State Representative PRSRT STD

TOM KILLION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
HARRISBURG, PA
PERMIT NO. 432

Serving you in the 168 th District

Fall 2010

Dear Neighbor, MCare Decision Appealed

For the first time in eight years,
a state budget was passed in both The Rendell administration is appealing a court decision ordering the ad-
houses of the state Legislature by the ministration to return the more than $800 million that it raided from the Medical
June 30 deadline. Care Availability and Reduction of Error Fund (MCare).
The $28.04 billion spending plan Last fall I protested a move by House Democrat leaders to raid the state’s
provides for the critical functions of medical malpractice insurance fund to fill a state budget shortfall. Following
state government and is reflective of heated debate on the House floor, the measure passed and was immediately
our current economy. challenged by the medical community. This spring, Commonwealth Court or-
While this budget is far from perfect dered that the money be put back.
and I am disappointed in cuts to key MCare is a medical liability trust fund mandated by the state that requires
programs and the shortfall created by physicians and medical facilities throughout Pennsylvania to pay into it. The
the federal government’s lower than fund was established to cover exorbitant medical malpractice claims. There
predicted Medicaid funding commit- is no cap on malpractice awards in Pennsylvania and this fund was making it
ment, I believe it attempts to strike possible for medical professionals to continue practicing in the Commonwealth.
a balance between state revenues The Rendell administration had no business taking it and the court agrees.
and our obligations to the citizens of Democrat leadership in the House drained the $100 million to help cover
Pennsylvania. expenditures in last year’s bloated $27.8 billion budget. The court ordered the
The budget did not contain new Rendell administration to return the money and an additional half billion dollars
or expanded taxes and there was it wrongfully transferred from the Health Care Providers Retention Account to
a $250 million increase in basic the General Fund. While the medical community won its initial court battle, the
education funding. This fiscal year, administration’s appeal suggests the war is far from over.
Pennsylvania’s purchasing power will
be improved by using P-Cards instead
of checks for purchases. P-Cards
are similar to debit cards and the
Commonwealth receives a nearly 1.5
percent rebate on its purchases.
We will be challenged over the
next several months to find ways to
cut costs and increase revenue with-
out raising taxes. Be sure to check
my website at RepKillion.com for
updates.
Your thoughts and opinions are
important to me. Inside you will find
a survey of key issues that, once an-
swered, will help me to better serve
you. Please take a few minutes and
share your thoughts and opinions with Rep. Killion heard testimony concerning his legislation to thwart false child abuse
me. Thank you! claims by juvenile offenders retaliating against staff at juvenile facilities. Killion said
that while abuse claims must be taken seriously, false reporting has needlessly
cost jobs and ruined the lives of teaching professionals. Representatives of Glen
Mills Schools in Delaware County testified at the state Capitol.
 Revenue
from Table
Games Should
Support
Property Tax
Relief
Legislation to allow slot machine
gambling in Commonwealth passed
in 2004 on the promise that it was to
provide substantial property tax relief
to Pennsylvania citizens. Six years
later, the relief we have seen falls far
short of substantial.
Now we have table games and the
bill that was passed to allow this ex-
pansion of gambling in Pennsylvania
provided no promise of tax relief. In
fact, I did not vote for table games be-
cause I believe it offers Pennsylvania
taxpayers no relief of any kind.
Senate Bill 711 was rushed through
the General Assembly and a confer-
ence committee and did not contain
sufficient reforms to correct problems
already plaguing the gaming industry
in Pennsylvania. Further, I believe
that 100 percent of state proceeds
from table games should be directed
toward property tax relief. I supported
an amendment that would have done
just that.
I am disappointed that the legisla-
tion still allows for a major conflict of
interest in that the Pennsylvania Gam-
ing Control Board can conduct its own
background checks and those of ven-
dors and licensees through its Bureau
of Investigation and Enforcement.
Many of my Republican colleagues
and I believe that the state police or
the Office of Attorney General – both
law enforcement agencies – should
conduct the background investigations
