PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGEPAIDHARRISBURG, PAPERMIT NO. 432
Dear Friends:
As summer draws to aclose, I hope this finds you andyour family doing well and ingreat health.We are starting a fiscalyear on the heels of a budgetseason that lasted significantlyshorter than its predecessor.I voted against the budgetbecause once again excessspending, expansion of variousprograms and increasedborrowing in these turbulent,economic times was blatentlyapparent. As you do in yourown homes and with yourbudgets in tough times,Pennsylvania must do thesame.In this newsletter, you willfind the results of our mostrecent survey, as well as detailsof several upcoming eventsthat I hope you will considerattending.Thank you for reading mynewsletter, as well as for thehonor of representing theresidents of the 47th legislativedistrict. It is a privilege that Ido not take for granted.Sincerely,
Gillespie to Host Town Hall Meetings
On Thursday, Oct. 14, I will be hosting a series of town hallmeetings.....
• Manchester Township building
- 3200 Farmtrail Road, York,9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
• Springettsbury Township building
– 1501 Mount Zion Road, York, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• East Manchester Township building
– 5080 North ShermanStreet Ext., Mount Wolf, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.We hope you can join us to take part in any or all of thesediscussions that day.
York County House Members to Honor Vietnam Veterans
Members of the York Countydelegation to the PennsylvaniaHouse of Representatives areplanning a ceremony to honor Vietnam War and Era veterans.The event will be held at 1 p.m.,on Thursday, Oct. 7, in the Toyota Arena on the York Fairgrounds.If you are a Vietnam War andEra veteran or know someone(living or deceased) who is,please contact my district officeat (717) 840-4711 to submit theveteran’s name. You may alsoregister a veteran through mywebsite,
RepGillespie.com.
You must be registered toattend the event.
State Representative Keith Gillespie47
th
Legislative District
Summer 2010
District Office:
4188 Lincoln Highway, Suite B / York PA 17406 Phone: (717) 840-4711
Harrisburg Office:
PO Box 202047, Harrisburg, PA 17120-2047 Phone: (717) 705-7167
website: RepGillespie.com
Gillespie Budget Vote Favors Sound Fiscal Practice
s While I applaud my colleagues for passing a budget in a time frame significantly more responsible thanlast year, I could not support this year’s budget due to its three main shortcomings.First, it spends more money than last year’s budget, even though the state’s coffers cannot support thatlevel of spending. This plan again relies on increased debt and one-time transfers as opposed to settingresponsible priorities.Second, the budget’s passing was contingent on $850 million in federal money that we now know wewill not be receiving in its entirety. The more than $280 million shortfall will lead to unnecessary cuts andpotential job losses that could be avoided through better use of existing funds. Passing a budget basedon “hope” would be similar to making plans for a lavish spending spree that is predicated on winning thelottery. State government needs to set a better example in using “existing” revenue streams, not “potential” ones.Third, it sets poor priorities by restoring walking around money or “WAM’s” to state government whilecutting many more important items. I don’t think it’s appropriate during this economy because other higherpriorities are not being met and people are continually calling for less spending.While in office, my record has favored the hard-working Pennsylvania taxpayer and opposed the recklessspending that has been a hallmark of this administration. My budget vote reflects that philosophy.
Relieving the Burden of Property Tax
Not a day goes by that my office does not receive a letter, e-mail or telephone call expressing discontentwith Pennsylvania’s system of property taxes. The topic remains the number one issue on the minds of constituents throughout the 47th Legislative District.York County members in the General Assembly realize the burden placed on our citizens, and as a grouphave been the most outspoken opponents of property taxes. Unfortunately, our collective voice has fallen onpredominately deaf ears in the General Assembly.Hard as it is to believe, property taxes are not regarded as a major problem in many parts of the state.People who reside in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania’s northern tier have concerns other thanproperty taxes. Further evidence of that is House Bill 1275, authored by state Rep. Sam Rohrer (R-Berks),where a mere 35 out of 203 House members signed on as cosponsors of the bill, commonly referred to asthe Property Tax Elimination Act.With Rep. Rohrer retiring from office at the end of this term, someone will have to step forward andcarry the banner for the effort to address property tax relief. I will step into the breach and sponsorlegislation similar to HB1275.York County continues to be a rapidly growing area of the state. Unfortunately, with the manner in whichwe support our schools, this has become a tremendous liability. When it comes to funding education, westopped counting students back in 1991. As a result, growth areas such as southcentral Pennsylvania gettreated the same as areas of the state where population is declining, thus penalizing us for essentially beingan attractive place to live.We need to undo the mistakes made in 1991. As a delegation, we fought for the costing-out study as astep toward a fairer method of addressing Pennsylvania’s education needs. We are doing our best to keepthat ball moving forward, with the goal being more equitable use of school taxes to support schools and lessreliance on property taxes that have penalized our residents for the growth we have realized as a region.I believe my bill will garner additional support as it addresses areas where the Rohrer legislation metobjections. I look forward to introducing it to my colleagues in the General Assembly.
