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Texting While Driving

AAA Asks Drivers To Take The Distraction Free Challenge

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The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is recognizing “Heads Up Driving Week” by asking people to take the distraction free driving pledge.  The fourth annual Traffic Safety Culture Index finds that 95% of drivers view texting or emailing by other drivers as a serious threat to their safety. However, 35% of drivers admit to reading or sending a text or email behind the wheel within the last month.

Jenny Robinson of AAA Mid-Atlantic says you can take the pledge by visiting AAAFoundation.org. She says everyone thinks it’s the “other person who doesn’t know how to drive safely while texting, but I do.”  She says that’s the attitude many people have, and AAA is trying to change it.

Robinson says 88% of drivers feel people talking on cell phones while driving are a serious threat to their safety, but 68% admit to talking and driving in the last month.  She says it’s another example of “do as I say, not as I do.”   

 Robinson says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates over 54 hundred people were   killed in crashes that reportedly involved distracted driving in 2009. She says we see people using their cell phones while driving all the time.  She says it’s a little harder to quantify the full impact in the crash data.

Robinson says it’s so tempting to want to pick up the phone and read the text message when the phone goes off while you’re driving.  But she says please don’t do it, we know that it’s not safe.

PSEA Releases Survey on Public Schools

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Governor Corbett plans to make an announcement on education policy in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, the state’s largest teacher’s union has released a poll showing strong support for its blueprint for education reform.

The Pennsylvania State Education Association says Pennsylvanians oppose recent funding cuts to education and oppose creating a taxpayer funded voucher system for private and religious schools.  The Terry Madonna Opinion Research survey found strong support for reduced class size, tutoring and alternative student placement programs.

The poll found 69% somewhat opposed or strongly opposed the cuts in education funding in this year’s budget, while only 27% favored the action. 59% percent said they were strongly opposed or somewhat opposed to vouchers, while only 38% were in favor.  

Jerry Oleksiak, Vice President of PSEA, says the association spent a lot of time looking at what, from their own experience and the research, works.  He says the things that families and the public are concerned about, things like discipline, safety, smaller classes, and alternative programs are things they’ve been calling for, for years.  He says they’ve formalized the recommendations in their document “Solutions That Work”.   

Oleksiak says they know what’s going to work in the schools; their members are there every day.  He says some of the “silver bullets” we’ve been hearing about, such as vouchers, merit pay or loss of seniority- those kinds of things is not going to help our schools.

Oleksiak says the survey is one more hard piece of data they can show to the legislature to show that the public supports public education and knows what works in the schools.  He says close to two-thirds of those surveyed are satisfied or very satisfied with their schools.   He says that number is higher for families with kids under 18.

Oleksiak says people know the schools are working and they don’t want to see funding cuts or vouchers that are going to take away from the success of the schools.

Some Question the Structure of Gov’s Impact Fee

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The Marcellus Shale plan that Governor Tom Corbett rolled out provides for an “impact fee” to be adopted by the counties where the natural gas drilling takes place.  In the first year, counties could impose a per-well fee of up to $40,000 dollars.  The maximum fee would drop over the next several years, but Corbett says the revenue would actually grow along with the number of wells. 

The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) supports the direction of Corbett’s Marcellus Shale plan.  “Our only issue with the proposals is a significant concern that we have with the plan that the local impact fee would be levied separately by the counties,” CCAP executive director Doug Hill said in an interview with Radio PA.  “It needs to be uniform, it needs to be consistent, it needs to be predictable, and that does not happen if it is county-by-county, with the potential for varying rates within the counties.” 

Some lawmakers agree.  “This proposal only authorizes counties to impose a fee, it doesn’t require them to impose a fee,” says State Senator John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), the minority chair of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.  In a statement, State Rep. Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster) called the plan complicated and ill-conceived.

But Governor Corbett calls the structure of his proposed “impact fee” important to the package.  “If you bring the money here to Harrisburg first, history demonstrates to us that administrations and legislatures – the money goes into the General Fund – start raiding the General Fund for other budgets,” Corbett explained to reporters on Wednesday.  “I believe the money needs to go where the impact is.” 

Under the Corbett plan, 75% of the impact fee would be retained at the local level.  The remaining 25% would be divvied up among PennDOT, the Department of Environmental Protection, PEMA and more.

Gov. Tom Corbett

Gov. Tom Corbett unveiled his Marcellus Shale plan on Monday.

House Votes to Update Caregiver Program

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Vicki Hoak is executive director of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association.

Vicki Hoak is executive director of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association.

Pennsylvania’s Family Caregiver Support Act was written to reimburse eligible families for expenses relating to caring for an older adult at home, but reimbursement rates have never increased and restrictive guidelines have kept many families on the outside looking in.  “In fact, these restrictions have led to almost $1-million dollars going unspent last year,” says executive director of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association Vicki Hoak.  That’s despite a waiting list for the program. 