and have greater oversight regarding
law enforcement.
Although we have been able to
put mechanisms in place to increase
transparency and accountability in the
state’s gaming industry, our work in
this regard is far from over.
Increasing Transparency
in State Contracts
To ensure and implement a more transparent and responsible process for
state contracts, I am supporting a series of legislative reforms.
In Pennsylvania, there is no shortage of controversy and questions sur-
rounding the awarding of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts for legal
services. I believe there are many state contracts that should be put out for
competitive bid that are not.
The following legislative proposals would create a more competitive and
open contracting process:
 Changing the Procurement Code to make it applicable to the
executive, legislative and judicial branches of government;
 Reinstating and expanding the open records requirements.
Contracts must be publicly posted for five days before execution;
 Eliminating sole-source contracts for legal work, requiring legal
contracts to be put out for bid and be subject to public scrutiny
before execution;
 Limiting the use of sole-source procurement by eliminating
certain loopholes;
 Prohibiting Requests for Proposals (RFPs), sole-source,
emergency, legal and insurance work from campaign contributors;
 Prohibiting the executive and legislative branches from hiring
lobbyists and consultants.
Nuclear Power Should be Part
of Alternative Energy Package
Pennsylvania is working on Alter- investments.
native Energy Portfolio Standards Increasing output at Pennsylvania’s
that propose to increase the amount existing nuclear power plants would
of clean and/or renewable energy create jobs, increase our clean energy
sources incrementally over time and supply and save consumers money.
provide for carbon sequestration. I While we search for and invest in new
am proposing an amendment to sources of clean, renewable energy,
include nuclear power in the mix of we should not abandon the technolo-
alternative energy sources being gies that are working for us now.
proposed. Nuclear energy is clean, reliable
Increasing output at existing fa- and it belongs in Pennsylvania’s green
cilities would have tremendous eco- energy mix.
nomic and environmental benefits
for Pennsylvania and would save
consumers millions of dollars annually
in electricity costs.
In order to achieve higher output
at our nuclear power plants, the facili-
ties would need to undergo significant
modification, costing plant owners
hundreds of millions of dollars. Typi-
cally, these costs are passed on to
consumers. However, my amend-
ment would allow plant owners to
participate in the Renewable Energy
Credit market, providing them a finan-
cial incentive to make these important
Rep.Killion
receives the 2010
Outstanding
Alumni Award from
Chancellor Sophia
Wisniewska at Penn
State University’s
Brandywine
campus.
WWW.REPKIL
 168th District Questionnaire
The General Assembly faces a variety of challenging issues in our efforts to make Pennsylvania a better place for all
residents. I would like to know what you think. Please take a moment to read and answer the following questions. The
questionnaire below allows up to two people in your household to respond. When you are finished with the survey, please
r fold it and mail it back to my office. In addition, you may also complete the survey online at RepKillion.com.
Thank you.
-
l 1) Which two of the following issues do you believe should 6) Do you agree or disagree that additional state regula-
r be the top priorities for the state Legislature? tions/legislation are needed to impact water resources
affected by drilling in the Marcellus Shale?
d __ __ Bringing jobs and business to the state
__ __ Controlling the cost of health care and __ __ I agree more state regulation/legislation
prescription drugs is needed to deal with water quality issues
__ __ Holding down school property taxes involving Marcellus Shale drilling.
__ __ Improving roads, bridges and highways __ __ I do not agree more state regulation/legislation
__ __ Protecting the environment and is needed. Current state laws/regulations are
preserving open space sufficient in dealing with issues regarding
__ __ Holding down the growth of state spending Marcellus Shale drilling.
__ __ Reforming the state Legislature
__ __ Other ___________________________ 7) In order to make sure that all Pennsylvania workers have
health insurance coverage, would you favor or oppose a
2) Do you favor or oppose legislation that would ban the proposal that would penalize businesses for not providing
use of hand-held cellular phones while driving? health care benefits to their employees?

