STATE REPRESENTATIVE PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE

Marguerite C. Quinn
PAID
HARRISBURG, PA
PERMIT NO 529
143rd Legislative District
RepQuinn.net

Spring 2010

Dear Neighbor:
With 2010 under way, I want to take this opportu-
nity to update you on the issues impacting our local
communities and our state.
Last year was a trying year for families, busi-
nesses and the Commonwealth, and though I look
to this year with optimism, I am also realistic about
the economic challenges we continue to face.
Many families throughout the state and nation are
struggling with unprecedented unemployment, and
some of those who have jobs have seen their wages
stagnate or decline for the past several years. Many
small businesses, the backbone of our economy and
identity here in Bucks County, have gone under,
some after being in business for generations. At
the state level, Pennsylvania has been continually
affected by a decline in revenue collections and ques-
tions about how to allocate our limited resources.
As we forge ahead, please know that I am com-
mitted to protecting the interests of the residents
of the 143rd District. If you ever have a question
about a state program or need information about
legislation being debated in Harrisburg, my office
is here to help.
I also welcome you to submit your inquiries
and comments via my Web site, RepQuinn.net, or
directly to my e-mail, mquinn@pahousegop.com.
I look forward to continuing to collaborate with you
to make our district a better place to live, work and
raise a family.
Sincerely,
Marguerite C. Quinn
State Representative, 143rd Legislative District
Rep. Quinn writes a note
of thanks to a soldier as
part of “Project Freedom,”
which was coordinated by
Donna McCafferty and her
students at Koi Studio in
Pipersville. The purpose
of the project is to show
support for America’s
soldiers. Inspirational
artwork was displayed at
the Capitol and used to
make notecards that were
sent to troops.
Sign up to receive
e-mail updates about
state-related news
at RepQuinn.net
Hand-Held
Cell Phone
And Texting
Ban Could
Become Law
After several failed attempts to make Pennsylvania roadways safer, it looks as
though a ban on hand-held cell phones and texting while driving could finally become
law this year.
Under House Bill 2070, voice communication in hands-free mode would still be
permitted for adult drivers, while junior drivers (ages 16 to 18) would be prohibited from
the use of any interactive wireless communication device for any purpose. Violations
would carry a fine of $50 plus applicable surcharges, bringing a total ticket cost to
more than $130. These fines would be doubled in active work zones, school zones
and highway safety corridors.
I voted in favor of this legislation because I believe it will reduce auto accidents
and deaths caused by distracted driving, and I believe it offers a balance between
individual rights and public safety.
There are several exceptions to the hand-held cell phone ban, including:
• Use by operators of emergency service vehicles and volunteer emergency
responders who are responding to an emergency and engaged in the performance
of their official duties.
• Reading, selecting or entering a telephone number to make a call.
• Use of a GPS navigational system, including those on a cell phone.
• Use of a device to contact 911.
• Use of a device if a vehicle is stopped and in neutral or park.
In addition to these general exceptions, the legislation would also allow junior
drivers to call 911, if the car is stopped in traffic and in neutral or park, or if they are
operating an emergency service vehicle and engaged in the performance of official
duties.
This bill is awaiting consideration by the Senate Transportation Committee, and
I am hopeful it will pass this commonsense legislation soon so we can cut down on
crashes resulting from distracted driving.
Feel free to contact me with your thoughts and questions on this issue at
mquinn@pahousegop.com.
Behind in Your State Taxes?
New Tax Amnesty Program Could HELP
This spring a limited tax amnesty program will be offered in Pennsylvania. The tax
amnesty period will begin on April 26 and run through June 18. Under the program,
qualifying taxpayers can pay any overdue taxes, both personal and business, with no
penalties and only 50 percent of the interest.
Any delinquent taxes as of June 30, 2009, and any non-filed returns due by June 30,
2009, are eligible for tax amnesty. To obtain tax amnesty, one must file an amnesty return
online with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, file all delinquent tax returns, and
pay all delinquent taxes plus 50 percent of the interest due. This must be done by the
June 18 deadline.
Offering amnesty is a way for states to allow delinquent taxpayers to voluntarily settle
their tax debts while expending less state resources to recoup this revenue. For more
information about the tax amnesty program, visit www.revenue.state.pa.us and choose
the “Hot Topics” tab.
State tax forms are available at my district office. Stocked forms include the PA-40,
corresponding schedules and instruction booklets. Pennsylvania state income taxes
must be filed by April 15.

