COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS n re: 2001-2002 Appropriations Hearings Presentation by Members * * * * Stenographic report of hearing held in Majority Caucus Room, Main Capitol Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Wednesday February 14, 2001 10:00 a.m. ON. JOHN E. BARLEY, CHAIRMAN on. Gene DiGirolamo, Secretary on. Patrick E. Fleagle, Subcommittee on Education on. Jim Lynch, Subcommittee on Capitol Budget on. John J. Taylor, Subcommitte/Health and Human Services on. Dwight Evans, Democratic Chairman MEMBERS OF APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE Hon. William F. Adolph Hon. Steven R. Nickol Hon. Matthew E. Baker Hon. Jane C. Orie Hon. Stephen Barrar Hon. William R. Robinson Hon. Lita I. Cohen Hon. Samuel E. Rohrer Hon. Craig A. Dally Hon. Stanley E. Saylor Hon. Teresa E. Forcier Hon. Curt Schroder Hon. Dan Frankel Hon. Edward G. Staback Hon. Babette Josephs Hon. Jerry A. Stern Hon. John A. Lawless Hon. Stephen H. Stetler Hon. Kathy M. Manderino Hon. Jere L. Strittmatter Hon. David J. Mayernik Hon. Leo J. Trich, Jr. Hon. Phyllis Mundy Hon. Peter J. Zug Hon. John Myers lso Present: Reported by: Dorothy M. Malone, RPR ichael Rosenstein, Executive Director ary Soderberg, Democratic Executive Director DorotkM M- M«lone Registered Professional Reporter 135 O- Lanai* Street }—lummelftown, Pennrijlvania 17036 NAME PAGE Opening remarks 4 Rep. Frank Tulli 7 Rep. Connie Williams 9 Rep. Bill Adolph 12 Rep. Gene DiGirolamo 14 Rep. Sara Steelan 18 Rep. Carole Rubley 24 Rep. John Pippy 28 Rep. Tom Tigue 32 Rep. Curt Schroder 35 Rep. Daryl Metcalfe 38 Rep. Ron Marsico 43 Rep. Pat Browne 46 Rep. Bob Bastian 51 Rep. Greg Vitali 54 Rep. Richard Grucela 57 Rep. John Maher 61 Rep. Steve Maitland 65 Rep. Steve Samuelson 69 Rep. Ellen Bard 73 Rep. John Yudichak 78 Rep. Jennifer Mann 82 Rep. Harold James 86 Rep. Michael Diven 91 NAME PAGE Rfcip. Larry Sather 98 Reipi. Tom Michlovic 103 Rep. Katharine Watson 107 Rep. Paul Costa 111 Rep. Steve Capelli 114 Rep. Phyllis Mundy 118 Rep. Paul Clymer 122 Rep. Michael Sturla 125 Rep. Kelly Lewis 129 Rep. Mark Cohen 133 Rep. James Roebuck 137 Rep. Jess Stairs 143 Prepared testimony of Rep. Jane Clare Orie 147 Prepared Testimony of Rep. Timothy J. Solobay 151 Prepared Testimony of Rep. Jim Wansacz 156 Prepared Testimony of Rep. Leanna Washington 159 Prepared Testimony of Rep. John Pallone 162 Prepared Testimony of Rep. Jewel Williams 165 Prepared Testimony of Rep. W. Curtis Thomas 168 CHAIRMAN BARLEY: Welcome to the opening hearing of the Appropriations Committee hearings for the budget cycle 2001-2002. Today we have a very busy schedule. We have a lot of members that are coming before the committee to express their opinion, their views, their priorities for the legislative districts they represent. I am also certain that many of the members that will be giving testimony today will have opinions that they will like to share on the overall budget as well. The opening session this morning as well as this afternoon is intended for the members and General Assembly to come before the committee and express once again their priorities. I think it is a great opportunity not only for the members but it provides the Appropriations Committee with the opportunity to hear what some of the priorities are and gives us the input that we need as we are building this budget and looking forward once again to a smooth process. Before we begin and recognize our first presentere, I would like to recognize my counterpart, the Democrat Chairman, Representative Dwight Evans, and then I would ask all members of the committee, if they would, to just briefly introduce themselves for the viewers that are watching our program here today. Chairman Evans. REPRESENTATIVE EVANS: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, as you just indicated, I look forward to this opportunity of working jointly with you as we go through this process over the next three weeks to hear not just the members, but the cabinet officers, about the direction of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I would like to stress this is not our money. This is the people's money, and it is clear to me that this is our opportunity to voice our opinion in terms of what our constituents would like to see to as the future in terms of the Commonwealth of Pennsyl­ vania. This is a year to move in that obviously we have to look at the investments that we are making and where we will generate more jobs and help the education system of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Again, Mr. Chairman, I look forward to working with you and I appreciate the opportunity that you have given, not just to me, but all of the members on both sides of the aisle. