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February 2011 Dear Friend, I am pleased to send you the latest edition of my electronic newsletter. I send these e-newsletters out from time to time as a way to provide information to you while saving postage costs. I hope you find this information useful. And if I can ever be of assistance to you, stop by either of my district offices or please call me at 724-774-0444. If you do not wish to receive these e-newsletters, please click the "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the page. Sincerely, Elder Bill Would Abolish the Office of the Lieutenant Governor With Pennsylvania facing some extremely tough financial decisions this year, I believe that we must take appropriate steps to reduce spending wherever and whenever possible. That means we must also look at the way the state operates and determine where we can streamline operations and reduce costs. With that purpose in mind, I introduced a bill to eliminate the position of Lieutenant Governor. The past two administrations have seen vacancies in the Lieutenant Governor's office and both have been filled by the sitting President Pro Tempore of the Senate. This is evidence to me that the Lieutenant Governor's position needs to be abolished. My bill amends the Pennsylvania Constitution to remove the references to the Lieutenant Governor's office. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate would preside over the Senate and would become governor in the event that the office is vacated. Currently, the Lieutenant Governor is the Chairman of the Board of Pardons. My bill would turn that job over to the state Attorney General. We can no longer afford to continue to pay for positions, boards, and programs simply because that's what we have always done. We need to start practicing a little common sense, and that means we must either give the Lieutenant Governor duties to justify all that money or abolish the office. It's time that we put an end to 'business as usual.'
Bill Reducing Size of Legislature Reintroduced In addition to my bill eliminating the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, I also recently reintroduced a bill that would reduce the size of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. We face a large budget deficit where we will be asking everyone to tighten their belts. This legislature should follow suit by reducing our numbers by 40 percent, as my bill does. Everywhere I go I hear my constituents call for cutting the size of government. Not only would this legislation save the taxpayers millions of dollars, I think it would also make the legislature more accountable to the people. Under Senate Bill 457, the Senate would be reduced from 50 seats to 30 seats, and the House of Representatives would be reduced from to 203 seats to 121 seats. Commonwealth Budget figures, this legislation would save the citizens of the Commonwealth approximately $117.5 million dollars. One only has to look at the size of government, whether it be state, local, federal - to realize we need less government, not more. I previously introduced this bill last session as
Senate Bill 684 and I was pleased by the support it received, especially
during a public hearing held by the
Senate State Government Committee last April at the Penn State-Beaver
Campus.
Taking over the Agriculture Committee Chairmanship I was pleased and honored to be appointed by President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati to serve as the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee for the 2011-12 Legislative Session. The Committee considers legislation and holds hearings on issues pertaining to agriculture in Pennsylvania and provides review and oversight on regulations proposed by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. I look forward to working with the Governor and the other members of the Committee, across the partisan lines, as we work on the diverse issues facing the agricultural community.
Mark Your Calendar For prospective entrepreneurs, the North West Commission Small Business Seminar will provide information on how to start a business. The event is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, in the Albert Gettings Annex next to the Lawrence County Courthouse, 430 Court Street in New Castle. Information on Living Wills will be among the topics at an Older and Wiser Seminar set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday, April 29, at the Ben Franklin Early Learning Center, 815 Cunningham Ave., New Castle. My annual Kid's Extravaganza will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, at the Community College of Beaver County Dome, 1 Campus Drive in Monaca. The fun and educational day for the whole family will include special guests from the Pittsburgh Zoo and a special appearance from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. by the by the Pittsburgh Parrot. We are planning to salute our local hometown heroes – police, firefighters and EMS crews – at a First Responders Appreciation Day, scheduled for Saturday, September 10. Look for more information about this in the coming months. My annual Senior Expo, which provides valuable information and entertainment
to our older residents and their families, is set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on
Friday October 14, at the
Community College of Beaver County Dome, 1 Campus Drive in Monaca. |
Offices Senate Box 203047 District Rochester New Castle
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