www.RepQuinn.net
 Resources Quinn Congratulates
for Senior Scouts!
Citizens As a supporter of scouting and its mission to build charac-
If you are a senior citizen on ter and instill values in our nation’s young men and women,
a fixed income, there are several I want to congratulate the latest individuals recognized for
programs in Pennsylvania that their scouting achievements.
could assist you. My office is
here to help you. Contact me if Latest Eagle Scouts:
you have questions on any of the
following programs: Ted Denton James Robert Brunetto
• The Property Tax/Rent Todd J. Paulus Tyler W. Roth
Rebate Program provides Adam Edward Johnson Zachary W. Gant
a rebate of up to $650 to Robert Christian Cooper Noah Arslanian
At her 2009 Senior Expo, Rep. Quinn was happy to
assist local senior citizens in finding the programs
eligible senior citizens, Nolan Pratt Christopher Arslanian
and agencies to fit their needs. Quinn has widows and widowers and Brian Hall Matthew Paul Demusz
scheduled another Senior Expo for September. adults with permanent Matthew R. Johnson Kyle Nicodemus
disabilities, based on the Nicholas David Lager
total qualifying income from the previous year. The deadline to apply is June Latest Girl
Johnathan M. Fleishinger
30. Contact my office for assistance in filing for the rebate program. Christopher Bober Scout Award
• The PACE and PACENET programs help qualifying senior citizens pay for
their prescription drugs. Eligibility is based on income, and my office can assist you Daniel Marad Recipients:
in completing the application. Michael Palardy Bridget M. Murphy
• APPRISE is a free service to help all Pennsylvania residents age 60 and Alexander J. Arrow Stephanie E. Paradiso
older, regardless of income, get answers about health insurance questions Alexander S. Pauloski Jessica M. Kerr
and Medicare options. Appointments with trained APPRISE counselors are available Drew Needham Morgan Marie Musser
by calling the Bucks County Area Agency on Aging at (215) 348-0510. James David Gumkowski Lydia Kathryn Anderson
Kyle Connison Kaela Lorraine Crotts
Adam Robert Hinde Abigail Marie Klein
Information for Veterans
If you are a veteran, Pennsylvania and the federal government have many programs
and benefits available to assist you. Contact my office if you have any questions about
the following programs:
Your Children
• The new National Cemetery in Washington Crossing is now accepting requests for burial
arrangements. To schedule a burial, fax all discharge documents to the National
Are Eligible for
Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-866-900-6417. Follow up phone calls can be
made to 1-800-535-1117.
CHIP
• The Post-9/11 GI program provides educational opportunities to qualifying veterans If your child is not covered by health insurance,
who have served their nation with bravery and honor. For more information about be aware that Pennsylvania has a program called the
this program, visit www.gibill.va.gov. Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which
• Through the Scholarships for Military Children program, the child of someone who is is available to all children in the Commonwealth,
active duty, reserve/guard, or retired military personnel or a deceased member can regardless of income, who are not eligible for Medical
apply for assistance with higher education. You must have a military dependent I.D. Assistance.
card and plan to be a full-time student at a college or university to qualify. More There is no waiting list to enroll in the program, but
information is available at www.militaryscholar.org. Though the 2010 scholarship federal guidelines require children with higher family
program has closed, funds should be available again this coming November. incomes to be without health insurance for six months
• The Veterans Emergency Assistance Program provides temporary financial aid in before CHIP coverage can begin. Participation in CHIP
an emergency to honorably discharged veterans residing in Pennsylvania. If you are is free for many families, and others may be subject to
a veteran who has had an unexpected loss of income during the past 180 days, this low monthly premiums.
program may be able to help you. Visit my Web site, RepQuinn.net, for more information.
• The Persian Gulf Veterans’ Bonus offers a one-time benefit of $75 per month If your child is without health insurance coverage, I
for each month of active service in the Persian Gulf Conflict Theater of Operations urge you to visit my Web site, RepQuinn.net, and find
during the covered period. The maximum compensation is $525. More information can out how to apply for CHIP coverage.
be found at my Web site.

