legislative District

STATE REPEENTATIVE

Kerry A. Benninghoﬀ

Email: kbenning@pahousegop.com Website: kerrybenninghoﬀ.com

140 West High Street Bellefonte, PA 16823(814) 355-1300(814) 355-3523 FAX DISTRICT OFFICES:77 North Main Street PO Box 592Reedsville, PA 17084(717) 667-2319(717) 667-6025 FAX HARRISBURG OFFICE:41B East Wing PO Box 202171Harrisburg, PA 17120-2171(717) 783-1918(717) 260-6528 FAX Winter 2010

Dear Neighbor,

General Assembly, this is my report toyou. I encourage you to read throughit to learn about what is going on inour state Capitol and also in our dis-trict. is newsletter also has valuableinformation about state programs andservices that may be a benefit to you.Unfortunately, 2009 ended on asad note for my Bellefonte district of-fice. Just a few days before Christmas,the building that housed my districtoffi ce caught fire during the middle of the night. While the fire caused greatmaterial damage, we are thankful thatno one was hurt. We appreciate theefforts of our volunteer fire personneland also offer our thanks to BellefonteBorough for allowing us to temporar-ily operate out of their chambers.is newsletter includes informa-tion about state budget reforms thatI have proposed to make the processmore transparent, allowing taxpayersto see what is going on. It also includesan article about my recent efforts withcolleagues on both sides of the aisle toconvince Gov. Ed Rendell to releasefunding for state-related universities,including Penn State.If you have questions about any-thing you read in this newsletter orany state government-related issuesor services, please feel free to contactone of my district offi ces. We are hereto serve you!erry ennnghoff tate epresentative171st Legislative District

State Budget Reforms Necessary to Improve Process

Last year, Gov. Ed Rendell signed the statebudget into law more than 100 days afterhe June 30 deadline. While the budget hasnot been enacted on time since Rendell took offi ce, this was one of the longest stalematesin recent memory. e delay was completely unnecessary and proved the need for impor-ant reforms to improve the process used todevelop Pennsylvania’s annual budget.In the midst of last year’sbudget stalemate, I proposed wo reforms: one wouldmake the budget processmore open so Pennsylvaniansknow what their governmentis doing; the other would helpprevent budget delays in thefuture months after missinghe deadline.e budget standoff cameo a head last year when theHouse and Senate passeddiffering versions of a statespending plan. After thebudget bounced back andforth between the chambers with each insisting on its own version, abipartisan, bicameral conference committee was set to be established with three senators(two Republicans and one Democrat) andhree House members (two Democrats andone Republican). e committee’s meet-ings would have been subject to the state’ssunshine law, ensuring the public would beable to see what was happening.Unfortunately, before the committeemembers were appointed, House and Senateleaders met with members of the Rendell ad-ministration to finally negotiate the budget.is was done in an apparent attempt toavoid the open meetings law.In response, I introduced House Bill1887, a measure that would mandate thatall budget meetings between legislative lead-ers – with or without the governor – wouldbe conducted in public view and would beelevised. e measure would kick into ef-fect each year on July 1 if the leaders and thegovernor failed to reach a timely agreementon the budget.My second reform proposal is intended toensure that any future budget stalemates donot cripple state government. I introducedHouse Bill 2027, which would amend thestate constitution so that, if a state budget isnot signed into law whenthe new fiscal year beginson July 1, the state wouldcontinue to operate on ascaled-back version of theprevious year’s budget.On July 1, my bill would automatically enacta budget that includes 80percent of the previousyear’s spending allocations.In other words, until afinal budget agreement isreached, the state wouldoperate on a scaled-back budget where each andevery department wouldimplement a 20 percent spending reduc-ion.is proposal would help prevent law-makers or the governor from using the budgetas a point of leverage to push for their otherlegislative proposals. e temporary, reducedbudget would avoid the “crisis-mode law-making” that too often drives the legislativeprocess in Harrisburg.Both of my bills are currently awaitingconsideration by the House State Govern-ment Committee, of which I am the minority chairman. Because Democrats hold a major-ity of seats on the committee, a few of my colleagues from across the aisle would haveo support the bill in order for it to move outof committee and before the entire Housefor consideration. I remain optimistic that we can work in a bipartisan manner to makehese reforms a reality.

I will continue to ﬁght for common-sense budget reforms to make theprocess more open and account-able to the people of Pennsylvania.

