STATE REPRESENTATIVE PRSRT STD
SCOTT PERRY
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
HARRISBURG, PA
Legislative Report PERMIT NO.432
SUMMER 2010
Dear Friends andNeighbors, Budget and Pension
Thank you for the honor and
privilege to serve you at the Issues Combining to
Create Fiscal Storm
state Capitol in Harrisburg. I
hope you will find this newsletter
helpful as it contains information
on the challenges we face in the
current fiscal climate, as well It is clear that we must confront a of our positions, the speeding fiscal
as information on upcoming two-headed monster consisting of crisis continued unrelenting toward its
events that I will be hosting in bad budgeting and a looming pension inevitable destination. There is no more
the district. crisis. A new budget has passed and time to “kick the can” or point fingers.
a bill merely delaying the inevitable on The consequences of our insatiable
There are a number of challenges the pension issue is moving. state spending and unsustainable
we face as a Commonwealth in The question arises, who will speak public employee pension agreement
the months ahead. As always, my on behalf of taxpayers? When it comes are at our doorstep and they must be
staff and I stand ready to assist to state spending and public pensions addressed.
you with state government issues. in particular, the Legislature and Gov. The new budget did include a $1
Please contact the district office at Ed Rendell have continued to “kick billion reduction in spending from the
717-432-0792, or you can visit our the can” a bit further down the road original Rendell proposal, which did not
web site at RepPerry.com. year after year. It’s been expedient rely on new taxes, outside of a plan to
to blame the current situation on past tax the Marcellus Shale gas extraction
administrations or individuals. While in the future. That said, this bad budget
we held our breath and hoped the was partially based on phantom federal
market would improve enough to erase funding, and financial projections that
the unpleasant responsibility required have all of the hallmarks of a “shell
game.” This budget is almost $3
billion more than projected revenues,
is reliant on $35 million in one-time
transfers and increases debt service
by $57.3 million. It also uses federal
stimulus dollars to maintain programs
and spending levels that will prove
unsustainable when the federal money
is no longer available next year. This
Rep. Scott has the potential to lead to a nearly $5
Perry asks billion structural deficit for fiscal year
questions at a 2011-12.
recent House Its biggest sin is a continued
Republican dependence on revenue that is far
Policy from guaranteed. Last year, this
Committee administration raided the Medical Care
hearing. continued on next page
Rep. Scott Perry
District Office: David Brinton and Jodi Swartz
725-D North U.S. Route 15, Dillsburg, PA 17019 Telephone: (717) 432-0792 / Toll-free 1-800-283-1708
Capitol Office: Lisa Seilhammer
PO Box 202092, Harrisburg, PA 17120-2092 (717) 783-8783
Email:
[email protected] Web: www.RepPerry.com
New Unemployment BUDGET ...
Compensation Reform
continued from page 1
Availability and Reduction of Error
Legislation (MCare) Fund, money that was
not rightfully theirs which was later
reinforced in court. Now the governor
New reports on problems within the Pennsylvania unemployment is challenging constitutionality by
compensation system show once again, the need for comprehensive balancing a budget on $850 million
reform. As of now, the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund is in federal dollars that have yet to be
essentially insolvent. The Department of Labor and Industry estimates approved and stand a decent chance
that $2.5 billion will be collected in unemployment compensation taxes of never being realized. Should
in 2010, while the benefit payout is estimated at $4.3 billion. these funds fail to become a reality,
Presently, the Department of Labor and Industry has to borrow money our budget will contain a gaping
to meet its obligations, and shows a net deficit of nearly $3.7 billion at hole, leaving us in crisis mode by
the end of 2010. Without proper action, that debt could hit a level of $7.1 having to suddenly come up with a
billion. The numbers make it clear that we have to get the high costs substantial pool of money.
of our system under control to help keep businesses in Pennsylvania. The public pension crisis is still
There is no question that we must also address the revenue side of this looming. I voted against House Bill
issue as well. We have a bad budget situation coupled with a pending 2497, a bill that merely attempted
pension crisis, and this unemployment compensation problem only pours to kick the can down the road a bit
gasoline on an already large financial fire. more, rather than dealing with the
I have introduced legislation, contained in House Bill 2577, which core problem of financing public
proposes several changes to current law to include: pensions. It provides some short-
Increasing the amount of wages necessary to establish a term relief for school districts and
credit week from $50 to $125. the state budget, but it merely
Requiring active job search activities within 30 days of is a continuation of the same
filing a claim. system. Moving closer to a defined
Tightening eligibility for reapplication for benefits. contribution plan and reasonable
Slowing the growth of the maximum benefit rate. matching percentages for public
Readjusting the calculation of the benefit rate. employees is certainly something
we must consider in compiling
This effort is all part of an overall attempt at restoring fiscal sanity at a proposed pension deficit solutions.
time in which many people are frustrated with the increasing spending, However, regardless of which items
coupled with a lack of accountability and forward-thinking. are selected to “fix” the problem,
tax increases simply cannot be one
of the considerations. If we could
find a way to increase spending
by more than $8 billion in the last
seven years, the Legislature and
the governor can also find ways to
cut from new or expanded programs
to make up the shortfall in pension
funds. Slashing inefficiencies and
obliterating “nice to have items”
must be the focus of balancing
future budgets as opposed to the
Rep. Scott Perry speaks at the never-ending government search for
annual Second Amendment Rally new or expanded funding sources.
at the State Capitol on the subject
of the Castle Doctrine.
