IN THIS ISSUE Co-Sponsor Memos Bill Actions

March 11, 2016

IN THIS ISSUE

Co-Sponsor Memos Bill Actions Committee Stories Press Conferences Upcoming Events Session Schedule In the News

Co-Sponsor Memos

HCO2906 Metzgar, Carl Addresses a vacancy within the makeup of the Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Board.

HCO2936 Santora, James Designates a portion of State Route 2005 in Drexel Hill, Delaware County as the Officer Dennis McNamara Memorial Highway.

HCO2938 Keller, Mark Designates a bridge on a portion of State Route 74 over the Sherman's Creek, Spring Township, Perry County, as the PFC William Oscar Stambaugh Memorial Bridge.

HCO2942 Mullery, Gerald Prohibits individuals or organizations from using drones to interfere with lawful hunting, fishing, and boating activities.

SCO1356 Hutchinson, Scott Requires that in order for someone to be an eligible candidate for road or bridge name designation they must be deceased.

Bill Actions

HB 339 Barrar, Stephen (PN 1693) Amends the Insurance Company Law to require managed care companies to provide reimbursements to emergency medical services agencies when services were rendered but a person subsequently does not require transport or refuses transport to a hospital. Effective in 60 days. (Prior Printer Number: 361) Bill History: 06-10-15 Laid out for discussion 5:09pm 06-10-15 Third consideration 5:10pm 06-10-15 H Final Passage (Vote: Y:188/N: 0) 06-12-15 S Received in the Senate and referred to Senate Banking and Insurance 03-09-16 S Discussed in joint informational meeting, House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Prepared. -- House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Prepared.

HB 927 Lawrence, John (PN 2917) Amends Title 75 (Vehicles), in registration of vehicles, establishing a special license plate for recipients of the Legion of Merit. Effective in 60 days. Bill History: 03-08-16 H Filed 03-10-16 H Introduced and referred to committee on House Transportation

HB 1460 Adolph, William (PN 2632) The General Appropriation Act of 2015 provides from the General Fund for the expenses of the Executive and Judicial Departments, the State Government Support Agencies

and the General Assembly of the Commonwealth, the public debt and the public schools for the fiscal year July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016, for certain institutions and organizations, and for the payment of bills incurred and remaining unpaid at the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015; to provide appropriations from the State Lottery Fund, the Tobacco Settlement Fund, the Aviation Restricted Account, the Hazardous Material Response Fund, The State Stores Fund, the Milk Marketing Fund, the Home Investment Trust Fund, the Emergency Medical Services Operating Fund, the Tuition Account Guaranteed Savings Program Fund, the Banking Fund, the Firearm Records Check Fund, the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority Fund, the Oil and Gas Lease Fund, the Home Improvement Account, the Cigarette Fire Safety and Firefighter Protection Act Enforcement Fund, the Insurance Regulation and Oversight Fund and the Pennsylvania Racehorse Development Restricted Receipt Account, to the Executive Department; to provide appropriations from the Judicial Computer System Augmentation Account to the Judicial Department for the fiscal year July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016; to provide appropriations from the Motor License Fund for the fiscal year July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016, for the proper operation of several departments of the Commonwealth and the Pennsylvania State Police authorized to spend Motor License Fund moneys; to provide for the appropriation of Federal funds to the Executive Department of the Commonwealth and for the payment of bills remaining unpaid at the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015. General Appropriations under the legislation total $30,508,007. Effective immediately. (Prior Printer Number: 2055, 2626) Bill History: 03-08-16 H Discussed in Budget Hearing - Department of Education, House Appropriations -- House Appropriations 03-09-16 H Press conference held 03-09-16 H Discussed in Budget Hearing - DHS, House Appropriations -- House Appropriations 03-10-16 H Discussed in Budget Hearing - Budget Secretary, House Appropriations -- House Appropriations 03-10-16 H Discussed in Budget Hearing - Member Testimony, House Appropriations -- House Appropriations

HB 1895 Metzgar, Carl Amends the Storage Tank and Spill Prevention Act further providing for Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Board. Bill History: 03-10-16 H Filed

SB 1132 Hutchinson, Scott (PN 1568) Amends the State Highway Law making editorial changes and adding that an individual in whose name a State- owned road, or any portion of a State-owned road, a bridge, an interchange or an intersection is to be designated by the General Assembly must be deceased. Effective in 60 days. Bill History: 03-04-16 S Filed 03-04-16 S Introduced and referred to committee on Senate Transportation

SB 1142 Yaw, Gene (PN 1585) Amends the Storage Tank and Spill Prevention Act further providing for Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Board by replacing the Middle Atlantic Truck Stop Operators with the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association. Effective in

60 days. Bill History: 03-07-16 S Filed 03-07-16 S Introduced and referred to committee on Senate Banking and Insurance

SB 1152 Browne, Patrick (PN 1591) Amends Title 75 (Vehicles), in other required equipment, further providing for restraint systems; and making an editorial change. Babies under age two shall be in a rear- facing child passenger restraint system. Further, the driver of a passenger car, Class I truck, Class II truck or motor home operated in this Commonwealth shall: if under 18 years of age, be secured in a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt system; and secure or cause to be secured in a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt every vehicle occupant eight years of age or older but under 18 years of age. During the first year following the effective date, law enforcement shall only issue verbal warnings to individuals who are in violation. Effective in 60 days. Bill History: 03-09-16 S Filed 03-09-16 S Introduced and referred to committee on Senate Transportation

SB 1153 Vogel, Jr., Elder (PN 1592) Act designating a portion of State Routes 108 and 551 in Lawrence County as the Battery B Memorial Highway. Effective in 60 days. Bill History: 03-09-16 S Filed 03-09-16 S Introduced and referred to committee on Senate Transportation

SB 1155 Reschenthaler, Guy (PN 1594) Amends Title 75 (Vehicles), in registration of vehicles, establishing a special license place for active members of the armed forces of the United States. Effective in 60 days. Bill History: 03-09-16 S Filed 03-09-16 S Introduced and referred to committee on Senate Transportation

Committee Stories

House Appropriations Committee budget hearing with PEMA & OSFC (BH) 3/8/16, 11:30 a.m., 140 Main Capitol By Nina Lehr, Pennsylvania Legislative Services

The committee held a budget hearing with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Office of the State Fire Commissioner.

PEMA Director Richard Flinn stated the mission of his agency is to direct and coordinate state agency response and support county and local governments in the areas of disaster preparedness, planning and response to and recovery from man-made or natural disasters. He added "my ultimate goal is to have the Commonwealth's emergency management agency be the best in the country." He said he has conducted a comprehensive review of his organization and tasked each bureau with identifying efficiencies and improving customer service processes. He noted they implemented many cost saving measures and are working on a project with the Office of the State Fire Commissioner (OSFC) to reduce the overall cost of training to the commonwealth. He commented "we are re- engineering our entire training exercise program to continue to meet the needs of our stakeholders while lowering the cost."

Flinn stated PEMA is unlike any other state agency and not only do the majority of the staff have their day-to-day job, they also serve as an emergency manager during a state of emergency. He noted a majority of the funding PEMA receives comes in the form of state and federal grants and PEMA serves as the administrative agency for these grants to county and local governments. He said PEMA is working with the Office of Administration and the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to improve the grant process and develop an e-grant program to not only save money and time but improve overall customer service. He remarked PEMA will be completing the transition into new headquarters in the new fiscal year which will improve coordination with state agencies during emergencies and will incorporate new state-of-the-art technology to reduce redundancy and enhance situational awareness in operations. He stated PEMA has developed a reorganization plan to focus efforts on four general categories, mission support, preparedness, response, and the 911 program and are realigning staff with the appropriate expertise without increasing their overall complement. Flinn added PEMA is expanding the public outreach effort to include the private sector and non-profit volunteer organizations.

Flinn thanked the General Assembly for passing Act 12 of 2015, the comprehensive rewrite of the 911 law, and are on track to beat the estimated revenue collections in the 911 Fund to support those systems throughout the Commonwealth.

