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Views from state Sen. Wayne D. Fontana, D-Brookline.Last week, I announced that I will re-introduce legislation imposing a moratorium on court-ordered assessments through November 2012, or until the state acts on assessment reforms. A similar bill, passed by the state legislature in June, was vetoed by the governor because it singled out just one county. My bill would apply to all court-ordered assessments in the Commonwealth. People in nearly every municipality in my senatorial district have written to me, with the same pleas we have heard from county leaders. They want the system fixed before they are burdened with huge property tax …
Even though the state Senate will not be back in voting session until next Monday, Sept. 19, this week is still a busy one for committees—particularly in Pittsburgh. On Monday, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing to consider the impact of budget cuts on the University of Pittsburgh. Tuesday, the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee will held a hearing to accept testimony regarding the ongoing contractual dispute between Highmark and UPMC and Highmark's proposed acquisition of West Penn Allegheny Hospital. Today, the Senate Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure …
Tuesday, I announced my intent to introduce legislation that will require non-profits to begin paying taxes on the land value of real property owned by the organization. It has become very clear, particularly in light of the ongoing dispute between the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Highmark, that there are nonprofits out there with no concern at all about contributing to the common good or lessening the burden on government and taxpayers. Instead it’s about their bottom line. In fact, UPMC’s president was recently quoted as saying the decision to no longer negotiate was based …
Last February, I joined with my Senate Democrat colleagues in unveiling PA Works, a six-point proposal that is aimed at helping businesses create jobs, rebuilding the state’s aging infrastructure and energizing Pennsylvania’s economy. Our plan will spur the creation of more than 28,000 jobs, leverage over $2 billion in new private investment, and will result in more than $150 million in general fund savings. We would accomplish this by focusing on six core areas—small business, workforce training, critical state investments, clean and green energy, infrastructure investment and tax fairness —…
Redistricting is the process through which elective districts (House, Senate and congressional) are redrawn in order to provide that districts are as equal as possible, based on population. In Pennsylvania, the House and Senate districts are drawn by a Legislative Reapportionment Commission. This year, for the first time, you can follow along with the process as it evolves. The LRC website—www.redistricting.state.pa.us—went live this past Thursday. It contains information about the redistricting process, information about the Legislative Reapportionment Commission created by the state …
There are numerous opportunities made possible through the growth of the Marcellus Shale industry in Pennsylvania. The recommendation from the Marcellus Shale Advisory Committee that an impact fee be imposed on the industry reinforced what I and many of my colleagues have been saying for several years now. Hopefully, the recommendation as well as the overwhelming support for such an action by the public will finally result in some action by the Republican leadership in the Senate and House. Many of the proposals that have been introduced provide that the funding be divided between the local …
Although July’s unemployment numbers are not yet out as I write this, the rate was up last month for Pennsylvania although it still remains below the national average. As I have written before, Pittsburgh’s numbers remain slightly better and I believe it is because there are certain things that our region does very well when it comes to job growth. The Pittsburgh region understands the importance of small business in stimulating the economy and creating jobs. The region knows what resources and programs are crucial to job growth and it focuses on those sectors that perform well. Quite frankly…
This past Wednesday, the House Liquor Control Committee held a hearing on House Bill 11 (HB 11), legislation being introduced by Rep. Mike Turzai to privatize the state liquor system. Although the committee is expected to hold at least two more hearings on this issue, the only individual testifying was Rep. Turzai. In this case, that seems appropriate because the legislation has yet to be introduced and a draft was just provided to the members of the committee at the hearing. While the Representative has spoken about the legislation for months, and held a press conference on July 13 …
On July 19, the Governor’s Transportation Funding Advisory Commission unanimously recommended $2.7 billion in new transportation taxes and fees, to be phased in over five years. Although the final report has not been issued (it is expected on Aug. 1), a great deal of information was reported by the media. Without a lot of detail on these proposals, it is difficult to respond, but I can tell you that I do have concerns about doubling the county share for mass transit. This recommendation just passes the buck and requires county governments to do the heavy lifting. Quite frankly, it’s very …
Last Friday, the 30-member Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission voted and adopted 96 recommendations that will now be submitted to the Governor by July 22 at which point they will also become public. Based on news reports from the Commission meeting, the recommendations range from ways the state can help the natural gas industry find new customers to requiring that the industry help government pay the cost of its damage on roads and to the environment. Four months of work has, for the most part, put us squarely back where we were four months ago. While the recommendations are being touted as …