Rep. Perry
serves on the
following
House
committees:
Veterans Affairs &
Emergency Preparedness
Consumer Affairs
Labor Relations
Rep. Perry greets National Rifle Association Executive Vice-
President and Chief Operating Officer Wayne LaPierre
following remarks at the Second Amendment Rally. Children & Youth
Law-Abiding Citizens Should Please Join
be Able to Defend Themselves Me for A
Through Implementation of the
Castle Doctrine Live
For far too long, it seems that there has been a decided lack of common
Town Hall
sense utilized in dealing with Pennsylvania residents’ right to defend
themselves in the face of an imminent attack. That is among the reasons
Meeting!
why I have been pushing my legislation, House Bill 40, known as “The Castle
Doctrine.” We have achieved modest success so far, in that we have had South Middleton
approval for this legislation from the House Judiciary Committee. It still awaits
a full and fair debate on the House floor. Municipal Building
The bill would clearly allow for the right of self-defense to be used by our Wednesday
citizens in the face of an imminent attack, and not give undue protection to
criminals. Our residents have been forced to second-guess whether the law
Aug. 11 ~ 7 p.m.
would recognize their right to self-defense, and then, face a civil lawsuit as
a result of defending themselves and their families. The right of protection Dillsburg
should be sacrosanct.
This legislation creates a presumption that an attacker or intruder intends Senior Center
to do great bodily harm, and therefore force -- including deadly force -- may Thursday
be used to protect oneself, family and others in the face of an attack while
in the home or within an occupied vehicle. That presumption also applies if
Aug. 12 ~ 7 p.m.
a person is trying to unlawfully remove an occupant, against the occupant’s
will, from a home or vehicle. Fairview Township
The presumption would not apply if the person entering a home was:
Another resident of the home. Building
A law enforcement officer. Wednesday
A parent, grandparent or other guardian removing a child
from the home or vehicle.
Aug. 25 ~ 7 p.m.
In addition, the presumption would not apply if a person was using their
home or vehicle to further criminal activity. Newberry
I believe the work we did in crafting this legislation makes the standard very
clear. The bill eliminates the duty to retreat before using lethal force outside of Township Building
your home if the attacker displays or uses a lethal weapon. However, a citizen Thursday
would have to demonstrate a reasonable belief that they were in imminent
danger in order to use lethal force.
Aug. 26 ~ 7 p.m.
The legislation also offers specific protection against civil liability for the
lawful use of force in self-defense. Your home is your “castle," and the same
should apply to your occupied vehicle. I find it wholly unacceptable that the
criminal should have all of the advantages, and it is long past time to put these
solutions and rights into law. I have been working hard to educate individuals Vietnam
on this legislation and concept, and that includes the many media outlets
that have questioned it. I will continue to drive this debate forward so that Veterans
our citizens can have peace of mind when it comes to protecting themselves
and their families.
Ceremony
Coming in
Government Reform Task Force October
Working on Solutions I am joining my colleagues
in the York County delegation
As I travel throughout the district, read my regular mail and e-mail, and in an event to honor our men
speak to many of you here in the district office and in Harrisburg, a recurring and women who have served
issue that is raised is that of government reform. I appreciate the thoughts in the Vietnam War. The event
and ideas that you share. will be held Thursday, Oct. 7,
I am pleased to be able to serve on the Government Reform Task Force in the Toyota Arena on the York
of the House Republican Policy Committee, chaired by my fellow York Fairgrounds.
County delegation colleague, Rep. Stan Saylor. We have continued to If you are a veteran of that
hold hearings throughout the Commonwealth and have produced policy war, or know someone (living
ideas that can restore confidence in state government. This can be done or deceased) who was, please
through a comprehensive effort in the areas of property tax reform, spending contact the district office to
transparency, budget process reform, continuing to clean up the current submit the veteran’s name. You
gambling laws, eliminating the practice of “pay-to-play” government contracts may also register a veteran on
and election reform, among others. the district website at RepPerry.
Based on actions that have taken place in the recent and distant past, the com.
impression of state government in the eyes of the Pennsylvania taxpayer has This event is by invitation only
hit an all-time low. The time for good words is over and must be replaced with and advance registration and
good deeds. To see the efforts of this task force and other projects from the R.S.V.P. is required. Please
Republican Policy Committee, please visit PAGOPPolicy.com. register as soon as possible.
92nd Legislative District Survey
Please take a few moments to share your opinions with me in this brief survey. I am always interested
in knowing the thoughts and concerns of the people of the 92nd Legislative District so that I can represent
you to the best of my abilities. For your convenience, this survey is also posted on the district website at
RepPerry.com.
1. Regarding the looming $5 billion shortfall in the budget, should we cut funding to current programs or
raise taxes and fees to make up the difference?
Cut funding Raise taxes and fees
2. Would you support raising the sales tax or income tax or a combination of both to eliminate the property
tax?
Sales Income Both Neither
3. Should the Legislature expend funds now even if it means cutting program spending to shore up state
employee pension systems or should the debt be re-amortized over the next 30 years at an increased cost
of $27 billion?
Cut spending Re-amortize debt
4. In order to fund transportation needs in the district and in Pennsylvania, would you prefer to pay a
higher gas tax and related fees, or redirect funding from other areas and put that into transportation?
Gas tax and fees Redirect funds
5. Do you support charging an extraction tax on natural gas if the money raised is sent to the General
Fund to replace $5 billion in lost revenue? If the money raised is used to ensure industry regulation and
enforcement by DEP and the conservation districts?
General Fund Enforcement/Regulation Don’t support tax
6. Do you support having the state getting out of the wholesale and retail liquor business (state stores)
by auctioning licenses for the right to sell wine and spirits?
Yes No
7. Government is once again attempting to promote the selling of beer (six packs) in supermarkets and
convenience stores. Do you support or oppose this policy?
Yes No
8. Are you currently covered under a health insurance plan?
Yes No
First
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Return Address
Representative Scott Perry
725-D North U.S. Route 15
Dillsburg, PA 17019