Tim Solobay, Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner, stated the main responsibility of OSFC is to train and educate firefighters and make sure there are ample instructors to handle that job. He said OSFC is the administrator of a $30 million grant program through casino revenue dollars that goes back to fire and ambulance departments throughout the Commonwealth. He noted OSFC has seen a record number of applicants, over 2,400, with around 1,600 already having submitted their paperwork and are still waiting on the remaining 800. He noted OSFC also handles the two percent loan program and back in 2013 legislation changed the amount of money fire and ambulance departments are able to borrow and doubled the amount of time given to pay it back. He added the payback schedule and participation has been very well received and these volunteer companies have been good stewards of the money OSFC has lent them. He noted OSFC still has around $48-49 million available to loan out from the $100 million bond issue.

Solobay stated OSFC also is charged with public education and fire prevention and "to make sure the message of good fire prevention gets not only to the fire departments but the residents across the commonwealth." He noted they also deal with firefighter deaths that occur in the line of duty and out of the 86 deaths nationally, 10 were in the state of Pennsylvania. He said the department has saved over $100,000 in the past year and is trying to reestablish the academy on the road program and develop an online training program.

Rep. Barrar, Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, asked the fire commissioner to comment on the efforts for retention and recruitment of firefighters. Solobay replied the issues facing recruitment of new volunteers are family requirements, other jobs, and time spent on training but the biggest issue found is "they have to become professional fundraisers to maintain their department and be able to make the purchases necessary to do that." He said OSFC spends a lot of time dealing with local municipal officials because "at the end of the day it's local municipal governments that have the biggest responsibility to help." He added OSFC has been trying to convince these local officials of the importance of financial participation and the potential savings in the future. He emphasized volunteer firefighters save taxpayers an estimated $10 billion per year by the services provided and there are currently pieces of legislation that would allow for the expansion of relief funds to open up more opportunities for volunteering.

Rep. Barrar asked if OSFC has had any discussions with the Governor's Office about increasing the $30 million grant program or where to get more funding. Solobay replied OSFC is hearing from firefighters who would like to see more money from the Gaming Fund and to look at legislation that would expand gaming in the commonwealth. He said if the expansion of firework sales becomes a reality firefighters would like to see a portion of that money for emergency services because of the potential increase in activity.

Rep. Barrar commented Act 12 of 2015 charged PEMA with organization of the board and to come up with a funding formula and asked for an update as well as how much funding counties are currently receiving. Robert Mateff, Deputy Director for 911 at PEMA, responded the initial meeting was held in December 2015 and they will meet again at the end of March to form subcommittees and conduct funding formula research. He stated they are currently working on inventory of all Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) to identify the current state of 911 preparedness across the commonwealth. He added they have been collecting and analyzing information and will be able to prepare a report to the board and then to the General Assembly for consideration. He noted the report will allow them to

PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com March 11, 2016 identify gaps, strengths and weaknesses as they relate to 911 in the next generation and to set funding plans for the15 percent that was set aside for statewide interconnectivity and shared services. Rep. Barrar remarked a lot of people were skeptical of the $1.65 surcharge and he is happy to see that the fee will bring in revenue above what was estimated.

Rep. Barrar asked what will be spent with the 15 percent set aside for interconnectivity services. Mateff replied they are going to begin to analyze gaps and once the board has recommendations PEMA will be able to facilitate those conversations to fund certain projects. Rep. Barrar noted the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) is in the process of evaluating an alternative to the statewide public safety radio system and asked if PEMA is involved. Flinn replied PEMA works closely with the officer in charge and recognized the need of a comprehensive public safety communications system.

Rep. Sainato, Minority Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, stated the onset of casinos in Pennsylvania has had a dramatic effect on bingo at local volunteer fire companies and asked for comment. Solobay replied "fundraising now for the volunteers should be because they want to not because they have to." He said the overall cost of equipment has increased and so the pressure to fundraise the amount of money needed has also increased, which is why many people are "walking away from it." He reiterated how important it is for local participation by municipalities and said OSFC is trying to find ways to increase funding to local fire departments.

Rep. Sainato asked on the status of the federal disaster declaration following winter storm Jonas. Flinn responded he has been in contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and has put in for 31 counties that met the thresholds and FEMA has since validated 14 of those counties. He noted the intent is to get as many counties in that initial declaration and he is optimistic that Pennsylvania will get the declaration soon.

Rep. Sainato asked how the transition into the new PEMA headquarters is going. Flinn replied PEMA has a phased in approach starting the first week of May and it will take around eight weeks to get everyone in there. He noted it should not take any later than the end of June.

Rep. Boback asked PEMA to explain the efforts to work with other state and local officials regarding the Safe Schools Program and what funding sources are available for this program. Flinn replied PEMA works closely with the Department of Education (PDE) and receives grants from the federal Department of Education. He said PEMA works with schools to develop emergency plans and has developed an online plan development program to help them. He stated PEMA recognizes how important it is for schools to have emergency management plans and it starts by identifying what the threats are to the community, actions that need to be action to prevent these threats, as well as the actual response. Rep. Boback asked if PEMA has access to how many school districts have an armed officer on the premises. Flinn responded PEMA does not have that information but can do some research to try and find out.

Rep. Boback asked if the development of Marcellus Shale changed how OSFC addresses training or the equipment needs for volunteer fire and emergency service companies. Solobay replied there is a provision in Act 13 that established an alternative energy program at the academy and OSFC has different types of programs for emergency responders on how to handle a situation related to alternative energy. He said OSFC is starting a smaller grant program to allow the fire departments located within the Marcellus and Utica region to acquire some small equipment needed to monitor air quality as they arrive on the scene. He added the energy companies have been great partners in helping establish regional areas for people to get training and have donated different types of equipment so first responders can see how they operate. He emphasized "Act 13 has been very helpful from both agencies perspective from providing us funding in training and education and now to hopefully soon to implement this small equipment grants program."

Rep. O'Brien asked for comment on the safety of railroads transporting natural gas across the Commonwealth. Flinn replied PEMA works closely with CSX and Norfolk Southern and both have developed applications for first responders to know what each train is carrying. He added PEMA has been working with communities where these rails run through on emergency preparedness and the number of trains has dropped considerably in the last few months due to the development of natural gas pipelines. Solobay responded this type of activity has been going on for many years and the pipelines have taken some hazards away from the surface. He stated training and education of flammable liquids and gases have always been a major component of the fire service and has increased training efforts due to the rapid development of the Marcellus and Utica regions.

Rep. Greiner stated he is happy to hear a positive status report on the volunteer fire department loan program and asked how many loans are outstanding. Solobay replied roughly $15-18 million is loaned out and will get the actual numbers of the current loans but less than 10 or 12 have late payments. Rep. Greiner asked the fire commissioner to elaborate on the grant process. Solobay responded fire companies have a 45 day period in early September to submit applications, then OSFC has a couple of months to verify the applications are true to the statements and then make a determination to see how much each grant will be worth. He added all $30 million gets distributed and are still waiting for 800 departments to send the paperwork back and will send the list of them to the representative of their district.

Rep. Dean stated her district has a number of older highrise buildings and asked what the state can do to make sure older buildings are retrofitted to be fire safe. Solobay replied the state could certainly enact a mandate to do so but currently it depends on what the local community has in place for building zoning and codes. He noted usually in multi-story buildings there already exists regulations and it is up to the local government to enforce them. Rep. Dean remarked there needs to be a more uniform code throughout the commonwealth to help with local ordinances. Flinn added there is a program called 100 Resilient Across the Nation to have cities be engaged and look at what the threats are and have the number of damages reduced and bounce back.

Rep. Marshall asked for more information on how PEMA is being proactive in flood prevention. Flinn replied there is a pre-disaster mitigation program and a post-disaster mitigation program and it works closely with counties to develop a hazard mitigation plan as well as apply for federal grants. Rep. Marshall asked about historic downtown areas where residents cannot raise buildings and do not want to move. Flinn answered when implementing a hazard mitigation program defined there is an environmental, historical and cultural review requirement. Rep. Marshall asked if PEMA is involved in stream cleaning and clearing debris. Flinn replied stream cleaning is more of a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issue but it is always a challenge to get federal reimbursement for it. Solobay added it is important for counties to work with DEP and have a stormwater management plan.

