state rep. jesse white newsletter (2/10)

8/14/2019 State Rep. Jesse White newsletter (2/10)

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Winter 2010

tabl gam comng o tMadow, a lo facl

46th legisative District

State Representative

Jesse WhiteCapitol Ofce: 102B East Wing P.O. Box 202046 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2046 Phone: (717) 783-6437

Cecil: 3855 Millers Run Road P.O. Box 285 Cecil, PA 15321 Phone: (724) 746-3677

Burgettstown: 1425 Burgettstown Plaza Burgettstown, PA 15021 Phone: (724) 947-4422

Canton Township: 2403 Jefferson Ave. Suite C Washington, PA 15301 Phone: (724) 222-4192

Web site: www.pahouse.com/White

The governor has signed into law a bill I supported permitting

table games like blackjack, poker and craps at the states slot

facilities.

The table games law builds on the slots law passed six years

ago by including a funding formula that more evenly distributes

the local share of revenue municipalities receive from slots

facilities and use to pay for local projects.

In the past, municipalities have had to compete for their share

of slots funding for local projects. I have advocated on behalf

of Washington Countys municipalities for a more balanced

distribution of the local share so projects can be paid for

without having to raise local taxes.

Also, property tax relief will be distributed to local homeowners

from gaming, irrespective of the local share. One does not

impact the other.

Under the new law, the state Department of Community and

Economic Development will make distributions directly to each

municipality in Washington County, with the exception of North

Strabane Township, which hosts the casino. Each of the 66

other municipalities in the county will receive $25,000 plus

$10 per resident, with the total not to exceed 50 percent of the

municipalitys budget.

Other important components include: requiring public

hearings prior to the awarding of licenses; preventing political

contributions from casino operators; banning felons from

being eligible for licenses; and increasing funding for gambling

addiction.

Finally, allowing table games at The Meadows and other

facilities will help us ll potential state budget shortfalls by an

estimated $320 million over the next two years and continue

to create jobs. In fact, The Meadows recently announced that

table games will create an estimated 700 jobs.

Put simply, table games will help state and local governments

balance their budgets while positioning Pennsylvania to

compete with other states for business.

Dear Friend,

After months of work, the 2009-10 state budget,which contains no broad-based tax increases, hasbeen signed into law.

Trying to balance a budget during the worsteconomy in decades was no easy feat, but HouseDemocrats were successful in providing recurringrevenue sources to close the $3.2 billion decit.Funding sources include the Rainy Day Fund,revenue from table games, and a short tax amnesty

period for residents who owe back taxes.Passing a budget for 2010-11 will be equallychallenging, but you can rest assured I will ght foryour needs and interests throughout the process:funding for basic education and libraries; avoidingtax increases; and cutting government spending.

In an effort to improve your quality of life, I haveworked to shepherd through local and stategovernment several important water and sewageinfrastructure projects throughout the district. Thisnewsletter contains updates on the status of those,and I will keep you posted about new projects in

subsequent writings.My goal as your state representative is to keep youinformed about the issues that impact our regionand provide you with top-notch constituent services.My staff and I can help you with LIHEAP, PACE, theChildrens Health Insurance Program, the PropertyTax/Rent Rebate Program, and nancial aidprograms for higher education, among others. Youalso can sign up to receive e-mail alerts by visitingmy Web site at www.pahouse.com/White, clickingContact Me and lling out the form.

As always, do not hesitate to call or stop by my

ofce or e-mail me at [email protected] ifyou have comments or questions about any state-related matter.

Sincerely,

Jesse WhiteState Representative, 46th Legislative District


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UPDAte ON iNFRAstRUCtURe PROJeCts

stAtes PROPeRtY tAX AssessMeNt sYsteM NeeDs FiXiNG

I have been working with local and state ofcials on several water and sewage infrastructure projects throughout the 46thLegislative District to connect residents with a steady supply of clean, fresh water and adequate sewage infrastructure. Belowis an update on several projects that have been completed or are in the planning stages. As always, I will keep you updated onmy progress in working to improve your quality of life.

Project

Millers Run SewageProject

Mt. Pleasant andHanover TownshipWater Service Project

Independence-Cross

Creek Joint SewerAuthority SewageTreatment Plant

Mt. Pleasant andIndependenceTownship WaterService Project

Hanover TownshipSewage Project,Phase II

Area(s) Served

Cecil Township

Mt. Pleasant Township/Hanover Township

Independence Township/

Cross Creek Township

Mt. Pleasant Township/Independence Township(and MeadowcroftRockshelter)

Hanover Township

Residents Served

800 households

750 residents

650 residents

55 households

TBD; between 250and 450 households

Rep. Whites Involvement

Helped secure $5 millionPennsylvania Water grant

Worked with PUC and PAAmerican Water to forgean agreement to preventtap-in fees that would havecost more than $2,000 perhousehold

Helped secure a $5 million

Pennsylvania Water grant

Worked with residents,Pennsylvania American Water,OCA and PUC on proposalto bring service without costlytap-in fees

Helped secure $5 millionPennsylvania Water grant

Project Status

Working with CecilMunicipal Authority andDCED to use $5 milliongrant to reimburse residentsfor costly tap-in fees

Main Water extensioncompleted; 350,000-gallon water tank underconstruction

On schedule to be

completed in May withresidents having to pay littleto no tap-in fees

Under construction

Plan currently being alteredand nalized

Pennsylvanias current property tax system is extremely awed, causing counties to assess property values at varying times,individual property values to rise dramatically between assessments and disparate assessments on similar properties. Severalpieces of legislation I support in the House seek to address the system:

The House passed H.B. 1661, which would impose a temporary moratorium on any court-ordered countywide property taxassessments. Under the bill, while the moratorium is in effect, the General Assembly would conduct a comprehensive study

of the states property tax reassessment system and address the current problems with the system through enactment of

legislation. The moratorium would remain in effect until the study is completed or until June 30, 2011, whichever comes rst.The House adopted a resolution

(H.R. 334) to nd ways to improvethe states fragmented method ofreassessing property values. Themeasure will commission a study tocompare Pennsylvanias current systemof property reassessment with those inother states, with a particular emphasis

on Maryland and California. The studywill make recommendations to theGeneral Assembly and will be done by

the nonpartisan Legislative Budget andFinance Committee, in conjunction withthe Local Government Commission andState Tax Equalization Board.

