Major Summer 2011 Newsletter

8/6/2019 Major Summer 2011 Newsletter

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Summer 2011

PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

HARRISBURG, PA

PERMIT NO. 432

Sandra J. MajorState Representative H H H H

Reports to the 111th Legislative District

2011-12 State Budget

A responsible and sustainable spending plan Although crating this years budget proved challenging, the ultimate

2011-12 state budget passed the House on June 29, and was signed intolaw by the governor on June 30. Te budget spends $27.15 billion, which isapproximately $1 billion less than the 2010-11 budget, has no tax increasesand no new borrowing. Te budget is a responsible and sustainable scalplan that cuts wasteul spending and eliminates non-essential and duplicative

programs while still unding our core government responsibilities.

Making education a priorityBasic education represents one-third o the entire state budget or approxi-

mately $9.34 billion. Funding was increased or K-12 by $230 millionmore than the governors original budget proposal in March. Te Gen-eral Assembly, demonstrating its commitment to education, also dedicated$12.5 million rom each o the our caucuses to restore an overall total o$100 million or the Accountability Block Grant program or school dis-tricts, which is exible unding the schools can use as they see t.

In addition, the State System o Higher Education will be unded

at 82 percent o its current unding level; state-related universities willreceive 81 percent o current unding; and community collegeswill receive 90 percent o current unding.

Maintains safety net for those truly in needTe 2011-12 budget increases spending or the De-

partment o Public Welare by 1 percent in order tomake sure those who are eligible or assistance are ableto receive it. In addition, public welare reorms werealso passed along with the state budget that will helpreduce instances o raud and abuse within thewelare system, thereby saving state dollars and re-

sources or those who are truly in need.Furthermore, unding that was proposed to

be cut in the governors budget plan was restoredto areas o the budget such as hospitals, humanservices, burn centers, cancer screening services,trauma centers, obstetric and neonatal servic-es, and domestic violence and rape crisisservices.

For more inormation on the2011-12 state budget, visit my web-site at RepMajor.com.

On the web at www.RepMajor.com and at Facebook.com/RepMajor

Right to Self-Defense

Enacted into Law

Legislation that will urther protect law-abidingcitizens who use sel-deense when aced with an im-minent threat was signed into law on June 28.

Act 10 o 2011, known as the Castle Doctrine,claries state law so legal protection is aforded to

law-abiding citizens who use lethal orce in protect-ing themselves, their amilies and others while in theirhome, an occupied vehicle or anywhere they have aright to be, without rst having to retreat.

Te presumption would not apply i the personentering a home was another resident o the home; alaw enorcement ofcer; or a parent, grandparent orother guardian removing a child rom the home orvehicle. In addition, this legislation would not applyi a person was using his or her home or vehicle toengage in criminal activity.

It is important to emphasize that this legislation

does not endorse unlawul aggression; it merely pro-vides individuals with the necessary legal protectionto respond to such aggression.

Tis proposal, which I co-sponsored and havesupported in numerous legislative sessions, receivedstrong bipartisan support when it passed the Houseand the Senate this session.

Rep. Sandra Major was present when the governorsigned the Castle Doctrine into law. Pictured standinglet to right are Reps. Scott Perry, author o the CastleDoctrine; Marcia Hahn; and Mike urzai, majorityleader o the House. Sitting let to right are Rep. arahoohil; Gov. om Corbett; and Rep. Major.


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Clean and Green

Bill into Law

Governor Signs

Gov. om Corbett has signed into law my leg-islation to address small noncoal surace miningon land enrolled in the states Clean and Greenprogram.

Noncoal surace mining generally reers tothe mining o Pennsylvania Bluestone, which isa unique sandstone ound only in NortheasternPennsylvania and primarily in SusquehannaCounty. It is used extensively as a building mate-rial and or adding architectural details to struc-tures.

I drated this bill in response to concerns romthe Bluestone industry, county commissionersand county property tax assessment ofces on

how to properly assess land used or noncoal sur-ace mining.