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. CHAIRMAN BARLEY: You are welcome. We can begin with introductions. REPRESENTATIVE FRANKEL: Representative Dan Frankel, Allegheny County. REPRESENTATIVE MYERS: Representative j a f /! * - John Myers, Philadelphia County. REPRESENTATIVE STABACK: Representative Ed Staback, Lackawanna, Wayne. REPRESENTATIVE MAYERNIK: Represetative Dave Mayernik, Allegheny County. I am coming as a freshman on the committee here to learn about the appropriations process. REPRESENTATIVE FLEAGLE: Representative Pat Fleagle from Franklin County. REPRESENTATIVE BAKER: Representative Matt Baker from Tioga and Bradford Counties. REPRESENTATIVE ZUG: Peter Zug, Lebanon and Dauphin Counties. REPRESENTATIVE LYNCH: Jim Lynch, Warren, Forest and McKean Counties. REPRESENTATIVE DIGIROLAMO: Gene DiGirolamo, Bucks County. REPRESENTATIVE SCHRODER: Representative Curt Schroder, Chester County. CHAIRMAN BARLEY: And I have Michael Rosenstein to my left who is my Executive Director and Mary Soderberg to the right of Chairman Evans who is the Executive Director for Chairman Evans. So, we would like to welcome all the members that are here today. And we will begin with our first presenter. Before we do that however, I would like to indicate that I have testimony that is being presented for the record by Representative Jane Orie, who is not able to be here today. So, I would like for the court reporter to note that we will be presenting some testimony there for the record. The first presenter is Representative Frank Chick Tulli from Dauphin County, a veteran at this. So we welcome, you, Chick, and I would be very strict with my five minute clock because we have about 40 members and we are allowing the members to have five minutes. So, not to steal any of your time, you may begin. REPRESENTATIVE TULLI: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you and the committee for allowing the members to express their opinions to the Appropriations Committee. And I want to commend this entire committee and staff for the hard work you do in preparing information for the budget. I know the next four weeks are going to be a very difficult time consuming process for you and I want to commend and congratulate you for that. My testimony is going to be very brief because I am not even going to put a number on it. In the budget every year we have, in recent years, we have put an amount in DEP's budget for cleaning up of acid mine drainage. And we are in the process of slowly cleaning up the streams and rivers and waterways of Pennsylvania with that money. And what I would like to see this legislature do is take a lead and put an end date to acid mine drainage in Pennsylvania. Future mining and present mining is safeguarded by law that they will not create any more acid mine drainage. What we are doing now is cleaning up a process that is already in existence. This committee can come out with a recommendation that will increase the governor's budget for acid mine drainage clean up and put an end date to any water pollution in Pennsylvania. We have it within our power, as a General Assembly, to do that. And what I am asking you to do is take a look at that part of the budget and see if we ought to have a ten year end date, a 15 year end date to have no more acid mine drainage in Pennsylvania. It is a problem that is within our reach to solve and I ask you to take a close look at that and I would be glad to work with you in the future on it. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. CHAIRMAN BARLEY: Thank you, Representative Tulli. We appreciate those comments and we will certainly take them under advisement. Our next presenter is Representative Connie Williams from Montgomery County. Good morning. Welcome. And we are allowing five minutes for each 7 member to present testimony. So you may begin. REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAMS: Thank you, Chairman Barley. Good morning, Chairman Barley, Chairman Evans and committee members. The 2001-2002 budget includes some very good things, but if I were governor, I would find there are a num­ ber of things that I would change, like finding a better way to fund education; adding funding for programs to mitigate noise along our highways and increasing funding for the arts. But, since I am not the governor I will speak to you instead about protecting Pennsylvania's most valuable treasure--our children. Yesterday, the House Children and Youth Committee took a monumental step forward when they voted out of committee House Bill 519, which would expand crim­ inal and child abuse background checks for day care pro­ viders. Parents should have peace of mind in knowing that when they drop their child off at daycare, their child will be safe. By providing extra fuding for background checks we will increase the ability of the State Police to uncover potentially dangerous workers and ensure that children are not exposed to a dangerous situation.