Preparing for Electric Choice

Electric customers are in line for some goodnews. While preliminary doomsday” predic-tions suggested electric rates could rise by upto 50 percent following electric deregulation, itnow appears the increase will be much smaller.During the 1990s, Pennsylvania began thetransition from a heavily regulated electric mar-ket with arbitrary price controls to a free market where electric customers can choose among severalservice providers.e rate caps kept electricity prices arbitrarily low, which some thought could lead to signiﬁcantincreases when the caps are removed during thenext several years.e rate caps on Allegheny Energy and Pen-elec, which serve local residents, will expire onDecember 31 of this year. While preliminary estimates suggested ratescould soar by more than 50 percent when ratecaps were removed, an October news release from Allegheny Energy suggests, “a typical Pennsylvaniaresidential customer’s [electric] bill in 2011 wouldincrease $8.74, or 9.6 percent” if current trendspersist.For more information about the transition tothe system of electric choice, please visit my Website at

KerryBenninghoﬀ.com

and click on theElectric Choice” link on the left-hand side.

New Bellefonte Ofﬁce Location

Less than 2 hours after a fire damaged my Bellefonte district offi ce, we were operating apartially functional temporary offi ce to continuehelping constituents.In December, the building that housed my Bellefonte district offi ce caught fire in the middleof the night. While thankfully no one was hurt,he fire did ruin our district offi ce space. We set up a temporary offi ce at the BellefonteBorough building so that we could continue tohelp local residents with state government-relatedconcerns and issues. After a few short weeks, we re-opened ourBellefonte district office at

140 West HighStreet

,across thestreet from CoolBeans Coﬀee &Tea.

Our phoneumber will re-ain 814-355-300

Feel freeo stop by andcheck out ournew location!

O U

H O U L D

N O W

HOULD

NOW

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PennDOT Changes AgeRequirement for Photo ID Cards

Since Sept. 11, security issues have been frontand center. Among them are the need to develop ways to accurately identify people, including mi-nors. at was the thinking behind one recentpositive change in state law.e Pennsylvania Department of Transporta-ion (PennDOT) recently made photo identifica-ion (ID) cards available to Commonwealth resi-dents ages 10 and older. e previous minimum agerequirement to obtain a photo ID card was 16. Act 159 of 2006 lowered the minimum agerequirement for a Pennsylvania photo ID card toage 10. e law took effect Nov. 29, 2009. All otherrequirements for obtaining a Pennsylvania photoID card remain the same.To obtain a photo ID card, an individual mustcomplete Form DL-5A, Application for InitialPhoto Identification Card,” which is available onPennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services Web site,

www.dmv.state.pa.us

, under the “Driver License/Photo ID Information Center” link. An individualmust bring the completed form, along with therequired identity documents and a fee of $12 toa PennDOT Driver License Center to obtain thephoto ID. Required identity documents are listedon Form DL-5A.PennDOT reminds individuals under the ageof 18 applying for a photo ID card that a parent,guardian or person acting in loco parentis mustaccompany them to a PennDOT Driver LicenseCenter.To locate a PennDOT Driver License Center,visit the “Locations Information Center” on theDriver and Vehicle Services Web site.

Applying for Non-Civil ServiceState Jobs Just Got Easier!

e Commonwealth has improved the way you can apply for non-civil service state jobs.Paper applications are being phased out, so fromnow on you’ll need to apply online at

www.employment.pa.gov

You will provide your contactinformation and work history, then select the typeof job for whichyou would like toapply. Applicantssay it takes about20 to 30 minutesand you can logback on any timeo update your in-formation or ap-ply for additionalobs. Approximately 70 percent of the state’s jobsare civil service including, for example, technicaland professional positions in ﬁelds such as nursing,budgeting or accounting, auditing, engineering,information technology, and human resources. If you’re interested in civil service jobs, you shouldcontinue to apply at

www.scsc.state.pa.us

.More information about Pennsylvania jobs—including salaries and beneﬁts—is available at

www.employment.pa.gov

. If you do not have Inter-net access, you can ﬁnd computers at most publiclibraries and PA CareerLink sites. Call 1-866-858-2753 to locate the closest PA CareerLink.