Te Clean and Green program encouragespreservation o agricultural land. Properties en-rolled in the program are assessed and taxed basedon their use value, rather than the higher marketvalue. Under the law, i the use o the propertychanges, owners may be assessed roll-back taxeson all or part o the land.

Te main concern or the Bluestone operatorswas that rolling back taxes on the entire parcel oland as opposed to only the portion o land be-

ing used was cost prohibitive to the industry.Simply put, the new law will make sure land

used or small noncoal surace mining will betreated the same as land used or wind energy oror oil, gas and coal bed methane exploration andextraction under the Clean and Green program.

Te Pennsylvania Bluestone industry is animportant job creator in the Northern ier. Mylegislation will help level the playing eld when itcomes to assessments doled out under the Cleanand Green program and support uture growth othe industry.

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Marcellus Shale: The Next Step

Expected to be addressed during the Legislatures all session is the issue owhether or not to tax or impose a ee on drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

While energy companies are already paying hundreds o millions o dollars inbusiness taxes, many people believe that we should tax the natural gas as its beingextracted rom the ground. Tis wouldbe recurring revenue that could be used

in a multitude o ways: the GeneralFund, property tax relie, environmen-tal programs, transportation, etc.

Some believe that instead o a tax,companies should be assessed an im-pact ee every time a well is drilled. Techarges would be higher or an impactee, but the revenue would cease sometime ater the last well is drilled. Manybelieve an impact ee should be targetedto benet the areas that are most im-

pacted by gas drilling.Tere are numerous proposals in theHouse and Senate that call or a tax ora ee, and they all dier on where andhow the money should be spent.

Te House Finance Committeeheld its rst in a series o planned in-ormational meetings on July 19 tostudy these proposals. Te meeting gaveHouse members who have introducedbills to enact taxes or ees on Marcel-lus Shale drilling sites an opportunityto address the committee and explaintheir proposals. I attended the meetingand came away with a lot o good inor-mation and eedback that I will use as Icontinue to consider the merits o thevarious proposals.

Te ollowing is a brie descriptiono the House bills that have been intro-duced so ar pertaining to an impact eeor severance tax:

House Bill 1671 Tis bill would create a severance tax on the extraction

o natural gas, which would then be used to reduce the current Personal Incomeax rate rom 3.07 percent to 2.99 percent.

House Bill 1700 Tis bill would create a graduated annual impact ee oneach completed Marcellus Shale natural gas well with revenue being dispersed tolocal governments, county conservation districts, the Environmental StewardshipFund, the Hazardous Site Cleanup Fund and the Motor License Fund to addressthe impact on state roads and bridges.

House Bill 1705 Tis bill would assess a severance tax on natural gasextraction, with the revenue collected through the tax being distributed througha Property ax Assistance Program to assist eligible applicants in the payment oproperty taxes.

House Bill 1715 Tis bill, which I have co-sponsored, would enablecounties to establish an impact ee on each unconventional natural gas well. Feeswould be placed on each completed well according to a schedule, which wouldend once the well is taken out o production or in the 11th year ater it has beenconstructed. Te bill would prohibit the impact ee costs rom being passed on tothe property owner or the lease holder. Te ee would be disbursed to the countythat hosts the well; the municipalities in which the wells are located; the munici-palities in which there are no wells but the local government is within a countywhich hosts the wells; school districts within a county hosting a well site; and thecounty conservation district.

Governors Marcellus ShaleAdvisory Commission

Releases Recommendations

Te Marcellus Shale AdvisoryCommittee, led by Lt. Gov. Jim Caw-ley and comprised o Corbett admin-istration ofcials, representatives othe drilling industry and statewidebusiness groups, and leaders o severalenvironmental groups and local gov-ernment associations, released its nalreport on July 22. Te comprehensive

plan contains 96 recommendations orresponsible natural gas drilling in theCommonwealth.

Some o the key recommendationsinclude:

ougher regulations or drilling. Stricter penalties or violations. Promoting the use o natural gas

vehicles. Increasing the distance between

gas wells and streams, private wells andpublic water systems.

