rep. denlinger dec. 2009

8/14/2019 Rep. Denlinger Dec. 2009

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Representing the 99th Legislative District

Spring 2007

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

State Representative

Gordon Denlinger

PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

HARRISBURG, PA

PERMIT NO 529

Visit me on the Web atwww.RepDenlinger.com

December 2009

Partners in ProgressFor several years, local

residents have expressedconcern about traff ic andpedest r ian sa fe ty a t theintersection of Route 322 andRailroad Avenue. In an effort toaddress those concerns, Rep.

Denlinger worked closely with theEarl Township Supervisors, Sen.Mike Brubaker (R-36), and otherlocal business and communityleaders to initiate improvementsto the intersection. The resultof those efforts is a new state-of-the-art traffic light and manyother roadway improvements atthat location.

Several local businessespledged their support to this

As we enjoy the blessings of family andfriends during the holiday season, I wanted tosend you an update on a number of key topicsand legislative efforts in Harrisburg. This hasbeen a year of much debate in Harrisburg overthe size and direction of state government,and that debate will continue into next year.

As I look back over 2009, one thing standsout. The volume of citizen comments shared

with me and all elected officials has grownby leaps and bounds. Whether through e-mails, calls, letters, or just catching up in thehardware store aisle, I regularly hear fromcitizens who are passionate about health care,taxes, education, libraries, and a host of othercauses and concerns.

While some may think of the renewed level

of citizen input as a negative, I view this as an

amazingly positive, vitally important direction.

Our representative form of governmentsurvives and thrives based on the activedebates that happen in our community from

neighbor to neighbor, and the communicationof those same thoughts and views with thosewho hold office.

Clearly, in a House district with nearly65,000 residents, not all views will prevail.But as your representative, input from all ofmy constituents is appreciated and valued.

It has been and continues to be my honorto listen to and exchange ideas with agrowing number of folks in Eastern LancasterCounty. To that end, I thank you for the highhonor which has been extended to me, andI remain,

Yours in Public Service,

Gordon DenlingerState Representative99th Legislative District

Rep. Denlinger joined elected officials and local business owners at a ceremony

marking the placement of a traffic light at the intersection of Route 322 and

Railroad Avenue in Earl Township. Pictured are (from left to right): Lynn Weaver,

Martin Limestone; Steve Lindsey, Garden Spot Village; Sen. Mike Brubaker; Ray

Martin, Earl Township supervisor; Calvin Ewell, H. R. Ewell, Inc.; Fred Wissler, Earl

Township supervisor; Steve Ewell, H. R. Ewell, Inc.; Rick Kochel, Earl Township

supervisor; and Rep. Denlinger.

project and they deserve agreat deal of credit for theirrole in seeing it through tocompletion. Their efforts are anexcellent example of what can beaccomplished when governmentand the private sector work

together for the betterment of ourcommunity.

Special thanks to:

Martin Limestone Garden Spot Village Lester R. Summers, Inc. Goods Furniture and

Flooring Valley Proteins, Inc. Berk-Tek, Inc. H.R. Ewell, Inc.


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RepDenli

Denlinger Chairs Task Force on Budget and Economic PolicyAt the start of this legislative

session, House Republican PolicyCommittee Chairman Stan Saylor(R-York) created several task forcesto examine and develop legislativesolutions on the state budget andeconomic policy; education and jobtraining; government reform; healthcare; infrastructure; energy; and smallbusiness.

As a long-t ime advocate of limited government and responsiblespending, I was honored when Rep.Saylor asked Rep. Craig Dally (R-

Northampton) and me to serve aschairmen of the Budget and EconomicPolicy Task Force. Our task forcehas been holding hearings acrossPennsylvania as part of our effortto develop sound budget practices,responsible budget cuts and innovativeideas to reduce government spendingin light of Pennsylvanias growingbudget deficit.

Pennsylvania finished the last fiscalyear with a deficit of more than $3billion and revenue collections forthis year are already $160 million

below predicted levels. Moreover, thefact that the recent budget impassedragged on for more than threemonths past the legally mandatedbudget deadline is a clear indicationthat we must reform the state budgetprocess.

I look forward to working withmembers of the task force and the restof my House Republican colleaguesto develop a comprehensive strategyto address Pennsylvanias economicchallenges and to develop pro-growthand pro-jobs solutions for our future.