Rep. Donatucci asked for an update on the Firefighter Cancer Presumption Law as it approaches its five year anniversary. Solobay stated when the law originally went into effect the impression was there would not be an impact on local municipalities' workers compensation rates but have come to find out the first year had around 70 people file claims which also concerned the insurance industry. He noted OSFC is constantly trying to press on volunteers to move forward with getting into the reporting system and make sure things are documented the right way. He added it is time to evaluate how many have incidents have been brought forth and how many people have filed petitions with workmen's compensation to try to get the rates back under control.

Rep. Donatucci asked if there has been any discussion with state agencies with using the same weather person and reducing the state contracts with AccuWeather. Flinn replied he worked with a meteorologist while at FEMA and the value of having an individual for emergency management purposes is tremendous. He noted there are around 12 states in the country that hire a state meteorologist. He stated the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is currently in contract with AccuWeather that does not end until December but the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the Department of General Services (DGS) and DEP all agreed to participate. He said the state meteorologist receives an annual salary of $62,000 with 50 percent of it being paid for by federal funds and the rest being shared by four separate agencies.

Rep. Grove asked at what point was the state meteorologist hired. Flinn replied it was around March or April but did not know the exact date and clarified it was not during the hiring freeze. Grove asked for an elaboration of the $3 million in local municipality emergency relief funds for which PEMA applied. Flinn responded $2 million was in the budget specifically for that non-federally declared disaster portion and the other $1 million was for a project in the Marcus Hook that never went through. Rep. Grove asked if those funds were "hangover dollars" that were not appropriated in 2014. Flinn replied PEMA did not have any applications for that fund in the previous year so the money was taken over, then the disaster in the summer happened where the southeast portion of the state was hit with severe storms. He noted PEMA met with municipalities to get their cost and are now in the process of gathering all the information together to release funds to those counties and municipalities. Rep. Grove asked for a breakdown of those general government operation allocations for the 2012 waiver requests. Flinn replied he would have to get back to the committee on those specific items because those allocations were before his time as PEMA director. Rep. Grove asked when the director started his position to which Flinn replied January 2015. Rep. Grove responded the request came in June of 2015. Flinn stated the funding for new building was for EOC operations and the Pennsylvania State Animal Rescue Team but the money has not been released because PEMA is waiting for the

2015-2016 budget to be passed. Rep. Grove asked if the GGO line item for the 15-16 budget was vetoed by Governor. Flinn responded the line item was approved but these add-ons were not.

Rep. Kampf stated Pennsylvania has received federal dollars for domestic preparedness and 80 percent goes out through nine regional taskforces, and asked for an explanation on how that money is spent. Flinn replied those federal dollars are through a Department of Homeland Security grant and the initial focus was for domestic terrorism but has changed over the years to include all hazards. He noted the funds are required to be used only for planning, training, equipment and exercises which are organized through these regional, multi-county taskforces. He added the funds have to be spent on priorities defined in the state preparedness report. He stated FEMA identifies 31 capabilities to be prepared for to respond to any kind of hazard and each year there is a state preparedness report that is developed after a statewide threat assessment. He added the funds are provided for an authorized equipment list and authorized training but the grant money has decreased significantly in the recent years.

Rep. Helm commented on the changes to the flood mapping and asked who was responsible for the change. Flinn replied the federal government defines the flood maps but PEMA has been working with the Insurance Commissioner in looking at alternatives that exist for lower cost flood insurance and are going to get that information out on their website. He reiterated flood mapping is a congressional issue that needs to be addressed and PEMA has no control over it.

Rep. Helm asked the director to explain how PEMA interacted with state and local responders during winter storm Jonas and the overall impression of the response. Flinn responded working with the state meteorologist was a big help from being able to see models a week in advance and identifying the critical areas going to be affected. He stated the first thing PEMA did was public information and preparedness early on, then they worked with counties to support them in any potential need they may have. He said PEMA prepositioned assets and planned accordingly. He noted the resiliency and patience of the public helped in the response and PEMA worked with the utility companies regarding any power outage. He reiterated "you go through the preparedness, the response side and then obviously now are dealing with the recovery in relation to hopefully getting that federal declaration."

Rep. Bullock asked for a description in PEMA's efforts in public outreach for the ReadyPA program. Flinn replied PEMA works with local communities to identify potential hazards in the area and being aware of what is being transported in the community is important. He stated the emergency alerts through cell phones helped people be aware of the tornadoes in Lancaster a few weeks ago and urged the public not to turn those alerts off.

Rep. Bullock asked what the current complements are in each department and if the complement levels are sufficient. Flinn replied PEMA currently has 173 employees and OSFC has 25. He stated he would love to have more staff but recognizes the reality of the budgetary situation and is comfortable at the current level. Rep. Bullock asked for the current diversity levels in the departments' workforce. Solobay replied OSFC is around 50 percent male and 50 percent female with 1 minority. Flinn answered PEMA is 60 percent female in non-supervisory positions and 33 percent are in supervisory positions and 16 percent of the complementary is minority.

- 30 -

House and Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee 3/9/16, 9:00 a.m., Room G-50, Irvis Office Building By Eric Failing, Trevor Monk, & Nina Lehr, Pennsylvania Legislative Services

The committees held a joint informational meeting on the issues facing the veteran, military and emergency service communities.

Chairman Barrar called the meeting to order stating the purpose of the joint hearing is to examine various issues and policies associated with veteran affairs and emergency preparedness that impact both committees.

Chairman Vulakovich thanked members from both committees for attending and commented that the revision of the 911 system earlier this session was arguably the most significant bill of the session and commended both committees for their work on it. Reminding members that PEMA is preparing to move into a new building, he advised that his committee will be touring the new facility soon. Moving forward, he stressed that a re-write of title 35 related

PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com March 11, 2016 to emergency management would be one of the largest issues they will confront as a committee. He closed his introductory remarks celebrating what he called two big recent events. The first being the president's call for funding a new C-17 squadron in Pennsylvania and the second being the governor's recent signing of legislation extending local tax exemption status for active duty members of the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Minority Chairman Sainato stressed both committees have the same goals in mind as they try to work together to help veterans and emergency responders.

Brigadier General Anthony J. Carrelli, Acting Adjutant General, Department of Veterans and Military Affairs (DMVA), stated DMVA is one of Pennsylvania's top ten employers with approximately 2,700 employees and 20,000 National Guard members/federal employees in more than 90 communities statewide. He said DMVA's mission is to provide resources and assistance to Pennsylvania veterans and prepare the Pennsylvania National Guard (PNG). He noted PNG is largely funded by the federal government and is the only military force shared by the state and federal governments. He emphasized "the National Guard is a great value for America and is unquestionably the most cost- effective military force for our nation and our commonwealth." He said more than 44,000 tours of duty have been performed by PNG soldiers and airmen since 2001 and as of December 31, 2015 Pennsylvania has 67 soldiers and airmen deployed in support of federal operations in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq and within the continental United States. He added "while recent deployments were at the lowest level in nearly a decade, future deployments are expected to increase significantly in the coming year." He said DMVA has a partnership with the country of Lithuania as part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program and the joint effort serves the needs of the Lithuanian military and the development of democratic and civilian-controlled forces. He noted PNG is "on call at home" to respond to domestic emergencies with Governor Wolf being the commander-in-chief when PNG is not in federal service.

Brig. Gen. Carrelli stated Governor Wolf ordered 331 PNG soldiers and airmen to State Active Duty (SAD) to respond to winter storm Jonas and since 2010 7,658 PNG personnel have spent 131,190 workdays on state active duty serving the Commonwealth or helping neighboring states under the Emergency Management Assistant Compact. He noted DMVA "has developed and implemented a long-term plan for anticipated Armory/Readiness Center replacements, air base modernization and development of future sites through existing state and federal construction processes." He said DMVA is headquartered in Fort Indiantown Gap and recently finished first out of 48 National Guard training centers with the most man-days for fiscal year 2015. He emphasized "in the this cost- conscious budgetary environment, the answer to affordable defense force lies not in cutting the Guard, but in a return to our roots as a well trained and equipped, community-based, force."

