PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
HARRISBURG, PA
PERMIT NO. 432

Dear Friends,
Older & Wiser Events
Scheduled for Seniors
I trust you are enjoying your summer. As a
Representative Curt Sonney Summer 2010

lifelong resident of Erie County, I know what a
beautiful place this is to live and raise a family,
and taking part in the area’s many summertime
activities is a big reason why I truly feel we live in
one of the finest parts of this state.
Thank you for taking time to read my
newsletter. In it, you will find details of some
activities we have planned for the coming months,
as well as my thoughts on the budget that was
recently passed. You’ll also get news about some of
the services my office can provide.
I need to also take time to thank you for
sending me to Harrisburg. Serving as your
representative in the General Assembly is a
responsibility I do not take lightly.
Feel free to contact my office with any
legislative questions or concerns. Your feedback is
necessary so that I may continue to be an effective
voice at the State Capitol.
Sincerely,
In August, I will again be teaming with
Northwestern Legal Services to sponsor a series of free
Older & Wiser seminars throughout the district. These
forums are sources of good information for older adults,
their families and caregivers. No pre-registration is
required.
The subject of each discussion will be Protection
through Powers of Attorney and Living Wills. Local
attorneys will explain how each of these documents
work and the risks involved with not having them.
The Older & Wiser seminars are scheduled as
follows, with the presenting attorney or law firm in
parentheses:
• Fri., Aug. 6- 10 a.m. Harborcreek Twp. Building,
5601 Buffalo Road, Harborcreek (Quinn Law Firm)
• Thurs., Aug. 12- 10:45 a.m., Union City Senior
Center, 27 Johnson Street, Union City (Craig
Shamburg, Esquire, MacDonald, Illig, Jones and
Britton)

• Fri., Aug. 20- 10 a.m., Corry Senior Center, 25

South First Avenue, Corry (Jeffrey D. Scibetta,
Esquire, Knox, McLaughlin, Gornall & Sennett)
Curt Sonney, State Representative
4th Legislative District • Fri. Aug. 27- 10 a.m., North East Senior Center,
50 East Main Street, North East (Quinn Law Firm)

Sonney Budget Vote Support Prudent Fiscal Practices

While I was pleased that the budget process was completed
in a more responsible time frame than a year ago, I was
forced to vote against the plan because of the pattern of fiscal
irresponsibility it continues to follow.
This budget does reflect a reduction in the rate of increased
spending compared to past years in the Rendell administration;
however, Pennsylvanians are being asked to do more with less
and we in state government are providing a poor example by not
doing likewise. Many of our constituents are being forced to make
difficult financial decisions, and the General Assembly should have
Continued on page 2...
 Budget Article Continued from page 1...

followed suit by making tough choices as well.

The most glaring error in this spending plan is its reliance on money that this state simply does not have. As of
this newsletter going to print, Pennsylvania is still waiting to hear whether or not it, along with a number of other
states, will receive Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) dollars from the federal government. To craft a
budget that is predicated on such an unpredictable revenue source is frankly irresponsible. In our everyday living,
this would be similar to planning an extravagant vacation or elegant purchase while banking on winning the lottery.
As was the case a year ago, this budget relies on one-time transfers. Rather than cutting spending and making
difficult decisions as you and I would do in our households when times are tough, we are tapping a $35 million
“source” that will be unavailable in future years.
The difficult financial times in which we live call for all of us to make sacrifices of one form or another. That
being said, it is difficult to watch our public libraries (and the people who use them) be required take a $5.5 million
cut in services while nearly four times that much money ($20 million) is being dedicated to the construction of new
libraries in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Our libraries continue to serve a valuable purpose in our local communities,
and asking them to sacrifice while at the same time initiating pet projects does not equate to all of us having to
share the pain in these trying economic times.

EQB Confronts Wood-Fired Boilers Issue

On Tuesday, July 13, Pennsylvania’s Environmental Quality Board (EQB) voted favorably on changes suggested
by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with regard to final rulemaking on the issue of outdoor wood-
fired boilers OWBs). The regulation now goes to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission for their final
review.
DEP revised its proposal thanks to the tremendous volume of public outcry. Approximately two-thirds of the
respondents either opposed the originally-proposed regulation or wanted revisions made in the proposal.
Revisions to their original proposal include the following:

• Owners of existing OWBs will not be required to retrofit their stacks as originally proposed.

• A sell-through provision until May 31, 2011, for existing in-stock, non-Phase 2 OWBs with stack height and
setback provisions has been added.

• Except for units sold under the sell-through provision, only Phase 2 OWBs may be installed after the effective
date of the regulation.

• An exemption that allows the sale of existing OWBs as part of normal real estate transactions has been added.

• New Phase 2 OWB installations must have a minimum stack height of ten feet and be set back a minimum of
50 feet from the nearest property line.

• All OWBs operating within this Commonwealth can burn only allowed fuels, including clean wood.
To view the DEP power point presentation made to EQB, please visit my website, RepSonney.com, and
click on Outdoor Wood-Fired Boilers.