Legislation Would Implement

Much-Needed Reforms at DPWNow more than ever it is important that state governmentgets the most out of every taxpayer dollar it spends. That

means we need to take a very close look at state spending

and take steps to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse wherever

we find it. A prime example is the Pennsylvania Department

of Public Welfare (DPW), which consumes about one third of

the state budget.

Recent audits have highlighted serious inefficiencies and

abuse in the department, including improper Medicaid eligibil-

ity determinations, failure to justify payments made through

the special allowance program, and fraud in the Low Income

Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).As a co-chairman of the House Republican Budget and

Economic Policy Task Force, I have worked closely with Rep.

Mauree Gingrich (R-Lebanon) and my House Republican

colleagues to develop House Bill 1856, a series of reforms

designed to bring about greater accountability and efficiency

within DPW to ensure that the Pennsylvanians who truly need

assistance are receiving it. Among other things, our legisla-

tion would:

Require that residency be a prerequisite for receiving

assistance. Residency would be established when an

individual resides in the Commonwealth for at least 90 days.

Require applicants between the ages of 18 and 65 to take and

pass a test for illegal drugs as a condition of receiving benefits. Prohibit the purchase of alcoholic beverages with

welfare dollars.

Require DPW to submit information on its plans and

operations, including work participation and verification

plans, to the General Assembly and the state treasurers

office and post them on the Internet.

Provide for a comprehensive audit of DPW, which includes

provider and recipient sampling to identify fraudulent actions

in the department.

Establish a computerized Income Eligibility Verification

System that would cross check 19 different federal

and state databases on a quarterly basis to ensure thatapplicants are eligible for the benefits they are claiming.

Eliminate special allowances except for fees or dues

that are conditional on gaining employment and are

pre-authorized for welfare recipients including special

payments for the purchase or repair of a vehicle, tools, etc.

House Bill 1856 provides reasonable, commonsense solu-

tions to the problems at DPW. I strongly urge House leaders

to bring it up for a vote as soon as possible.

Keystone Works Plan Seeks

to Lower PennsylvaniasUnemployment RateOur Commonwealth and our nation are enduring

the worst economic recession since the Great

Depression. While Pennsylvanias unemployment

rate is lower than the national average, it has

nearly doubled over the last two years and

something must be done to improve it.

The House Republican Policy Committees

Budget and Economic Policy Task Force, of

which I am co-chairman, is currently developing a

package of legislation known as Keystone Works.

These bills are designed to create incentives foremployers to hire by reducing the costs associated

with filling job vacancies and pairing unemployed

Pennsylvanians with employers who are actively

seeking to hire.

The Keystone Works package includes:

Keystone Works I -- This bill, which will be

introduced by Rep. Stan Saylor (R-York) and

co-sponsored by me, will allow people collecting

unemployment benefits to work for selected

businesses up to 24 hours a week for eight

weeks at no cost to the employer. Employers

will be required to certify that they intend to

immediately hire for the position and follow

up with a performance evaluation, whether

they hire the worker or not. A similar program

has been implemented in Georgia and is

seeing great success.

Keystone Works II This bill, which will be

introduced by Rep. Curt Sonney (R-Erie) and

co-sponsored by me, is similar to Keystone

Works I, but will target public assistance

recipients who are seeking to return to

employment.

Teen Employment Incentive Tax Credit Teenunemployment in the United States is at a

record high of 27.6 percent. This legislation,

which I plan to introduce, would provide tax

credits to businesses which provide jobs

to teenagers (ages 14 to 17).

These bills are currently being drafted and will

be introduced in the near future.


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inger.com

Bill Would Protect Citizens

Right to Self Defense in

their Homes

Each year, there are thousands of cases of murder,

in-home assault, kidnapping and rape across our

nation. While our law enforcement officials do

an excellent job of protecting us, they cannot be

everywhere all the time. Citizens must have the

legal right to defend themselves and their families

from attack, even it means using lethal force.

With that in mind, I support the Castle Doctrine,

which holds that an attacker or intruder in a persons

legally occupied home or vehicle intends to do great

bodily harm, and that protective/lethal force may be

used to defend oneself, ones family, and others in

the face of an attack. Under current Pennsylvanialaw, an individual must demonstrate that they had a

reasonable belief that they were in imminent danger

of death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping or rape to

justify the use of lethal force in self-defense.

I have co-sponsored House Bill 40, which would

establish the Castle Doctrine as the legal standard

for the use of force in self-defense. This bill would

create the presumption that an attacker or intruder

intends to do great bodily harm. In addition, it would

offer specific protection against civil liability for the

lawful use of force in self-defense.