Brig. Gen. Carrelli remarked that one of the key programs provided by the General Assembly for recruitment and retention is the Educational Assistance Program Fund which provides grants for eligible PNG members equal to the tuition at any PHEAA approved school. He stated the increased budget request is necessary to ensure DMVA is able to offer educational assistance grants for approximately 3,300 Guard members. He said PNG assists communities with Special State Duty and in fiscal year 2015-2016 to date, 118 Guard members have supported various communities in 26 missions including honor guard details, parade representation and special events. He concluded by saying "a stronger Pennsylvania will mean a stronger Pennsylvania National Guard, manned, equipped and capable of fulfilling all missions at home or abroad."

Brigadier General (Ret.) Jerry G. Beck, Jr., Deputy Adjutant General for Veterans Affairs, stated Pennsylvania has just over 916,000 veterans, with the vast majority being over the age of 60, and the programs and services provided to these veterans are funded by less than one percent of the current annual state budget.

Brig. Gen. Beck stressed the largest issue he has faced in the last 18 months is the status of the Gino Merli Veteran's Center in Scranton and said there is currently a consulting firm contracted by the Department of Health working with the staff to assist them in returning to a regular license status. He added "I am confident that based on the latest review by our federal partners and the assistance of the consulting firm that Gino Merli is well on its way to full licensure" and the other five homes continue to excel in taking care of those veterans in need of long term care. He stated the Veterans Trust Fund receives approximately $125,000 per month which provides temporary assistance to veterans in need and the Veterans' Emergency Assistance program line item for this is not funded so the commonwealth provides no support as part of the annual state budget. He added if new legislation is passed DMVA will be asking for at least a $200,000 appropriation to support Veterans Temporary Assistance. He said the Military Family Relief and Assistance Program assists service members and their family's transition to civilian life and is funded by citizens who donate their Pennsylvania State Income tax refund to the program.

Brig. Gen. Beck stated there are currently seven bills in the legislature that would affect the Disabled Veterans' Real Estate Tax Exemption Program and while it could use some improvements, it needs further study to evaluate program needs. He said Pennsylvania is one the few states that offer a 100 percent tax exemption regardless of assessed value of the property and the majority of the State Veterans Commission members support a proportional property tax relief program for veterans based on disability rating. He proposed the State Veterans Commission and DMVA present their final recommendations no later than June 30, 2016 to the General Assembly for consideration. He added one issue in most need of correcting is the provision that says a claimant must be rated 100 percent disabled by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) prior to death. He noted DMVA has added the equivalent of 3 full time personnel to help handle the nearly 12 month backlog of claims and are now adjudicating claims within 120 days of receipt but DMVA is not able to sustain this level without an increased complement.

Brig. Gen. Beck emphasized the importance of veterans gaining access to employment opportunities, education benefits, healthcare services, transportation, family reintegration services and counseling but access to these services can be challenging. He stated DMVA relies on its Outreach and Reintegration Division to identify and assist veterans in gaining access to benefits and "it is imperative that we continue to invest in outreach through a multifaceted approach; this investment is key to connecting veterans to services in every county of our Commonwealth."

Brig. Gen. Beck stated DMVA has been the repository for the state's copy of discharge records (DD-214) since 1995 and now has over 263,499 DD-214's stored electronically allowing DMVA to provide a copy to veterans free of charge at any time. He urged the Committees to consider making DMVA the repository for all DD-214's once other state agencies are done determining eligibility for their individual programs. He noted DMVA is taking steps to enhance communication capabilities to comply with the USDVA partners Digits to Digits automation program and will take a few more years to complete development.

Brig. Gen. Beck stated non-profits and federal agencies across the state receive funding to reduce veteran homelessness through various programs and Pennsylvania received $13.7 million federal dollars last year from the Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) program. He noted under this program the VA awards grants to private non-profit organizations and cooperatives to provide a range of services to eligible low-income veteran families. He added Governor Wolf challenged communities, in collaboration with the Mayor's Challenge, to permanently house 550 homeless veterans in the last 100 days of 2015 and during this challenge 600 veterans were permanently housed across the Commonwealth. He said DMVA works closely with the Department of Human Services' Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to develop a veteran-centric approach and collaborated to bring Mental Health First Aid for veterans into community settings. He added the Veteran's Jail Diversion program continues to show progress and grant funds are being used to expand the number of counties involved in diverting veterans with trauma-related mental health and/or substance use disorders from the criminal justice system.

Chairman Vulakovich began questions offering concerns related to homeless veterans. Stating he understands the need to attain a level of functional zero, he expressed concern that when placed in institutions, there is sufficient care to handle the serious issues faced by many veterans. Brig. Gen. Beck replied that this is a community wide collaborative effort involving a diverse set of actors such as nonprofits, landlords, the Veterans Administration, the Department of Labor and Industry and various mental health services. He stressed the cooperation of landlords is key because many offer discounted rent.

Chairman Vulakovich offered that many of the homeless veterans have become accustomed to living a certain way and wondered if issues like cleanliness or noncooperation comes into play. Brig. Gen. Beck confirmed this can present an issue but said homeless veterans realize that if they don't want to do what is necessary they will end up back on the street. He added that in many cases, they voluntarily opt to return to the streets in the warmer months of the year.

Chairman Vulakovich commented next that when he sees various federal buildings that are no longer in use he often wonders if they could somehow be repurposed to assist homeless veterans since, even if they couldn't live up to the standards of state programs, it would be better than living "out of a box." Brig. Gen. Carrelli said there are a lot of other homeless assistance groups working to tackle this problem as well but he argued that with veterans the most success is garnered through the use of veterans talking to veterans. Brig. Gen. Beck added this is the same reason why veteran courts are so successful. Brig. Gen. Carrelli stressed that an excellent use of money is when a veteran is paid to counsel another at-risk veteran as a peer counselor.

Rep. Kortz asked Brig. Gen. Carrelli what impact the budget impasse has had on the education assistance program. Brig. Gen. Carrelli stated that initially they received a lot of panicked calls from veterans afraid they would get kicked out of college. He explained that since all of these veterans are going to state schools who likewise were not receiving money because of the impasse, there were no issues surrounding continued enrollment. Brig. Gen. Carrelli said the colleges were very understanding. He added, however, that the impasse did negatively impact payment of lab and books fees which veterans had to pay for out of pocket.

Rep. Kortz asked if because of this hardship it is important the budget be finished quickly, Brig. Gen. Carrelli agreed that would be best. He added there is also a concern of the repercussions of a tuition hike if budgeted money for the education assistance program is not proportionally raised.

Brig. Gen. Carrelli was then questioned about the historic and current utilization rates for this program. Brig. Gen. Carrelli explained the utilization trend is based upon tempo. He told the members that when the Guard is experiencing high deployment rates, utilization of the education assistance program is lower than when deployment rates are low and more of the Guard is back in the state.

Rep. Saccone asked how the number of homeless veterans are counted and wondered if they received their numbers from faith based institutions. Brig. Gen. Beck confirmed that was the case along with numbers received from various other homeless assistance groups.

Asked by Rep. Saccone how training was going for county veteran affairs directors, Brig. Gen. Beck replied that training is going fine.

Next questioned about the status of a remodeling project for the veteran home in the Delaware Valley, Brig. Gen. Beck said this project has been pushed back another year due to issues with other homes. He added that veterans requiring personal care were being consolidated into a few homes around the state in an effort to increase the number of skilled nursing beds in a broader number of facilities.

Rep. Saccone asked about the best way to educate veterans about how to file their DD214 forms. Brig. Gen. Beck replied that awareness that they should be filed with the Department of Veterans Affairs is better than in the past.

Rep. Tallman asked Brig. Gen. Carrelli about the status of the cyber unit. He stated they are slated to begin on April 1, 2016 and will be fully operational in 18-24 months.

Rep. Tallman next asked about jail diversion dollars for counties. Brig. Gen. Beck said that 14 or 15 counties have applied for these monies this year. Asked if a county wishing to create a Veterans Court would be giving priority, Brig. Gen. Beck said they would.