Gillespie Asks Rendell to Eliminate WAMs
Earlier this month, I was among 26 House members to sign a letter to Gov. Ed Rendell, asking him toremove discretionary grant programs, often referred to as WAMs, from the state budget. The letter wasgenerated in reaction to Pennsylvania receiving less Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) fundingthan was originally anticipated.You have undoubtedly read and heard of the millions of dollars that were allocated for libraries fordeceased or retiring members of Congress as well as other areas that most folks have an issue with fundingparticularly in these economic times.
Find out what’s happening in the 47
th
I recently welcomed members of the York Twinning Association to the state Capitol. The group included representatives from Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany,with whom York has a sister city arrangement.
G i l l e s p i e, S a y l o r t o H o s t S e n i o r E x p o
S t a t e R e p. S t a n S a y l o r ( R - R e d L i o n ) a n d I w i l l b e h o s t i n g o u r a n n u a l S e n i o r E x p o f r o m 8 a. m. t o 1 0 a. m., o n F r i d a y, O c t. 2 2, a t A d v e n t L u t h e r a n C h u r c h, 1 7 7 5 E a s t M a r k e t S t r e e t, Y o r k. M a n y s e n i o r - o r i e n t e d v e n d o r s w i l l b e o n h a n d a n d fl u s h o t s w i l l b e a v a i l a b l e. Y o u m u s t p r e - r e g i s t e r w i t h m y d i s t r i c t o f fi c e o n o r b e f o r e F r i d a y, O c t. 1 5 t o r e s e r v e y o u r fl u s h o t. P l e a s e r e m e m b e r t o b r i n g y o u r M e d i c a r e c a r d w i t h y o u.
Thank you for your opinion!
In order to better serve you in Harrisburg, I distributed a surveyearlier this year. My office received more than 1,000 responses.Thank you for taking the time to either mail back the survey or answerthe questions online. Here are the questions we asked, as well as a tabulation of the results:1)- Government is attempting to promote the selling of beer (six-packs) in supermarkets and conveniencestores. Do you support this policy?Yes- 55% No- 38% Undecided- 7%2)- Pennsylvania remains the only state in the nation that does not tax smokeless tobacco and is one of only two states that does not tax cigars. Would you be in favor of the governor’s plan to tax theseproducts at 30 percent of their wholesale value?Yes- 80% No- 17% Undecided- 3%3)- A casino license could be offered to a group of investors a few miles from historic Gettysburg NationalPark in Adams County. Do you support a referendum allowing the citizens of Adams County to voteon this issue?Yes- 77% No- 17% Undecided- 5%4)- The governor is proposing a tax on natural gas extracted from the Marcellus shale. Opponents prefera land leasing deal with the revenues to be divided among the state, local governments andconservation districts. Which do you prefer? Extraction tax- 25% Leasing of land- 69% Skipped- 6%5)- The major spending increases in the governor’s budget proposal occur in basic education, publicwelfare, corrections and debt service. Which of these areas do you feel does NOT deserve an increase infunding?Basic education- 14% Public welfare- 38% Corrections- 24% Debt service- 21%6)- Would you favor a proposal that would require Pennsylvania residents to prove their U.S. citizenshipbefore collecting state benefits such as Medicaid, welfare and in-state college tuition? Yes- 94% No- 4% Undecided- 2% 7)- In addition to addressing property tax relief, which two of the following issues do you believe should bethe top priorities for the state Legislature?Bringing jobs & business to the state- 25% Holding down the growth of state spending- 27%Controlling the cost of health care & prescription drugs- 14% Improving roads, bridges & highways- 9%Protecting the environment & preserving open space- 7% Welfare reform- 12% Other- 6%
legislative district at RepGillespie.com
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