This bill is not intended to give anyone the legalright to misuse lethal force. However, it is important

to assure Pennsylvanias law-abiding citizens that

they have the explicit legal right to protect themselves

and their families if the need should arise. House

Bill 40 would provide that assurance.

I recently presented House citations to Anna Harsh and Elizabeth

Martin in recognition of their 100th birthdays. Both women are

residents of Garden Spot Village retirement community in New

Holland.

Recently, I took part in a ceremony honoring Steve Loewen, who

received a Jefferson Award for his volunteer leadership in the New

Holland Community. Pictured are (from left to right): myself, Mr.

Loewen and New Holland Mayor Wilbur Horning.

I was pleased to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the

expansion of Astro Machine Works, Inc.s manufacturing facility

in Ephrata. Pictured are (from left to right): Ephrata Mayor RalphMowen; Bill Youndt, vice president, Astro Machine Works; myself;

and Eric Blow, president, Astro Machine Works.

Recently, I welcomed students from Twin Valley Bible Academy

to the Capitol.


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RepDenlinger.com

Assist with car registrations, titles, special tags, license problems.Obtain birth certificates.Obtain copies of House and Senate legislation.Provide state maps and publications.Distribute applications for higher education grants and various

professional programs.Answer questions on Pennsylvania income tax, senior citizen

property tax and rent rebates, and financial aid to students.Follow-up on licensing applications, unemployment compensation

problems, welfare applications, and income tax rebates.

WHAT MY OFFICE CAN DO FOR YOU . . .HARRISBURG OFFICE

PO Box 202099Harrisburg, PA 17120-2099

Phone: (717) 787-3531Fax: (717) 705-1951

[email protected]

DISTRICT OFFICE

607 E. Main StreetEphrata, PA 17522

Phone: (717) 733-4002Fax: (717) 733-3992

Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Now OpenPennsylvanias Low-Income

Home Energy Assistance Program(LIHEAP) has begun accepting ap-plications for cash grants. Crisisgrants will be available on Jan. 4,2010.

LIHEAP helps low-income peoplepay their heating bills through homeenergy assistance grants and crisisgrants. Cash grants are awardedbased on household income, fam-ily size, type of heating fuel andregion. Crisis grants are provided

in the event of a heating emergency,including broken heating equipmentor leaking lines that must be fixedor replaced, lack of fuel, terminationof utility service or danger of beingwithout fuel or of having utility service

terminated. In most counties, assis-tance with home heating crisis situa-tions is available 24 hours a day.

Applications will be available atthe Lancaster County Assistance Of-fice at (717) 299-7543. Applicationsare also available from local utility

companies and community serviceagencies, such as Area Agencieson Aging or community action agen-cies.

Income eligibility for cash grantsbegins at $16,245 for individuals,

$21,855 for couples, and $33,075for a family of four.

For complete eligibility require-ments and additional informationon LIHEAP, visit my Web site atRepDenlinger.comand click onLIHEAP Information.

PACE and PACENET Provide Low-Cost Prescription

Drug Assistance for SeniorsSenior citizens who rely on prescription drugs to stay

healthy may qualify for financial assistance through thestates PACE and PACENET prescription drug assistanceprograms.

Eligibility restrictions for PACE require that ap-plicants be residents of Pennsylvania for at least 90consecutive days prior to application. Additionally, ap-plicants must be age 65 or older and have a total incomefor the preceding calendar year of less than $14,500 fora single person, or less than $17,700 combined for amarried couple.

Once enrolled in the PACE program, a benefit

card will be mailed, and enrollees will be required to paya $6 co-payment for each generic prescription medica-tion. Brand name prescriptions require a $9 co-payment.These co-payments are made to the pharmacy at the timeof purchase.

PACENET members who enroll in a MedicarePart D plan will pay the Part D premium directly to theplan. Depending on the Part D plan one is enrolled in,monthly premiums will range between $14.80 and $28.45.In addition, Part D cardholders will pay no more thanthe PACENET co-payments of $8 for each generic pre-scription medication and $15 for each brand name

to the pharmacy at the time of purchase.PACENET members who do not enroll

in a Part D plan will pay $28.45 each monthat the pharmacy toward the cost of their medi-

cations. If this is not paid on a monthly basis, it will ac-cumulate. In addition, the individual will pay $8 for eachgeneric prescription medication and $15 for each brandname.

Individuals who believe they qualify for PACE orPACENET can contact my district office at (717) 733-4002 or visit my Web site at RepDenlinger.com.

rep. denlinger dec. 2009

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