The state House voted unanimously (199 – 0) for a bill that would ease those restrictions to allow non-relatives into the program, and increase the maximum monthly reimbursement rate from $200 to $500 dollars.  “I developed a keen interest in the program, and became concerned with the fact that despite the obvious increase in our cost of living, since the program began in 1990, the reimbursements to caregivers were never adjusted upward,” says the bill’s prime sponsor Matt Baker (R-Tioga/Bradford), who has personal experience as a family caregiver.   

Advocates say seniors want to age in their own homes, and State Rep. Phyllis Mundy (D-Luzerne) points out that it’s far less costly to care for a person at home than in an institutional setting.  “The economic value of Pennsylvania’s caregivers has been estimated in the billions,” Mundy said on the House floor.  “Without the support of these unsung heroes, our commonwealth would face even greater fiscal challenges.” 

This is the fourth time the House has passed such a bill, and Rep. Baker hopes this is the year it makes it past the goal line.  He says the Corbett administration has indicated its support.  Up next for HB 210 is the State Senate, where Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) has introduced a companion bill.  The Family Caregiver Support Program is funded through the Pennsylvania Lottery.

Sate Capitol View from Commonwealth Ave.

Q1 State Revenues Miss the Mark

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The first quarter of the state’s fiscal year is in the books, and the numbers tell the tale of a flagging economy.  “All the major tax categories were below estimate for the month, so clearly the economic conditions are having an impact on tax collections,” says state Revenue Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Brassell, while discussing the latest revenue report.

September’s General Fund collections were $151.8-million (6.1%) below estimate, which means state revenues are now $215-million (3.5%) below projection for the fiscal year-to-date.  Sales taxes have come in 1.4% below estimate, personal income taxes are 4% off the mark, and corporation taxes are nearly 13% less than anticipated so far this fiscal year. 

Gov. Tom Corbett talks to the media at the state capitol.

Governor Tom Corbett says he’s watching the situation closely and is paying particular attention to the month of October.  “We kept aside $700-million.  Our goal was to go into next year with $500-million on hand, you’d kind of like to have money on hand going into it,” Corbett said during a question and answer session with the media on Wednesday. 

The $700-million that Corbett refers to was the unallocated revenues remaining at the end of FY2011.  Corbett continues to stress that was not a surplus.  “If the revenue decline isn’t indicative of that, I don’t know what else is.”

Self Reported Drinking and Driving Falls, But Numbers Still High

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Drunk driving has fallen to its lowest level in nearly two decades according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but officials say the numbers are still too high.  Adults admitted to drinking and getting behind the wheel more than 100 million times last year. Those numbers have declined 30% in the past five years.   The statistics come from a national telephone survey. 

CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden says while there’s been real progress, drunk driving is still far too common.  He says while they’re pleased fewer people report drinking and driving, it’s still far too common.

Dr. Frieden says drunk driving is a public health problem with far reaching effects.  He says it puts everyone at risk, even the most responsible drivers and pedestrians.

Dr. Frieden says there are proven methods to reduce the number of drunk drivers on the roads. He says that includes sobriety checkpoints and ignition interlock devices. He says those devices are only used in about 20% of drunk driving cases.  He says the CDC recommends making interlocks mandatory for all offenders.

There’s some evidence the economy may be playing a role in the decline in the number of people who admit to drinking then driving. Dr. Frieden says it’s possible that people are drinking at home more.

Gwen Bergen, Behavioral scientist for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, says they know there were not significant decreases in self reported drinking or  in self reported binge drinking during this period.

Two State House Republicans Call for Drilling Tax

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Governor Corbett has proposed an impact fee on natural gas wells to be assessed at the county level, but some lawmakers continue to push for a broader fee on gas extraction, with more money going statewide.   Two House Republicans, Representatives Tom Murt and Gene DiGirolamo,  are  calling for a tax of 4.9 percent on the gross value of units of deep  gas reserves extracted at the well head.

Representative DiGirolamo (R-Bucks) says their plan would divide the revenue three ways, with 28% of staying at the local level, 28% going to environmental programs and 44% being used for state programs.   The plan would dedicate some of the revenue from a severance tax to Drug and Alcohol Treatment and services for adults with special needs.

The Governor’s plan calls for 75% of the money to be spent for impacts at the county and municipal level and 25% to be divided among specific state agencies.   Representative Tom Murt (R-Montgomery/Philadelphia),   says they agree with the Governor’s position that any tax or fee assist local communities with the cost and impact of drilling.  They also propose the revenue make long term investments in natural resources, environmental programs, our economy and our human capital.

Representative DiGirolamo says it’s imperative to support environmental programs around the state and all of Pennsylvania’s residents should benefit from the shale.  He believes the bill is a reasonable approach to the issue.