Rep. Gillen asked for information related to how many guardsmen can be expected to deploy in the future and where they would go. Brig. Gen. Carrelli responded that most would go to the Middle East and Europe. He explained that the federal government's European Reassurance initiative will necessitate additional troops and that he expects Pennsylvania will send troops to Europe and the Balkan states such as Lithuania. He added that exercises have already been scheduled for June in the Balkan area and he expects 300 troops will be deployed to Europe. Brig. Gen. Carrelli told members that American forces in Europe are a fraction of what they use to be and that with recent hostile actions by Russia, the federal government is interested in stationing more US troops abroad. To this end, he anticipated that an additional 550 troops will be sent overseas with most going to Afghanistan and Southwest Asia. He then explained how the ratio of time deployed to time at home has gradually gotten better than it was at the height of the war except for those involved in refueling which is a skilled deployment that is in heavy demand now and will be in the foreseeable future.

Rep. Barbin expressed his concern over veterans' mental health issues and worried these could lead to higher incidents of heroin addiction. Agreeing that veteran to veteran counseling is the best way to help, he asked what can be done to promote veterans receiving training in counseling. He wondered if state veteran homes can provide the necessary assistance. Brig. Gen. Beck replied saying that state veteran homes are not equipped to provide that level of care but offered that federal veteran affairs institutions are so equipped. He added that Pennsylvania operates a fair weather lodge to assist veterans in transitioning from prison. At this facility they live, learn skills and worked for a business, he added.

Sen. Hutchinson asked Brig. Gen. Carrelli how Act 78 has worked as a recruitment tool. He replied that it has been very helpful in the recruitment of physicians and medical personnel already having brought in 57 medical professionals.

Chairman Barrar asked Brig. Gen. Carrelli about the Guard's level of readiness to handle an EMP attack on the power grid. Brig. Gen. Carrelli replied that the security of the nation's power grid is always a concern though more from a natural disaster or hacking standpoint. He stated that exercises often focus on responses to an earthquake along a major fault line that would likely cut off power to the middle portion of the United States for months. Brig. Gen. Carrelli also explained there is a concern that a hacker could shut down the power grid and that these and other scenarios are regularly discussed and planned for with other agencies. Explaining how the nation is divided into FEMA regions, Brig. Gen. Carrelli told members how, in the commonwealth's region, the homeland response force is located in Pennsylvania and is comprised of the National Guard. Saying that Pennsylvania boasts a force of 20,000 nation guardsman and large amount of federal machinery, he insisted the Guard is more than capable of handling issues within the state's borders and can assist in regional mobilizations as well.

Asked if the National Guard has been tasked with leading the nation in cyber security, Brig. Gen. Carrelli argued these capabilities should have been attained five to ten years ago. He told of how the cyber security threat model was originally envisioned as a nation attacking the US, but now the mindset has changed to prepare for a group or individual hacking attack. According to Brig. Gen. Carrelli, the National Guard's cyber unit is tasked with ensuring such threats are mitigated at a state, local and even corporate and educational institution level. He stressed that while no Guardsman would be stationed in a business, there role would be advisory.

Chairman Barrar next asked Brig. Gen. Beck about his research into how other states provide property tax exemption to veterans. Brig. Gen. Beck said most states offer full exemptions to 100-percent disabled veterans. However, he said that where there is a partial disability, some states provide a proportional exemption while others have various levels of monetary exemption rates. Chairman Barrar opined they are looking into providing exemptions for the surviving spouse of a veteran killed in action.

He then asked if there is enough money in the Veterans' Trust Fund to meet demand. Brig. Gen. Beck assured the committee that no veteran is being turned away because of lack of money in the fund.

Chairman Barrar then asked if the department is working to shut down groups who setup scam operations disguised as Veteran Assistance organizations. Brig. Gen. Beck stated at this time they can only promote awareness of known scammers.

Chairman Vulakovich asked if the cyber unit will necessitate change to the recent re-write of title 35 and wondered how this will impact the chain of command. Brig. Gen. Carrelli stated the cyber unit is a military unit based out of the 111th Attack Wing and therefore will operate like any other military unit. Due to this fact, the existing chain of command structure need not change.

Glenn Umberger, President, Pennsylvania War Veterans Council, stated 49 of the 292 Pennsylvania citizens killed in action in the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan were members of the Pennsylvania National Guard and another 299 Guardsmen were wounded in action. He noted Pennsylvania is home to 697,433 veterans with wartime service, with 236,402 serving in the country's latest wars but stressed the need for the 262,637 peacetime veterans to know their benefits as well.

Umberger stated his organization's legislative priorities have included an increase for funding to the Veteran Service Officer (VSO) Grant since the beginning of Act 66 of 2007 and the Adjutant General promised the veterans' community to seek a $500,000 line item increase for each year for the next five years. He said the Governor vetoed this increase in December and stressed "if we are to assure today's Pennsylvania veterans receive the recognition, care and benefits they so much need and deserve, we have to take action now." He noted this program helps veterans with compensation, pension healthcare, education benefits, VA home loans, insurance, vocational rehabilitation, as well as attorney representation and any other veteran related issue. He expressed concerns that Service Officers in participating organizations are overworked, underpaid and under equipped to communicate with VA systems in rural areas. VA Claims have become more complicated, he said, and urged the legislature to not let another generation of veterans wait decades to receive the care they need today.

Umberger emphasized, "The VSO Grant Program has a proven track record of reaching veterans who never knew their entitlements" and have enrolled many of the 364,352 Pennsylvania veterans in the VA Healthcare system which takes a burden off the state in healthcare related costs. He urged the committees to conduct a study of the impact and savings by the VSO Grant Program and obtain a true return on investment. He stated the War Veterans Council supports a one-time nominal bonus for veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, Operation Freedoms Sentinel, Operation Inherent Resolve, and Overseas Contingency Operations and to preserve the commonwealth's law concerning small dollar loans. He urged the committees to pass resolutions to the federal Pennsylvania delegation urging them to correct the injustice of one group of veterans receiving benefits that another cannot and concluded by saying "we have a moral obligation to take care of every veteran who has been injured in anyway by his or her service to our state and nation."

John Brenner, Chairman, Pennsylvania Veterans Commission, stated the commission assists in the Veterans Trust Fund applications along with DMVA and have just completed reviewing approximately 105 application requests. He said the total value of grants this year will be $550,000 and funding is through donations from multiple organizations, individuals, driver's license and registration renewals and for the sale of Honoring our Vets license plates. He added the commission is responsible for determining the need for the Pennsylvania Veterans Real Estate Tax Exemption and in February they voted to remove the Five Acre Standing motion and not limit the acreage.

Brenner stated the Veterans Commission is also concerned with the operation, maintenance and repairs to the Pennsylvania Veterans Memorial at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery and have had to rely on donations to keep it going since no money has been appropriated for the memorial since 2001. He added donations have dwindled to less than $25,000 over the past five years and currently need around $1 million for structural repairs. He expressed support for the Governor's Executive Budget in the Capital Budget requesting $3.6 million for these repairs.

Chairman Barrar began stating that he hosts the VSO in his district regularly and stressed they do an incredible job. He stressed his support for increased funding for the VSO program.

Rep. Saccone offered his support for the Veterans' Memorial at Fort Indiantown Gap. He then asked if any groups are doing anything special to commemorate the anniversary of the motto "In God We Trust" with the youth of Pennsylvania. A representative from the American Legion present at the hearing stated that some of their districts are either holding events or sponsoring projects. Rep. Saccone offered to help in any way he could.

Rep. Kortz asked Umberger for more information on their request to the federal government related to changing the effective year for retirement impacted through the Defense Authorization Act. Umberger explained that the Defense Authorization Act provided for active duty personnel to have their retirement age lessened on a year to year basis for every year they were deployed during the war. He lamented the problem is the act states it only applies to deployments that began on or after 2008 and that Pennsylvania has a lot of technicians who were deployed before that time to get ready for war and who fought in some of the bloodiest battles yet are not eligible.

Chairman Barrar asked why the federal government chose 2008 as the effective date. Umberger opined that 2008 was the effective date for most provisions under that particular act.

Rep. Kortz stated that he and Rep. Karen Boback (R-Luzerne) have introduced HB 1858 that would require high school graduates to be able to pass the US citizenship test. He asked if any of the assembled groups have looked at it and if they supported it could they send in a letter of support. Umberger stated he would do that.