If you are interested in participating in an upcoming veterans’ event to be held in June, please complete the following response card and
return it to my office at 1032 N. Easton Road, Doylestown, PA 18902-1055. You can also visit my Web site, RepQuinn.net, to submit this
form electronically.
I will contact you with the details of the event as they are finalized. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to call my office
at (215) 489-2126.
 cut and mail
Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

City: _________________________________________________________ State: ____________ ZIP: _____________________

Phone: _________________________________________ E-mail: _____________________________________________________

Branch of Service: _______________________________________ Dates of Service: ____________________________________

Rank: ______________________________________________ Conflict (if any): __________________________________________

w w w. R e p Q
 An Overview of the 2010-11 Budget Address
Gov. Ed Rendell addressed a joint session of the General Assem-
bly in February to outline his priorities for the 2010-11 budget. Though
I know his proposal represents only a starting point for negotiations,
I was disappointed some of his initiatives do not appear to be based
on the economic realities facing the Commonwealth.
I want to see the 2010-11 budget focused on controlling govern-
ment spending and assisting the private sector with job creation. Our
economic recovery will not be complete until we get more people back
to work, and we still have an almost 9 percent unemployment rate in
the state. The state, like our famlies, must prioritize spending.
The governor has indicated his desire to raise spending by $1.2
billion, which is a 4 percent increase. He also wants to reduce the
sales tax from 6 percent to 4 percent, but expand the tax to 74 cur-
rently exempt items. This would cause consumers to pay less per
transaction, but they would be taxed on more goods and services
to generate more than $500 million in new money for the Com-
monwealth.
Following is a breakdown of the priorities the governor outlined
during his budget address in early February:
Spending: The governor has proposed a $1.2 billion increase
in spending using $26.27 billion in state dollars and an additional
$2.76 billion in federal stimulus funds. It is important to note that
$800 million of these federal funds have not yet been approved by
Congress, so there is no guarantee we will actually receive these
dollars. You should also know we are facing a half-billion dollar deficit
for the current fiscal year.
Budget Cuts: The governor is calling for reductions to the bud-
gets of the Department of Environmental Protection ($3.8 million
cut), the Department of Health ($7 million cut), the Department of
Agriculture ($5.4 million cut), the Department of Labor and Industry
($3.1 million cut) and the Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources ($1 million cut). Many of these departments took deep
cuts in the 2009-10 budget.
Budget Increases: The governor would increase funding for
basic education, county child welfare programs, mental retardation
services, services to senior citizens, the state police, the Department
of Corrections, the Department of Community and Economic Devel-
opment, and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
Basic Education: The governor has called for a $354 million
increase for Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts, which represents
a 7.28 percent rise in basic education spending. As in years past,
Bucks County schools will not get their fair share of this increase.
Under the governor’s plan, the districts in the 143rd District would
see funding grow as follows: Central Bucks – 3.34 percent, Palisades
– 2 percent, and Pennridge – 2.29 percent. When you consider that
some districts will see increases of more than 20 percent, it is clear
we must find a more equitable formula to fund our public schools.
Sales Tax Expansion: As mentioned above, the governor is pro-
posing a reduction of the sales tax rate from 6 percent to 4 percent,
but would expand the tax to cover 74 items and services that are
currently exempt – food, clothing and prescription medicines would
still be tax exempt. He would place the extra revenue raised from
this tax in a reserve account called the Stimulus Transition Reserve
Fund to help offset the future termination of stimulus funds. Note that
many property tax reduction or elimination plans rely on a similar tax
shift, making the future of further property tax relief questionable.
Below are some examples of items and ser-
vices the governor would tax in his plan:
• Residential electric
• Vending machines
• Residential fuel oil/gas, firewood
• Funeral services
• Newspapers and magazines
• Non-prescription drugs
• Personal hygiene items
• Residential telephone service
• Textbooks
• Water and sewer services
• Drycleaning and laundry services
• Truck transportation
• Waste management
• Scientific research and development
• Legal and accounting services
• Basic television
I will continue to bring you the latest budget
news, and I would be happy to answer any ques-
tions you might have. Feel free to contact me at
mquinn@pahousegop.com or call my office at
(215) 489-2126.