There is no uniformity to Pennsylvaniasproperty reassessment system,no fairness and no protection for

homeowners who see their property taxbills increase dramatically because of areassessment. I support these measuresbecause I believe they are a good rststep in addressing these problems.

Rep. White works a game booth and meets with a constituent at

Burgettstown Community Days.


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LeGisLAtiON

iNtRODUCeD

BY White

White sUPPORts eXPANsiON OF the

CAstLe DOCtRiNeI have co-sponsoredlegislation, known asthe Castle Doctrine,which would protect

people who use agun for self-defensein their home or car.

The bill (H.B. 40)would make asignicant changeto current law byremoving a personsduty to retreat ornd a safe placefrom danger beforeresorting to protective or deadly force. Under the bill, a person would have the

right to stand their ground when being threatened, provided they did not provokethe perpetrator. It would also extend the Castle Doctrine defense to people beingthreatened on their porch, deck or patio, but it could not be used in resistingofcers of the law.

Statistics compiled by the Department of Justice show it can take between veminutes and one hour, often too late, before law enforcement respond to anemergency. The stand-your-ground language in this bill is crucial because it canbe extremely dangerous to turn ones back on a violent criminal.

Naysayers of the legislation believe that if enacted, it would perpetuate a shootingculture in Pennsylvania. I disagree. The bills intent is to address self-defense, notcriminal violence, which is why I support it.

Rep. White meets with John Hanger, acting Secretary of the state Departmentof Environmental Protection about the clean-up of a waste site in RobinsonTownship.

Rep. White and Sen. Barry Stout present a check to the Independence-Cross Creek Joint Sewer Authority to help fund a new sewage project.

Take a moment to review severalpieces of legislation I haveintroduced in the state House inan effort to protect consumers andhold municipal authorities moreaccountable for spending. I will keep

you updated on the status of eachbill.

House Bill 377 Would prohibitinsurers from using a credit scoreor information contained in a creditreport to cancel a policy, issue a

policy, renew a policy, impose asurcharge on a policy or apply arating factor to a policy.

Status: Currently in the HouseInsurance Committee forconsideration.

House Bill 464 Would ban the

use of any Internet software thatautomatically purchases largequantities of event tickets for thepurpose of resale to consumers at

inated prices.Status: Unanimously passedin the House. Currently in theSenate Consumer Protection andProfessional Licensure Committeefor consideration.

House Bill 1436 Provides for the

recording of title to mineral rights bysurface owners after ten years ofnonuse by the subsurface owner, andestablishes a right of action to settletitle to mineral rights.

Status: Currently in the HouseEnvironmental Resources andEnergy Committee for consideration.

House Bills 1715, 1716 and 1717 This package of bills aims to regulatelocal municipal authorities.

H.B. 1715 would force municipalauthorities to apply for federal or

state funding to offset costs for anyproject in excess of $1 million.

H.B. 1716 would permit theAuditor General to conduct aperformance audit of a municipalauthority.

H.B. 1717 would requiremunicipal authorities to offer apayment plan to customers affectedby a project.

Status: The package of billsis currently in the House Local

Government Committee forconsideration.


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Jesse White

102B East Wing

P.O. Box 202046

Harrisburg, PA 17120-2046

lpo tk 0210

LiheAP ACCePtiNG APPLiCAtiONs thROUGh APRiL 2

Sign Up for E-Newsletters!Do you prefer to receive my newsletters through e-mail rather than traditional mail? Visit my Web site at www.pahouse.com/White to

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ensure future paper newsletters are not sent to your home. You can also sign-up to receive my e-mail alerts on my Web site. I look

forward to hearing from you!



Jesse White

Capitol Ofce: 102B East Wing P.O. Box 202046 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2046 Phone: (717) 783-6437

Cecil: 3855 Millers Run Road P.O. Box 285 Cecil, PA 15321 Phone: (724) 746-3677

Burgettstown: 1425 Burgettstown Plaza Burgettstown, PA 15021 Phone: (724) 947-4422

Canton Township: 2403 Jefferson Ave. Suite C Washington, PA 15301 Phone: (724) 222-4192

Pennsylvania income-eligible families can now qualify for an extra$100 in home heating assistance through the states Low IncomeHome Energy Assistance Program.

LIHEAP helps qualied households pay for heat (cash grants) anddeal with heating emergencies (crisis grants) during the wintermonths. For example, a family of four with an annual income of upto $33,075 can qualify for this assistance. The average cash grantis now around $326.

Additionally, the program has been extended until April 2, which willgive people more time to apply.

Applications are available through the Allegheny County AssistanceOfce at (412) 562-0330, the Beaver County Assistance Ofce at(724) 773-7495, the Washington County Assistance Ofce at (724)223-5246 and through the state Department of Public WelfaresWeb site: www.dpw.state.pa.us.

Sign up to receive e-mail alerts about my progress in Harrisburg and state-related issues that affect your life. Visit my Web site

at www.pahouse.com/White, click Contact Me and ll out the form. You can also select what topics youd like to hear about.

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Rep. White greets a constituent visiting his mobile

district ofce at the Washington County Agricultural Fair.

state rep. jesse white newsletter (2/10)

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