Rep. Barbin commented that VSOs do a great job in the counties especially in the district offices and are very effective at untangling the difficulties surrounding older veterans securing benefits. He wondered if a capital campaign could be started where a percentage of gaming money would go to support the Veterans Trust Fund. Brenner said that since changes were made to small games of chance they have requested that money be given to support the Veterans Trust Fund. Brenner commented that every time they testify before the legislature they express concerns over what they have to pay the Department of Transportation out of the Trust Fund and stated if that could be remedied it would go a long way. Senator Vulakovich acknowledged their past requests for help with mandated payments to the Department of Transportation out of the Trust Fund and commented that maybe they could take another look at the issue this year.

Rep. Barbin asked if they had any comments on Sen. Aument's (R-Lancaster) SB 847 which seeks to expand the State Veterans Commission. Brenner stated they had looked at it but had concerns that some of the organization either didn't have a national presence or didn't have a solid state infrastructure. Asked about the Korean War group in particular, Brenner stated that a lot of Korean War veterans already belong to a plethora of organizations and that the commission wants member groups to be a viable organization that can attend meetings and be active. Senator Vulakovich asked if the Korean War group could become a non-voting member until they developed a more stable structure. Brenner stated they can always attend meetings. He added that the Iraq War veterans group had a national presence but no local presence so they couldn't invite them to any meetings.

Chairman Barrar asked if references to small dollar loans in their testimony was really payday lending operations. Brenner confirmed that was the case. Chairman Barrar cautioned that he has never seen anything good from doing business with those organizations.

Chairman Barrar commented that he was pleased the governor recently signed into law local tax exemption for active duty military personnel.

Harold Cooney, Northeast Region Liaison, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Military Community & Family Policy, stated, "More than ten years ago, the Department of Defense (DoD) recognized that many issues surrounding quality of life and family well-being can only be addressed by states" and DoD seeks to work with states to remove unnecessary barriers and improve the quality of life for military families. He noted they collect and review issues from the Military Services and the Department staff each year and vet potential solutions with all stakeholders. He said the USA4 Military Families initiative has eight liaisons across the country working with many state leaders to educate them on key issues and provide assistance. He added the initiative has been successful in addressing several key quality of life issues and are currently tracking legislation in the Pennsylvania General Assembly regarding many military and veteran issues.

Rep. Barbin asked if other states have individual laws regarding instate tuition for any National Guard service member, or if the issue needs to be taken up at the federal level. Cooney said the issue was taken up at the federal level a few years ago, and with the enactment of the Veterans Act of 2015 it was decided that all states must provide instate tuition rates for veterans with instate tuition. He noted the implementation of the Act is still being determined.

Rep. Gillen asked about the "next generation" issues that could affect the veteran population and families. Cooney stated that a lot of states pass veteran-related legislation, but it is a question of how the law is implemented. He alluded to a specific issue of unemployment compensation for the spouse of a veteran and stated legislation in the Senate was introduced to address the issue. He commented that there are always new veteran-related issues being brought to light and it merely depends on how the statutory remedy is carried out.

Chairman Vulakovich contended that service members and their families should be given priority with regard to the impact of frequent school transitions experienced by military children, the lost income by military spouses as a result of military moves, and the enforcement of the congressionally mandated DoD predatory lending regulation. He asked how military families can receive the same benefits can be given in other states. Cooney commented that the transition between states mainly involves military children. "We try hard with our efforts to not create a special class," said Cooney. Regarding medical care waivers, Cooney explained that each state different and some benefits are based on need and that certain criteria needs to be met.

Rep. Barbin asked if the medical waiver issue is a federal issue. Cooney answered in the affirmative.

USAF Brig. Gen. Frank Sullivan (Ret.), Executive Director, Pennsylvania Military Community Enhancement Commission, stated Pennsylvania has done five Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) rounds at a total cost of 18,900 full-time jobs and the state has currently lost more jobs than any other state with the exception of California. He noted Governor Ridge created the first state effort to reduce BRAC losses and Act 161 of 2014 codified this effort in its current form, the Pennsylvania Military Community Enhancement Commission.

Brig. Gen. Sullivan stated three of the ten military installations are the largest employers in their host counties and the commission works closely with local defense groups on the ground implementation of the commission's strategy and action plan with a significant portion of the commission's budget devoted to the groups' efforts. He said DoD faces budgetary challenges and with the congressional Budget Control Act and sequestration DoD is seeking cost-

PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com March 11, 2016 saving measures but the strategic needs of the military limit the extent of these cost-savings can be found in personnel and will instead focus their attention on facilities. He noted DOD continues to request a new BRAC round with fiscal year 2019 being the best chance for that to occur and "there is no question as to whether there will be another BRAC, the question is when." He listed two key methods to resist closure: preemptively address vulnerabilities that might negatively affect an assessment and to demonstrate the data used by DOD in the decision making process is flawed. He stated the current impact of the defense sector in Pennsylvania totals 213,000 jobs and $30 billion into the economy and emphasized "your support of this effort through this budget cycle, through the Military Installation and Base Development Caucus, and in your districts helps us send a powerful message to the Department of Defense that Pennsylvania is engaged and prepared."

Chairman Vulakovich asked if there is consideration for the Air Force to invest in the 911th Air Wing in Pittsburgh. Brig. Gen. Sullivan spoke in the affirmative.

Rep. Tallman stated that during conversations with active military, the military's neglect to the threat of Russia is brought up. He then asked for the three largest military infrastructures in Pennsylvania with respect to the number of employees. Brig. Gen. Sullivan said Letterkenny Army Depot in Franklin County, Tobyhanna Army Depot in Monroe County, and the New Cumberland Army Depot in Cumberland County, respectively.

Rep. Tallman expressed his belief that additional money should be invested in the existing military infrastructure in Central Pennsylvania, because of the large number of Pennsylvanians they employ.

Rep. Barbin asked what approaches have other states taken to potentially avoid BRAC. Brig. Gen. Sullivan stated the best approach for Pennsylvania would be to invest dollars into research of how BRAC of a specific infrastructure would impact the overall military.

Rep. Gillen expressed his belief that bringing advance military technologies in to Pennsylvania, such as unmanned aerial operation centers, could help the state avoid future BRACs. Brig. Gen. Sullivan told lawmakers that he as well as other Pennsylvania DMVA officials have "been through a few BRACs," and recommended making the exiting military infrastructures in Pennsylvania more viable for future generations. He noted that the PNG cyber unit is in the process of being deployed in Philadelphia, which is due to its relative location to the many colleges in the area.

Angela Reynolds, Director of 211 & Helping Families Thrive, United Way Southwestern Pennsylvania, stated the 211 dialing code was designated by the Federal Communications Commission for nationwide use as a health and human services information and referral phone line in 2000 and Pennsylvania's system is "the single-most comprehensive source of assistance covering all sectors of service both private and public." She said there are currently six regional 211 independent centers operating through contracts with the nonprofit organization Pennsylvania 211 and these centers cover about 85 percent of the population, with the northwest being the only region not covered. She added Pennsylvania 2-1-1 is working with the United Way in Pennsylvania to get coverage to the Northwest region within the next year.

Reynolds stated Project SERVE is an initiative seeking to help the veterans who fall into the gaps of traditional health and human services to ensure their needs are being met. She said returning veterans face challenges with employment, mental health or disability issues or homelessness and 3,834 calls or texts have come into the 211 regional call center in the past year from veterans or family members looking for services. She noted UWS Pennsylvania sponsors free tax preparation sites specifically for veterans and Pennsylvania 211 helped connect nearly 600 veterans and their families last year. She said UWS Pennsylvania also assists veterans and their families with housing and Project Journey assists female veterans with securing stable housing for themselves and their children. She added Pennsylvania 211 Southwest hired an in-house resource navigator with prior military experience because they found veterans contacting the call center prefer communication with other veterans.

Rep. Saccone asked if legislators could tell veterans to call 211 and get free tax help. Reynolds explained the free tax help service is only offered in the southwestern region of Pennsylvania. She noted that regional partnerships make the service possible. She noted that the IRS also provides free tax preparation for low-income household that make up to $54,000. She told lawmakers that she would follow up with additional information on the service.