Table Games Legal Despite Odds of Benefit

for Pennsylvania Homeowners
In January, the General Assembly voted to allow table games at Pennsylvania’s slots parlors, despite the fact that the bill had no immediate
benefit for Pennsylvania homeowners and did not adequately address the need to reform Pennsylvania’s gaming laws.
I cast a “NO” vote on Senate Bill 711 (now Act 1 of 2010) when it came before the House for several reasons including:
• My concern about the need for additional gaming reforms.
• The lack of immediate property tax relief for homeowners.
• Both license fees and tax rates for table games were too low, which benefitted casinos but served as a missed opportunity for the state to
generate more revenue.
Gaming was originally introduced to Pennsylvania with the promise of school property tax relief, and I believe this legislation takes us a step
away from that promise. As this law is written, it will be many years before any table game revenue is deposited into the Property Tax Relief
Fund, and I am skeptical whether the fund will ever see the benefit of this revenue. Instead of helping our struggling homeowners, this bill funds
specific projects through the local share distribution.
As the first table games are introduced into the state, I am hopeful they will be as profitable as projected because Pennsylvania is relying
on this revenue to balance its books.
Finally, if you know someone with a gambling problem, help is available by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.

Quinn.net

In February, Rep. Quinn hosted an art show in her district office to
showcase the work of students from Tohickon Middle School in the
Central Bucks School District. Pictured (from left) are Quinn, Deanna
Helm, art teacher Deb Thomas, Andrea Starkey, art teacher Cheryl Daly,
Madison Moreno, and principal Karen Wychock.
Public Pension Spike
Approaching in 2012
As you may be aware, there is an impending “spike” coming for
Pennsylvania’s public pension systems, including the Public School
Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS) and the State Employees’
Retirement System (SERS).
For those of you unfamiliar with the issue, Pennsylvania and virtually
all other public employers offer defined benefit pension plans. In a defined
benefit pension plan, the pension benefit to be provided at retirement is
defined, while the contributions to be made over the period of employment
are variable based on the experience of the pension fund. The amount
of pension an employee receives is based on a formula. No matter how
much money is available in the pension funds to pay retirees, the state
MUST provide these specified pensions, and the courts have ruled on
three different occasions that we cannot break these contracts.
These pensions differ from the defined contribution pension plans that
many private companies offer. In a defined contribution pension plan, the
contributions to be made over the period of employment are defined, while
the pension benefit to be provided at retirement is variable based on the
investment experience of the pension fund. In this latter system, retirees’
benefits are impacted by the ups and downs of the investment market.
PSERS and SERS are funded by employee contributions, investment
returns and employer (taxpayer) contributions. In 2008, the pension sys-
tems saw a significant loss in investment returns. This has contributed to
the unfunded liabilities the funds face in 2012.
It is my job to work toward a solution that is reasonable, constructive
and continues to offer retirement benefits to our teachers and state em-
ployees at a level the taxpayers can afford, both now and in the future.
At this time, legislators are meeting with stakeholders to determine how
best to address this spike. We must formulate a measured and practical
solution because there is a lot at stake.
This issue will have to be addressed on two fronts – a short-term
approach and a long-term approach. In the short term, we need to find
funding for the dramatic increase in contributions required in 2012 and
the several years after; and in the long term, we need to find an affordable
way for the taxpayers of the Commonwealth to continue to offer retirement
benefits as part of an appropriate compensation package for teachers and