The lawmakers were joined by environmental, labor, Christian advocacy, fair housing, good government and other groups in urging support for a drilling tax.  Among them was Jan Jarret, president of PennFuture.  She says the bill makes long term investments in environmental restoration and conservation to make sure we have the resources on hand to address problems the industry will bring to the state’s forests, streams and air.  She says it also makes sure the resources are there to police the drilling industry.

Food Assistance Shifts From Emergency To Chronic According to New Study

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Food pantries are seeing more repeat users, and a new study, “Food Banks: Hunger’s New Staple“, says it reflects a shift from emergency food assistance to chronic.  More Americans are depending on food pantries and other charitable food services to feed themselves and their families according to the study by Feeding America.   

Mara Daly, chief communication and program officer for Feeding America, says the pantries are being used to fill monthly shortfalls in food. She says emergency food is no longer being used to meet temporary food needs.  She says a majority of their clients are visiting regularly to supplement what appear to be monthly shortfalls in food.

Daly says the majority of clients are frequent users. The elderly population tends to need services on a more frequent basis.  She says well over half of the seniors they serve are long term recurrent users, suggesting fixed incomes of seniors in America may be insufficient to provide for basic food needs.

Daly says they are also serving people who are receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps). She says this indicates benefits are not lasting through the entire month. She says with higher food prices, many clients are finding their benefits will not stretch as far as they did a year ago.

In addition to higher food prices, Daly says lingering unemployment is another part of the problem. She says the food network has been over burdened since the recession started a few years ago and they don’t see any real relief in the near future.

Daly says this chronic use comes at the same time that food banks have seen a reduction in commodities being donated through government programs and corporation donors, and an increase in the total number of people seeking assistance of any kind. She says that need is at an all time high in recent history.  People can learn ways to help by visiting feedingamerica.org.

First of 15 Immigration Bills Passes Committee

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It took an hour for the House State Government Committee to advance the first piece of the National Security Begins at Home legislative package, via a party line vote.  The legislation (HB 439) would revoke the professional license of an employer who knowingly hires illegal immigrants.  “If you can hold somebody who has a professional license accountable to not employing illegal aliens,” State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe said after the meeting, “Then you start to shutdown some of that attractiveness of a professional licensee to undercut his competitor by hiring an illegal alien workforce.” 

Metcalfe, the committee’s Republican chair, tells us he doesn’t expect all 15 bills to move this fall, but he is working with the Senate in efforts to get as many as possible to the governor’s desk.  “This package of legislation seeks to shut down any attraction that might be in Pennsylvania for an illegal alien to reside here; access to jobs, access to public benefits,” Metcalfe explains.   

Metcalfe may appear to have the Republican votes to pass the bills, but the committee’s Democrats aren’t rolling over.  Minority chair Babette Josephs has been extremely vocal about the bills that she calls anti-immigrant.  “We’re in the position of scaring away the fastest growing minority in this country, which is Latino voters,” Josephs says.  “This is wrong.”

Another committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, when another of the 15-bills may be brought up for a vote.  For now, Metcalfe says he’s taking the process one step at a time.

Capitol Rotunda Light Fixture

National Popular Vote Proponents Seize on PA Debate

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Pennsylvania allocates its Electoral College votes based on a winner-take-all model.  Critics say it disenfranchises the millions of Pennsylvanians who vote for the losing candidate, every four years.  “The integrity and weight of an individual’s vote is something that must be preserved and protected,” says Luke Bernstein, Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Tom Corbett. 

Bernstein appeared before the Senate State Government Committee to discuss the Corbett administration’s support of the “Congressional District Method” of allocating electoral votes.  Under this system, a presidential candidate would get one vote for winning each of Pennsylvania’s 18 congressional districts in 2012.  The two remaining electoral votes would be awarded to the winner of the statewide popular vote. 

State Senator Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) told Bernstein his arguments illustrated the imperfections of the Electoral College, but would not correct the problem.  “Frankly if [Governor Corbett] wants to be a part of fixing it, then he probably should join Fred Thompson and others who are here today to talk about a national mass voter participation process,” said Williams, the minority chair of the State Government Committee. 

Williams was alluding to a separate event promoting the National Popular Vote (NPV) initiative.  NPV seeks to ensure that every vote, in every state, is counted equally by awarding electoral votes to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes nationwide.  “They would just be ratifying what the majority of the people in the rest of the nation have done,” says Jim Edgar, the former Governor of Illinois and co-champion of the National Popular Vote initiative. 

“I don’t think America can afford anymore to have the potential divisiveness of a President who’s not elected by the majority of the people,” says the other NPV co-champion, Fred Thompson, a former Tennessee Senator, actor and one-time marginal presidential candidate himself. 

Eight states and the District of Columbia have already passed NPV legislation, which would only take effect if it’s enacted by states representing a majority of the nation’s 538 electoral votes.  With states representing 132 electoral votes on-board, NPV supporters are nearly half-way toward their goal.  In Pennsylvania, NPV legislation has been introduced in both the House (HB 1270) and Senate (SB 1116), but the bills have not seen any action.