Sonney Schedules Satellite

Office Hours
In an effort to reach out to constituents, we continue to hold
satellite office hours at two locations. For those who cannot easily
access my Corry and Harborcreek district offices, you can have your
legislative questions and concerns addressed Wednesdays from 1 p.m.
to 3 p.m. at the following locations:

• North East Township Bldg.,

10300 W. Main Rd., North East

• Northwest Savings Bank, Sonney reads to students in the

Penn State-Behrend Early Learning Center.
22 North Main St., Union City

Visit my Website a

House Unanimously
Passes Sonney Six Mile
Creek Park Legislation
The House of Representatives unanimously
passed my legislation transferring ownership
of Six Mile Creek Park from Erie County to
Harborcreek Township. The bill now sits with the
Senate State Government Committee.
The vote leaves us one step closer to keeping
this beautiful, unique property maintained as
open space I am hoping we can move House
Bill 2231 through the Senate on an affirmative
vote and then on to the governor’s desk for his
signature.
The Project 70 Land Acquisition and
Borrowing Act, which was signed into law in
1964, requires the General Assembly to authorize
the sale of any land purchased with Project 70
funds. Erie County subsequently purchased the
land for this park in the late 1960’s with state
Project 70 funds.
The 450-acre Six Mile Creek Park consists
of mostly forested land. Six Mile Creek flows
through the park and creates a deep gorge with
steep bluffs. The park will not be developed
beyond improvements to parking and public
access and will be made available to the public
for passive recreation purposes.
Sonney Supports Castle
Doctrine
I have signed on as a supporter of House Bill 40, which
is associated with the Castle Doctrine. The legislation
would permit law-abiding citizens to use force, including
deadly force, against an attacker in their homes and any
places outside of their home where they have a legal right
to be. It is clearly stated that there would be no “duty to
retreat” from an attacker, allowing law-abiding citizens to
stand their ground to protect themselves and their family.
HB40 would also protect individuals from civil lawsuits by
the attacker or the attacker’s family when force is used.
Searching for Vietnam Veterans
My office will be planning a ceremony to honor Vietnam
War veterans.
We are searching for the names of men and women
who served in this conflict. If you are a Vietnam War
veteran, or know someone who is, please contact my Corry
office at (814) 664-9126 or my Harborcreek office at (814)
897-2080. You can also register the veteran’s name online
at my website, RepSonney.com.
You will be asked to supply contact information. These
details are necessary in order that invitations to the event
may be sent out.
Please help us honor those who honorably served our
country.

American Veterans Traveling Tribute Comes to Erie

Erie First Assembly of God and Cycle City of Erie are teaming up to bring The American Veterans Traveling
Tribute to Erie. The display will be available for viewing from Wed., Aug. 25 to Sun., Aug. 29, at the Erie First
Assembly of God, 850 Oliver Road.
The American Veterans Traveling Tribute provides a forum for citizens to honor, respect and remember all
those whom we have asked to stand in harm’s way to protect and defend our great country and freedom as our
way of life.
The display stretches over 380 feet long from end to end and includes displays representing statistics from
every war/conflict that the United States has been involved in.

Project Lifesaver Helps Those with Cognitive Disabilities

Project Lifesaver is a tracking system that is being made available to Erie County residents who care for
children or adults that may wander from their homes or care facilities and get lost due to their diagnosis of autism,
Alzheimer’s, or dementia.
Project Lifesaver relies on technology and specially-trained deputy sheriffs from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office.
Registered clients wear a personalized one ounce battery operated transmitter bracelet that emits an automatic
tracking signal every second- 24 hours a day. Each transmitter has a range of several miles and has its own
frequency enabling the search team to positively locate and identify the person who has wandered away from
their home or care facility. When a caregiver realizes their loved one is missing, they can contact their local law
enforcement agency by calling 911 and asking to be transferred to the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. A trained search
and rescue team will begin searching with mobile locator tracking systems.
For more information, please visit my website, RepSonney.com, and click on Project Lifesaver.

at RepSonney.com
 Apply for Property Tax Relief
The deadline to apply for the state’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate program for
2009 is being extended from June 30 to December 31, 2010.
Eligible participants can receive a rebate of up to $650 based on their rent or
property taxes paid in 2009. The program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians who
are 65 years or older, widows and widowers 50 years or older, and those 18 years
or older with disabilities.
Eligibility income limits for homeowners are set at the following levels,
excluding 50 percent of Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, and
Railroad Retirement Tier 1 benefits:

• $0 to $8,000, maximum $650 rebate (Homeowners and renters)

• $8,001 to $15,000, maximum $500 rebate (Homeowners and renters)
• $15,001 to $18,000, maximum $300 rebate (Homeowners only)
• $18,001 to $35,000, maximum $250 rebate (Homeowners only)

Residents are reminded to provide all the necessary income, property tax or
rental information required to process claims quickly and accurately.
Property Tax/Rent Rebate claim forms are available by contacting my Corry
office at (814) 664-9126, or my Harborcreek office at (814) 897-2080, or by
visiting my website at RepSonney.com.

Homestead and Farmstead SAVE THE DATES!!!

Exclusion
Senior Expo hosted by
The Taxpayer Relief Act was signed into law State Rep. Curt Sonney
by Governor Rendell on June 27, 2006. This act
provides two separate mechanisms to reduce
your property tax bill. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Under a homestead or farmstead property
tax exclusion, gambling revenues are used to
allow school districts to exclude from real estate Flu shots available,
taxation a uniform dollar amount of the assessed
value of homestead and farmstead properties that no appointment necessary
have been approved.
Your school tax bill will reflect any homestead/
farmstead exclusion. If it does not, please contact
Friday, Sept. 17- Harborcreek
my district office, which can also offer you Social Hall, 7275 Buffalo Road
assistance.
Applications for the Homestead and
Farmstead exclusions are also available at my Friday, Sept. 24- Corry
website, RepSonney.com, by clicking on Community Center
Property Tax Relief.
125 South First Avenue

State Representative Curt Sonney

4th Legislative District
Capitol Office: District Offices:
149-B East Wing 4457 Buffalo Road
PO Box 202004 Erie, PA 16510
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2004 Phone: (814) 897-2080
Phone: (717) 783-9087 Fax: (814) 897-2083
Fax: (717) 787-2005
707 East Columbus Avenue
Corry, PA 16407
Email: csonney@pahousegop.com Phone: (814) 664-9126
Web: RepSonney.com Fax: (814) 664-5857