Posting more inormation online

or the public. raining Pennsylvanians to work

in the industry. Assisting Pennsylvania companies

to do business with the natural gas in-dustry.

o view the entire Marcellus ShaleAdvisory Committee report, go to mywebsite at RepMajor.com.

Rep. Majors legislation to ensure land used or themining o Pennsylvania bluestone (small noncoal suracemining) will be treated the same as land used or windenergy or or oil, gas and coal bed methane explorationand extraction under the Clean and Green program wasceremonially signed into law on July 27 by Gov. omCorbett. Joining her or the bill signing were bluestoneindustry representatives (standing let to right) ButchColeman, Donna Coleman, Jennier Schmidt, oddSchmidt, Penny Greene, Ed Greene, Brigette Evans andMarty Evans. Also pictured (seated) are Rep. ina Pick-ett, a co-sponsor o the legislation; Corbett; and Major.


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I am pleased to report that the governorhas signed into law legislation to ban the saleo street drugs commonly reerred to as bathsalts.

Now known as Act 7 o 2011, the new lawadds the chemical compounds that make up

bath salts to the states controlled substance list.Criminal activity and violent behavior are on the rise in con-

nection with the use o bath salts, which can cause higher bloodpressure, increased heart rate, psychosis and a tendency to engage inaggressive behavior.

Compounds ound in these new bath salts have already beenbanned in Europe, as well as several states throughout the country.

I am hopeul the new law will help reduce access to these danger-ously addictive drugs and provide law enorcement with the backingit needs to do its job.

Designer Drugs Known asBath Salts Placed on States

Controlled Substance List

Rep. ina Pickett joinedRep. Major in presenting a con-dolence resolution honoringthe late Kenneth B. Lee, who

served as speaker o the House,to his wie, Marjorie. Speaker Leepassed away on Dec. 23, 2010. Aspecial House ceremony honoredLee and his contributions to theGeneral Assembly.

Reps. Major and Tina Pickett presented citations on the House oorto Elk Lake High School boys and girls state champion cross countryteams. Pictured let to right are Major, Speaker o the House Sam Smith,Mike Bedell, Maria Trowbridge and Pickett.

Welfare Reforms Address Cases ofWaste, Fraud and Abuse

For years, my colleagues and I have called or reorms withinthe states Department o Public Welare (DPW), particularly ol-lowing documented instances o waste, raud and abuse.

As part o this years budget and our eort to control govern-ment spending, an array o welare reorms were implemented

with the states Welare Code.With these reorms, we are seeking to ensure that only those

who are eligible or assistance receive assistance and to restore in-tegrity to the system.

Te reorms would authorize random drug testing or welareapplicants who have been convicted o a prior drug elony; re-quire the use o a raud detection program that would run welareapplicants inormation through an income eligibility vericationsystem beore providing benets; provide cash benets based ona persons county o residence in order to prevent benet shop-ping, where people apply or welare benets in a county other

than the one in which they live in order to receive higher pay-ments; and change the raud-laden special allowance program un-der the Department o Public Welare.

Te nal budget includes about $400 million in welare savings,and these reorms will help ensure the department has the ability toachieve that goal.

Rep. Major recentlyread the book WhoseShoes? A Shoe or Every

Job to school children atForest City Pre-K.

A grant seminar ea-turing State Fire Com-missioner Ed Mann orvolunteer re and am-bulance organizations

was hosted by Rep. Ma-jor on April 21. Picturedlet to right ollowingthe event are John Mi-chaels, a reghter with the Harord Volunteer Fire Company; Mann;Major; and Rick Moser, chie o Harord Volunteer Fire Company.

Lawsuit Abuse Reform Measure Signed by Governor

Legislation that reorms the way in which liability lawsuits

are handled in Pennsylvania was recently signed into law.

Unortunately, Pennsylvania has one o the most hostile-to-business tax and regulatory environments in the country. wo-

thirds o small business owners say they make business decisions

to avoid lawsuits, 23 percent say those decisions have orced

them to cut employee benets, and 11 percent say those deci-

sions have orced them to lay o employees.