other state employees.
Gov. Ed Rendell, as part of his recent budget proposal, has suggested
we re-amortize the amount we owe over the next 30 years instead of finding
a way to pay what we owe now. He calls this his “Fresh Start Proposal.”
Unfortunately, I think it just passes the bill down the road to the next gen-
eration, and his plan will ultimately cost taxpayers billions of dollars more
in the long run. This proposal, like all others that address this issue, has
not been vetted yet and few details have been made available.
I will continue to keep you informed about the progress the
Legislature makes on this issue, and I invite you to contact me at
mquinn@pahousegop.com with your comments. You can also find more
information on my Web site, RepQuinn.net.
Harrisburg
164 East Wing, PO Box 202143
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2143
Phone 717-772-1413 Fax 717-783-3793
E-mail: mquinn@pahousegop.com
For regular e-mail updates, please sign up on my Web site, RepQuinn.net.
Working for
Environmental
Protection in the
Marcellus Shale
The Marcellus shale is a rich deposit of natural gas embedded
in rock buried very deep beneath much of Pennsylvania, New York
and West Virginia. The shale region stretches from the western
edge of the state to include areas in Bucks County. In fact, at least
300 gas leases have been signed in the 143rd District, primarily in
Nockamixon Township.
These gas deposits offer a great economic opportunity for
Pennsylvania. In addition to job creation, the industry is already
contributing substantial tax revenue to state and local governments.
The leasing of state forest land was adopted as part of the 2009-10
state budget, and bids have earned the Commonwealth $60 million
more than we had anticipated. Though this is much-needed good
news during a year marred by balance sheets full of red ink, the
development of this industry gives rise to serious environmental
concerns that must be addressed as we proceed.
Because of the success of these leases, and the need for more
revenue, Gov. Ed Rendell has renewed his call for a natural gas
severance tax, which would tax the value and production of the
gas extracted from the well. If enacted, I want to be sure the tax
is structured in such a way that it does not deter the investment in
or by this industry, and that revenue generated is directed, at least
in part, to related environmental issues.
We must also be sure the industry is properly regulated and
accountable for any possible impact on local infrastructure and
the environment. Thanks to recent increases in drilling application
fees, the Department of Environmental Protection was able to hire
37 field inspectors to ensure environmental protection and safety
standards are met.
Though not specifically aimed at the gas drilling industry, I
have introduced legislation that would require any entity discharg-
ing within 25 miles upstream to one-quarter mile downstream of
surface water intakes and within the capture zone of community
groundwater wells to demonstrate that its activities will not degrade
water quality.
In addition to the effort to protect public water, I have authored
legislation that would amend the Oil and Gas Act to increase
minimum bond requirements for drilling companies. These bonds
would help to ensure that resources are available to cap wells
when gas companies are finished drilling. Gas companies must
be held accountable for their actions – we can’t leave Pennsylvania
taxpayers holding the bag for the cost of their industry. Both House
Bills 802 and 808 are before the House Environmental Resources
and Energy Committee.
If you have any questions about the Marcellus shale, feel free
to contact my office at (215) 489-2126 or visit my Web site at
RepQuinn.net for more information.
Recently, Rep. Quinn hosted an event for farmers in the 143rd
District so their concerns could be heard by Pennsylvania policy
makers. Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding
was the keynote speaker. Pictured from left are Mike Fournier, Penn
State University’s Cooperative Extension Director for Bucks County,
Quinn and Redding.
District
1032 North Easton Road
Doylestown, PA 18902-1055
Phone 215-489-2126 Fax 215-489-2129