Rep. Tallman asked whom a 211 caller would be connected with in Adams County. Reynolds explained that the caller would be connected with a representative in the area, because the projects differ in each region of the state.

Rep. Tallman asked how a 211 representative can identify if the caller is from Cumberland County. Reynolds said the United Way is broken down by region, and that the 211 dialing code was designated by the Federal Communications Commission for nationwide use as a health and human services information and referral phone number. She elaborated that UWS gathered the information from DHS and was used to create the project to help the veterans who fall into the gaps of traditional health and human services to ensure their needs are being met.

Rick Flinn, Director, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), thanked the committees for their help passing Act 12 of 2015, the comprehensive rewrite of the 911 law, and said Pennsylvania is on track to beat the estimated revenue collections in the 911 Fund to support those systems throughout the Commonwealth. He continued on PEMA's next large legislative initiative, which he disclosed is rewriting Title 35. He commented that PEMA is in the process of gathering input for county emergency managers to come to a consensus about specific needs that need to be addressed during the rewrite. He contented that a "cookie-cutter" approach to the rewrite should be avoided, because the needs across the 67 counties vary. Flinn also took the opportunity to commend the emergency responders for their work during the recent I-78 accident. He also commended the Lancaster community for their quick response to damages caused by tornados

Robert Mateff, Deputy Director for 911 at PEMA, also thanked the committees for their help with the reauthorization of Act 12. Speaking to changes since Act 12 was passed, Mateff explained that county 911 centers have shifted their fiscal year to match the respective counties' fiscal year, and the fees from the $1.65 911 fee are being collected and in the last quarter totaled $79 million. He noted the total 911 fee collection is expected to bring in $319 million this year, and that 84 percent of the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) have received their funding. He added that PEMA has created a list of eligible equipment that PSAPs can purchase, and that the 911 Advisory Board has been established and will have its next meeting on March 24. He commented that the work of the 911 Board will be to review the capabilities of a next generation 911 system and what will be needed moving forward.

Tim Solobay, Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner, Office of the State Fire Commissioner (OSFC), told lawmakers that the Fire Academy is located in Lewistown and offers certification courses for local fire instructors and firefighters across the state. He commented on a new alternative energy curriculum being offered by the Academy, which offers courses on emergency response with regard to the transportation of crude oil and how to respond to natural gas well fires. He went on that OSFC administrative functions, such as the Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Program and Volunteer Loan Assistance Program (VLAP), are conducted in the PEMA headquarters. Solobay noted the Grant Program is up for reauthorization this year at the end of June. Solobay explained that OSFC is also constantly trying to press volunteer firefighters to move forward with getting into the PennFirst reporting system and make sure things are documented the right way. He stressed the importance of proper incident reporting on the part of the volunteer fire companies.

Chairman Vulakovich asked if Solobay would be interested in working on legislation that would connect community colleges with local school districts to offer introductory fire training in grade school. Solobay expressed interest in working with community colleges as an external partner, but noted that idea would require cooperation from the surrounding school districts. Solobay explained that a Protective Services course is currently being offered, but is limited to individuals that are enrolled in career and technical centers. "They get the opportunity for not only fire training, but emergency medical service (EMS) and some law enforcement training," said Solobay. He explained that high school a freshman that enters a protective services course could graduate high school with Firefighter 1, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certifications, and some credits towards a career in law enforcement

Chairman Vulakovich expressed his belief that school districts should want to offer courses that better the community and would address the recruitment and retention issue currently facing the volunteer fire companies. Solobay explained that minors ages 14-17 can enroll and take part in the fire essentials program, but could not complete the full training until they are 18 years of age. Flinn recommended broadening the horizon of educational courses and that schools could offer different public safety courses to raise interest across all emergency services.

Chairman Vulakovich questioned if local emergency response teams are trained to handle a natural gas explosion. Solobay said it depends on the severity of the incident. He stated that external help would be needed if there were a full blowout of a well. He continued that the equipment to contain a gas well fire is in state and can be on site in a matter of hours. In the event of a severe explosion, Solobay explained that a special team is flown in from Texas and can also be on site in a matter of hours. Related to the current instate response teams, Solobay said volunteer emergency responders are trained to set up a perimeter and contain the fire while the equipment and specialized response team are in route. Solobay noted that sometimes it is best to let well fires burn out.

Chairman Vulakovich asked how HAZMAT responders fund equipment upgrades. Solobay explained that it depends on if the HAZMAT team is considered a county team, commercial team, or individual team. Regarding individual HAZMAT teams, he said funding is harder to come by. Regarding commercial teams, Solobay said those teams bill their customers internally. Solobay said countywide HAZMAT teams should be receiving federal money.

Chairman Vulakovich asked what feedback the counties on the topic of the Title 35 rewrite have received. Flinn commented that incentives need to be created to bring the spirit of volunteerism back into communities with regard to emergency services. He also noted that the needs across the 67 counties vary, and that forcing small municipalities to keep up with large municipalities could create a financial strain.

Chairman Barrar disclosed that public hearings on the Title 35 rewrite would begin in April. He also disclosed that the committee will be moving HB 1777 on March 22, and expressed concerns about members offering amendments to add different rescue teams in the legislation. Solobay said more teams cannot be added without additional funding.

Chairman J. Costa asked for additional information regarding the fire and property causality insurance. Solobay explained that the OSFC is hoping to add an additional 0.5 percent to the existing 2 percent premium on fire and property casualty insurance, which would provide $10 million to OSFC. He continued that 75 percent of the $10 million would be directed to increase the amount that volunteer fire companies receive. Solobay noted that the remainder of the money would be used to develop and operate an online training system of all current programs at the State Fire Academy, and reimburse fire companies that send members to traditional training. Solobay disclosed that he initially requested a 1 percent increase, but in the end OSFC settled on a 0.5 percent increase. Solobay said the initial budget proposal would have created roughly $40 million for the general operating budget, $100 million for the municipal pension fund and roughly $34 million to provide additional funding to volunteer fire companies.

Rep. Kortz asked how the budget impasse has impacted PEMA and OSFC. Flinn explained that travel restrictions were implemented and more online conference calls were utilized. He added that the 12 grant programs administered by PEMA were not affected. Solobay stated the Academy on The Road programs were canceled. He also noted that he has been working on the reauthorization of Grant Program.

Rep. Farry said there should be additional investments made with regard to the fire and property casualty insurance. He asked for additional information regarding the implementation of Act 187. Flinn explained Act 187 provides for disaster emergency assistance through the Public Disaster Assistance Grant Program. He continued that the state disaster assistance funds allows PEMA to offer financial assistance to counties after a state proclamation of disaster has been declared and is matched by federal dollars. Flinn commented that the disaster relief fund is a true value to the state. He noted that the funds were released in 2014 to help clean up debris after a weather event. He added that the effected counties responded accordingly and submitted the necessary data to be eligible for the funds.

Rep. Tallman asked when the 911 Advisory Board would release its report on the 911 funding formula. Mateff said the Board would be meeting at the end of March to develop a subcommittee for the report. He advised that the report should be completed by the end of summer.

Chairman Barrar inquired further information about the statewide radio system. Flinn explained that PEMA has been involved with the Star-Net and the "communications committee." Flinn went on to discuss advanced capabilities of the new P-25 radio that is coming out. "The reality is that technology does change and we have to plan for that, but there would be a significant cost to just what PEMA has to the 800 MHZ radio system," said Flinn. "We are working closely with the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) on it, and would hope that we come up with a comprehensive public safety communications system in the Commonwealth." Mateff concurred that the relationship with PSP has been good and "has a seat at the table."

Dick Gibbons, Acting Deputy Secretary of Health, Planning and Assessment, Bureau of Emergency Services Director (BEMS), stated safety is the primary concern for providers and will launch a statewide safety effort of "Traffic Incident Management" education in May to manage one of the most hazardous events EMS deal with: crashes along Commonwealth roadways. He said the priorities for the use of Emergency Medical Services Operating Funds (EMSOF) this fiscal year include education, certification testing and recruitment activities. He noted that during the last 18 months his organization has worked with educational institutes to develop and deploy alternative educational models such as distance learning programs. He said BEMS has helped to coordinate the distribution of Naloxone to basic life support (BLS) agencies as well as non-EMS fire and police agencies. He added BEMS has updated the

PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com March 11, 2016 advanced life support (ALS) and BLS protocols within the past year and added new sets for both the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) as well as Critical Care Paramedics.