Up until the new law, Pennsylvania still retained what law-

yers call ull joint liability, which meant that i a lawsuit named

multiple deendants, the one with the deepest pockets can then

be held liable or all o the plaintis damages, even i this solvent

deendants actions had little to do with the injuries alleged.

A states civil liability laws are almost always considered by

business executives who make expansion and relocation deci-

sions. Its simple: Legal liability costs scare jobs away.With this new law, we are seeking to prevent abuse o the

legal system, thereby encouraging employers and businesses

to keep jobs, create jobs and attract more jobs. Under the Fair

Share Act, a deendant will be held responsible only or his

or her proportionate share o the total damages awarded to

compensate a plainti.

We must stress that our goal is not to deny anyone with a

legitimate claim the right to seek compensation. Rather, we

are attempting to rid our legal system o the rivolous lawsuits

that are delaying justice or those who truly deserve it.

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WHAT MY OFFICE CAN DO FOR YOU...Please do not hesitate to contact the district ofce

for assistance with any state-related matter.

l Car registration, special tags, handicapped placards and

license applications.

l PACE/PACENET applications.

l Information on nancial assistance for higher education.

l Birth certicate applications.

l Pennsylvania income tax forms.

l Property Tax/Rent Rebate applications.

l Requests for literature of all kinds bills, regulations,

statutes, senior citizen information, student aid information, etc.

l Citations from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

for notable local accomplishments and family milestones.

l Tours of the State Capitol for individuals or groups.

l Complaints and problems with insurance companies.

l Fishing and hunting information.

Local Ofces:

16501 S.R. 706, Suite 2

Montrose, PA 18801

Phone: (570) 278-3374

130 Bridge Street, Suite 3

Tunkhannock, PA 18657

Phone: (570) 836-5888

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.RepMajor.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/RepMajor

Contact Representative Major

www.RepMajor.com Facebook.com/RepM4

Deadline to Apply for

Property Tax/Rent Rebate

Program Extended

Te deadline to apply or the states Property ax/Rent Rebate program has been extended to Dec. 31.

Eligible participants can receive a rebate o up to$650 based on their rent or property taxes paid in 2010.Te program benets eligible Pennsylvanians who are 65years or older, widows and widowers 50 years or older,and those 18 years or older with disabilities.

Eligibility income limits are set at the ollowing levels,excluding 50 percent o Social Security, Supplemental Se-curity Income, and Railroad Retirement ier 1 benets:

$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 inormation required toprocess claims quickly and accurately.

Property ax/Rent Rebate claim orms are availableby contacting my ofces or by visiting my website atRepMajor.com.

Mobile Vet Center Makes MonthlyVisits to Tunkhannock

In an eort to better serve veterans in the 111th Legislative District, amobile vet center makes regular visits to unkhannock each month witha stop at Route 29 and Route 6 By-Pass in unkhannock, across the streetrom Gays rue Value.

Some o the services provided through the mobile vet center include: Individual and group counseling. Marital and amily counseling. Bereavement counseling. Medical reerrals. Assistance in applying or VA benets. Employment counseling, guidance and reerral. Alcohol and drug assessments. Inormation and reerral to community resources.Appointments or mobile vet center services are not required.Inormation on the dates and times o the center visits is available by

contacting my district ofces or by visiting my website at RepMajor.com

or my Facebook page at Facebook.com/RepMajor.

Reps. Sandra Major and Karen Boback have secured regular visits rom themobile vet center to assist veterans in the unkhannock area. Pictured rom letare Boback, Joseph May, Gretchen Bentler, Mark Burrier, Major, Wyoming Coun-ty Commissioners Anthony Litwin, Stark Bartron, and om Owens.

Satellite Ofce Hours Available in Lakewood

In an eort to provide more convenient services to residents in the Wayne County portion o the district, I generally hold satelliteofce hours on the second Tursday o each month rom 10 a.m. to noon at the Preston ownship Building on Crosstown Highway(Route 370) in Lakewood.

Dates are subject to change, so please contact my ofces or my website at RepMajor.com to conrm.

R E M I N D E R S

Documents

Major Summer 2011 Newsletter