Effort to Release Funding for Penn State and Other Schools is SuccessfulTable Games Coming to Pennsylvania

e General Assembly in January approved and the governor signed into law a bill legalizing tablegames – such as poker and blackjack – at Pennsylvania casinos.e new law will not provide one penny in property tax relief until the state’s Rainy Day Fund reaches750 million. at fund was completely emptied during last year’s budget. While the state attempts torebuild this reserve fund, homeowners will receive no property tax relief from table game proceeds.I would like to change the way the state’s share of the table games revenues are used. I believeproperty tax relief must be our top priority. I hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle willoin me as I attempt to positively reform this newly enacted law.

www.K er r yB enni n gh of f . c om

Rockview Land Transfer Update

During the past five years or more, a tremendous amount of discussion, research and debate has occurred regardinghe divestment of approximately 1,800 acres of property currently owned by the PA Department of Corrections.In 2003, Gov. Ed Rendell deemed this land “surplus property,” which systematically triggered a process for dis-position. Any state surplus property must first be offered to state agencies for first right of refusal. Following that,several agencies – including, but not limited to, state-related institutions of higher education – can attempt to acquireownership. After exhausting all these options, state surplus property can then be put up for public auction followingan appraisal to determine its fair market value.e Rockview property has drawn interest by several potential owners and Sen. Jake Corman, Rep. Mike Hanna andI have each introduced legislation delineating different owners. ough each proposal may have differed in potentialowners, we did agree on encouraging local public input, utilizing the now-completed master plan and on the needfor law enforcement capabilities to better ensure the numerous protections insisted upon by citizens of the county.Over the past several months, we have taken a different approach and concentrated our efforts on stewardshiprather than ownership. Additionally, we started by looking at soil types on the property, what their best use is andhow we can best protect the land while facilitating non-motorized public access. As the process moved forward, an exciting concept emerged. A potential compromise could include roles for thePA Fish & Boat Commission, the PA Game Commission, Clearwater Conservancy and the Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences.is could provide interagency educational opportunities for many of our college students, allowing them to takeclassroom learning into the field alongside biologists, geologists, foresters, wildlife managers, aquatic biologists andmany other trained and experienced professionals. ese hands-on learning opportunities could be developed forlocal high school students as well.Recently, we hosted a public forum to gather additional public input and reflections on the compromise concept.Of the more than 350 participants, 25 individuals spoke at a public microphone to share their ideas.In addition, we gathered written comments that evening and beyond. Several people raised concerns about theneed to ensure we have protections in any legislation to preserve historic features and landmarks.e most recent public meeting provided valuable information that the local legislative delegation will now meeto review, digest, and consider as we move forward.I am pleased the bulk of the decisions are now being made at the local level. is will continue to be the case ashe steering committee assists with the implementation of the very detailed and comprehensive master plan, regardlessof whom the new owners turn out to be.In any final legislative draft, distinct provisions will be made to ensure this land will not be developed, resold fornon-public use or transformed into wasteland.e process to identify a new owner for the Rockview property has been drawn out, sometimes contentious andfull of strong opinions on all sides. In short, it has been a classic example of democracy in action, with each interestedparty given an opportunity to publicly share their views before a final decision is reached.

When the governor signed the state budget into law in October, the spending plan did not allocate fundingfor Penn State University or the three other “state-related”schools – Pitt, Temple and Lincoln.Gov. Ed Rendell attempted to tie funding for theseschools to the controversial bill legalizing table games atPennsylvania casinos. e governor threatened that, if lawmakers failed to legalize table games – such as pokerand blackjack – he would not release funding for Penntate and the other schools.I sent a letter to the governor and legislative leaders, urg-ing them to separate these two unrelated issues and releasehe funding for the state-related universities. I argued thatPennsylvania could provide funding for Penn State withoutlegalizing table games. I think it is bad public policy tohold students and teachers hostage for some politician’sambitions to legalize table games. I also publicly calledfor legislative leaders and the governor to work together torelease the funding for these schools and their students.To view the letter I sent to legislative leaders or a columnI wrote regarding this issue, visit my Web site at

KerryBen-ninghoﬀ.com

and click on Press Releases” under the LatestNews” link on the left-hand side.Finally, approximately one week before Christmas, theLegislature approved and the governor signed into law a bill releasing the funding for Penn State and the otherstate-related schools. e law was signed despite the factthat the Legislature had not yet approved a bill legalizingtable games, proving these two issues did not have to betied together.Fortunately for the students served by these schools,good public policy trumped politics in the end and theGeneral Assembly and governor worked together to enactthe law necessary to release the funding.