Those of us in Allegheny County have struggled with the property assessment issue and its impact on local property taxes for more than a decade. We know that the assessment system is fragmented and in need of reform, that there is little uniformity between counties, and that the current system provides little protection for homeowners who often see devastating tax increases.I have co-sponsored and supported a variety of bills since my election to the state Senate to try to address this issue. While legislators in Western Pennsylvania recognize the issue in our region, legislators in other …
Last Tuesday the Senate passed the budget bill by a vote of 30-20. It was a party-line vote, and I voted against the bill. The $27.15 billion spending plan will impose deep cuts and a heavy burden on many families throughout Pennsylvania. Education is the area that has been cut the deepest. Even more troubling is that the cuts, totaling more than $900 million, will hit poorer school districts the hardest and eliminate targeted programs for early learning initiatives and programs for struggling students. In Allegheny County, where property taxes are already high enough, it could likely …
Since I was elected six years ago, I have been in the minority in the Senate. There are certain things that you come to expect when in the minority—that you will have to fight twice as hard to have legislation considered, even when it is good legislation; that you will have to search for new and creative ways for your voice—the voice of your constituents—to be heard; that you will have to be proactive, rather than reactive; and that you will have to work together to be able to achieve accomplishments in your district. The one thing that I did not expect was to be completely shut out of the …
In a budget year that has been filled with disappointments and challenges, I was proud to participate in some good news last week when the PHEAA board voted on Thursday to give $50 million to the Commonwealth to supplement the state grant program. As vice chairman of the board, I have been working with my colleagues on this offer for quite some time and I am thrilled that it has finally come to fruition. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency has made significant strides in accomplishing its goal of becoming a valuable partner with Pennsylvania parents and students. The selection…
For many years, I have spoken about what can be accomplished when individual egos, partisan interests and private issues are put aside for the greater good. While individuals will always have their own interests and concerns, the ability to compromise and work together to reach a common and collective goal is progressive and laudable. I hope that I, as one of your elected officials, have shown that same commitment. The ability to work together benefits all of our communities, our region and our Commonwealth. As elected officials, we should all make good on our promises to work together with …
Today, I joined with my colleagues in a morning press conference where we outlined our priorities for this budget. Now that the Senate has received the House’s version of the budget, negotiations and conversations will begin in earnest. I have real concerns with the House budget because it would harm victims of rape and domestic abuse, people with disabilities, children, elderly and the poor. We should be doing everything that we can to protect and support our most vulnerable citizens. Of course, that is not the only piece of the budget that remains at issue. Although the House budget …
There are definite signs of our economy’s improvement—both literally and figuratively—if the number of help wanted signs in the area are any indication. This past week, the Pittsburgh Business Times published an article about the continued need for workers by the region’s employers. The newspaper asked the region’s 50 largest employers how many employees they are currently looking to hire—and the numbers were significant—over 4,200. Pittsburgh’s job growth continues to exceed the growth in other areas, and in the United States as a whole. It’s exactly that trend that we want to continue …
The Senate Policy Committee held a hearing last week at the Father Ryan Arts Center in McKees Rocks where I and other members of the committee heard testimony from several economic development programs about their successes and return on investment for the Commonwealth. After hearing the success stories from these organizations, I can’t believe it makes any sense to eliminate or consolidate programs like these that are so successful. This morning, the Community, Economic & Recreational Development Committee also held a public hearing to hear from the Department of Community & Economic …
As I noted last week, the House Republicans amended the budget bill (House Bill 1485) last week to replace it with their own version. While less was cut from education than the governor had proposed, the money to do so was taken by cutting money from the Department of Public Welfare—and rather than hurt the freeloaders that their caucus has talked about so frequently, the budget would harm victims of rape and domestic abuse, people with disabilities, children, elderly and the poor. In addition to the expected cuts to general operations in the Department, the House Republicans also made …
The Roman philosopher, Cicero, was quoted in De Divinatione as saying, “What greater or better gift can we offer the republic than to teach and instruct our youth?” I wonder, with all of the debate going on in Harrisburg on education-related issues, whether Cicero would think that we are “looking the gift horse in the mouth.” In March, the Governor proposed his budget and took aim at education. His proposal would decrease funding for basic education by $1.1 billion. Higher education would be decreased by $662 million. For the first time in decades, school districts would receive less …