__ __ Favor __ __ Oppose __ __ Favor __ __ Oppose

3) Do you favor or oppose legislation that would ban texting 8) Would you favor or oppose a proposal that would require
while driving? Pennsylvania residents to prove their U.S. citizenship
before collecting state benefits like Medicaid, welfare and
__ __ Favor __ __ Oppose in-state college tuition?

4) Do you favor or oppose a tax on the extraction of natural __ __ Favor __ __ Oppose

gas?
__ __ Favor __ __ Oppose Comments and questions:________________________

5) If you favor an extraction tax, how should the proceeds _____________________________________________

should be distributed?
_____________________________________________
__ __ For the state’s General Fund
__ __ For environmental programs operated ___________________________________________
by the Department of Environmental Protection
__ __ For local governments to deal with the _____________________________________________
expansion of drilling in the Marcellus Shale
__ __ Combination of above options

Deadline to Apply for

Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program Extended
The deadline to apply for the state’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate program for 2009 is being extended from June 30 to
Dec. 31, 2010.
Eligible participants can receive a rebate of up to $650 based on their rent or property taxes paid in 2009. The pro-
gram benefits eligible Pennsylvanians who are 65 years or older, widows and widowers 50 years or older, and those 18
years or older with disabilities.
Eligibility income limits for homeowners are set at the following levels, excluding 50 percent of Social Security, Supple-
mental Security Income, and Railroad Retirement Tier 1 benefits:

 $0 to $8,000, maximum $650 rebate (Homeowners and renters)

 $8,001 to $15,000, maximum $500 rebate (Homeowners and renters)
 $15,001 to $18,000, maximum $300 rebate (Homeowners only)
 $18,001 to $35,000, maximum $250 rebate (Homeowners only)

The Property Tax/Rent Rebate program is one of many initiatives supported by the Pennsylvania Lottery, which
dedicates its proceeds to support programs for older Pennsylvanians. Since the program began in 1971, more than $4
billion has been paid to qualified applicants.
Residents are reminded to provide all the necessary income, property tax or rental information required to process
claims quickly and accurately. Property Tax/Rent Rebate claim forms are available by contacting my district office at
(610) 325-1541, or by visiting my website at RepKillion.com.

ILLION.COM
 New Dog Law Improves Conditions at
Commercial Kennels
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the number of commercial kennels across the Common-
wealth has decreased since a new law went into effect last fall and conditions have improved for animals at the com-
mercial kennels that remain.
The law put into place stringent health and safety standards, forcing many substandard commercial kennels to either
upgrade their facilities or to shut down operations. The Department of Agriculture reports that as many as two-thirds of
commercial kennels closed their doors since the law
went into effect.
The legislation, which I was proud to co-sponsor,
addressed the many deficiencies and horrendous
conditions in many large commercial breeding kennels.
In many cases, dogs spent most of their days inside
cramped wire cages, stacked on top of one another, and
received little grooming, exercise or veterinary care.
The law requires large-scale breeders to double
cage sizes, eliminate wire flooring, and provide greater
access to the outdoors, as well as more frequent medi-
cal exams and better cleanliness and ventilation. It also
prohibits cage stacking.
These standards are now considered to be among
the toughest in the country, and the department recently
reported to the General Assembly that the Common-
wealth has become a model state for its oversight of
commercial breeders. It is now easier to close problem
kennels and additional state regulations are in the works Rep. Killion (center) received the Animal Welfare Leadership
for smaller kennels that do not fall under the commercial Award during the 99th anniversary celebration of the
kennel designation. Delaware County SPCA. The award was presented by Wayne
For more information about the law or to search Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the U.S., during a
the commercial kennel database, visit my website at ceremony at the Garrett Williamson Foundation in Newtown
RepKillion.com. Square in June.

New Law Designed to Better

Protect Children from Predators
Legislation that would better protect Pennsylvania children by making it a crime to intentionally view child pornography
has become law in Pennsylvania.
Previously state law prohibited the possession or controlling of child pornography, but the law was silent on the “inten-
tional viewing” of it. The result was a loophole through which individuals may have been able to use child pornography
without fear of legal repercussions. House Bill 89 – now Act 15 of 2009 – corrects that oversight in the law, preventing
further exploitation of children.
Without this law, pedophiles could have viewed thousands of images of child pornography, and as long as they did
not download the images to their computer, they could not have been prosecuted under Pennsylvania law.
To further help protect children, Pennsylvania’s attorney general has partnered with attorneys general from around the
country and MySpace, an online social networking site, to make improvements to the site. MySpace has made specific
changes to make it more difficult for convicted sex offenders to use the site to prey on potential victims.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE
TOM KILLION
Harrisburg Office:
Room 403 Irvis Office Building
PO Box 202168
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2168
Phone: (717) 772-0855
District Office:
4641 West Chester Pike
Newtown Square, PA 19073
Phone: (610) 325-1541
Email: tkillion@pahousegop.com
Web Site: RepKillion.com
District Office Services
My district office is here to help you. Services my staff and I provide
include:
 Driver’s license and vehicle registration applications and renewals
 Assistance with PennDOT paperwork (lost cards, changes,
corrections, special registration plates, vanity plates, and
temporary placards for disabled persons)
 PACE and PACENET applications for seniors
 Property Tax and Rent Rebate applications
 Voter registration forms and absentee ballot applications
 State tax forms
 Student aid applications
 Free state maps, state park information, and PA Travel Guides
 Copies of legislation
 Tours of the state Capitol
 Referrals to agencies to resolve state-related matters
If you need help with any of the above or with any other state related
matter, please do not hesitate to call my district office.