Gibbons stated Pennsylvania's EMS system continues to be one of the busiest in the nation and roughly every 21 seconds the EMS system is responding to someone in need. He added "our EMS system continues to play a vital role in all aspects of the Department of Health and statewide preparedness initiatives." He said the Bureau of EMS as well as regional councils continue to evaluate operations to develop strategies for how to maximize efforts to operate as efficiently as possible and the approach to sharing and allocating services has led to financial savings and a more coordinated service delivery approach. He noted the Bureau has acknowledged the findings from the Auditor General's report, "Special Performance Audit of the Emergency Medical Services Operating Fund Administered by the Department of Health," and is taking steps to address and improve the process.

Rep. Jozwiak asked how much a dose of Naloxone costs. Gibbons was unable to recall an exact amount, but commented the cost is going up. He added that the auto-injector apparatus is expensive as well.

Rep. Tallman made comments regarding EMS and related EMSOF changes, and asked what changes BEMS would like to see made to the EMSOF. Gibbons said the funding for EMSOF has not gone up since 1985 and the operations have increased exponentially since it was created. He noted that each dollar in the fund has 42 percent of its original buying power back in 1985. He expressed his discontent with the lack of increased funding despite doing substantially more with less buying power.

Chairman Barrar asked if there is a need for 14 regional councils. Gibbons said BEMS is still in the process of determining the proper methodology to utilize if administrative consolidation of the councils occurred, and said there is no need for 14 councils

Rep. Gillen asked if BEMS is considering a shift to a standard audit template. Per the recommendation of Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, Gibbons said BEMS is moving to a standardized format and performing calculations to leverage additional money.

Chairman Vulakovich asked Gibbons if he is aware of the governor's proposal to move the eHealth Partnership to DHS. Gibbons answered in the negative and said he would look into the matter.

Chairman Vulakovich asked if there are instances when EMS operations are co-located in with a fire company. Gibbons said there are several co-located EMS and fire companies.

Chairman Vulakovich recalled that it would cost the state $10 billion if all the volunteer fire companies dissipated. Gibbons commented that the largest cost that is experienced in EMS is the cost of readiness. He continued that EMS transports 75 percent of the people they respond to, and at least 25 percent of the transportation costs are not being recouped. Gibbons said additional community involvement in EMS on a volunteer basis would help the industry.

Rep. Kortz asked how many hours of additional training is needed to administer Naloxone Gibbons said online courses are offered and take an average of three hours to complete.

Rep. Kortz asked if there is a Good Samaritan provision in the Naloxone law. Gibbons said there is a Good Samaritan provision, but was unable to recall the extent of the protections

Rep. Gillen said he took the Naloxone module and took "a few hours."

Chairman Costa asked what happens when a police officer administers Naloxone. Gibbons answered EMS services need be activated after police officers administers Naloxone. He noted that an overdose victim that is revived with Naloxone is free to leave the scene if the law enforcement officer does not have a reason to detain them. He added that there is nothing in statute that requires an overdose victim to go to the hospital. Chairman Costa asked if Gibbons was aware of other state laws that require a revived overdose victim to be detained to a hospital. Gibbons said he would follow up with additional information.

Don Konkle, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute (PFESI), stated their primary mission is to identify trends and challenges facing emergency services, obtain consensus on the solutions and educate policy makers and EMS about possible solutions. He said in addition to the concerns on manpower and budgets the fire service is seeing fires that burn faster, hotter and produce more smoke and toxins than ever before. He noted training is vital as it affects responder safety, the ability to deliver services, and recruiting and retention and the time spent training, along with the cost, are two recurring themes that are concerning. He added "many of our fire departments can no longer afford to certify their firefighters and have asked firefighters to pay for their own training." He said developing a quality web-based blended training can provide firefighters a more flexible schedule to receive training and reduce travel time and cost but an estimate of $1,300,000,000 is needed to get the core class online.

Konkle remarked state funded programs are helpful in the recruitment and retention of firefighters and PFESI is working with local fire companies and municipalities to increase local funding. He expressed appreciation for HB 1683 and SB 299 and urged the General Assembly to enact these bills into law. He said they also support the billing concept in HB 1272 but the bill requires some amendments before moving forward. He noted House Bill 62 and Senate Bill 370 both extend the hold harmless period from 5 to 10 years for merged companies when applying for the Fire and EMS grants. He added PFESI strongly opposed SB 1055 and "despite the promise of much needed funding provided in the bill we cannot in good conscience support SB 1055."

Tracy Wingenroth Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Pennsylvania Energy Resources Group Partners, represented the Firemen's Association of the State of Pennsylvania, and stated the fire service has declined significantly in the last 30 years and if the trend continues "you will undoubtedly see more departments closing their doors, due to lack of staffing and the days of people voluntarily responding to the call for help will be a thing of the past." She noted it has been estimated that volunteer fire service saves state and local governments $8-10 billion per year, which equates to around $134 million per county and $3.5 million per municipality. She said the Firemen's Association has been focused on enacting the proposed recruitment and retention tools but if they are to make a monumental change a coordinated, multifaceted and in part, state funded approach is needed. She stated a "toolbox approach" has shown to work best for recruitment and retention but finding a funding source has continued to be an obstacle that has yet to be overcome. She noted the Firemen's Association proposed increasing the tax on foreign fire insurance premiums by one percent in the spring of last year which would be levied on homeowner insurance policies that were written by non-Pennsylvania companies and would have raised $35 million in FY 2015-2016 and would increase annually thereafter with $47.7 million in 2016-2017. A modified proposal, she said, was included in the overall 2015- 2016 budget negotiations with $10 million dedicated to the fire service. She noted if new money is provided they would propose increasing the amount that is distributed to municipalities for Volunteer Fire Relief Associations (VFRAs) expanding the acceptable use of VFRA funds to include recruitment and retention activities, and dedicating the rest of the proceeds to developing and administering an online training program. She stressed it is necessary to remove barriers and provide flexibility for people to participate in training sessions on their schedule and complete the bulk of the "classroom portion" from their own computers to have the greatest impact on recruitment and retention. She stated another area of focus is reauthorizing the Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Program which will sunset on June 30, 2016, and legislation needed to reauthorize this program is currently being drafted.

Chairman Sainato asked if proposed increase to the tax on foreign fire insurance premiums was part of the governor's budget proposal. Wingenroth answered in the affirmative.

Rep. Jozwiak asked if fire service was able to collect EMSOF. Konkle answered in the negative.

Rep. Farry spoke in support of increasing the tax on tax on foreign fire insurance premiums to a full one percent.

Chairman Barrar asked how much revenue a fireworks tax would generate. Konkle was unable to recall the exact figures, but offered an estimate of $4-5 million with a 10 percent tax.

Konkle requested to speak in support of HB 1860, which authorizes certified public accountants (CPA) to obtain continuing education credits by providing services to volunteer and paid fire companies. He said the legislation would reduce embezzlement and gets other members of the community involved in fire service operations. Chairman Barrar said he would schedule a committee vote for HB 1860 March 24. Chairman Vulakovich expressed interest in HB 1860. Chairman Barrar commented that the CPA Continuing Education Society has written letter to the committee in support of the legislation.

Dean Bollendorf, President, Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania (AAP) testified that if the EMS System in the state was a patient, it would be on life support. Bollendorf summarized EMS services are failing financially because they:

 Rarely receive financial support from municipalities legally bound to provide those services to their residents,  Receive the least amount of grant funding compared to police and fire yet have a much larger utilization than fire,  Cannot attract, train or retain a viable workforce for many factors and  Receive below cost reimbursement from the majority of healthcare payers, especially Medicare and Medicaid.

To remedy these issues, Bollendorf requested Medicaid reimbursement base rates be increased and mirror the Medicare payment guidelines for loaded mileage. Next Bollendorf requested swift passage of HB 339 which would reimburse EMS agencies for services provided, even if the patient is not transported to definite care.

Support was also expressed for House Bill 161 that would add an additional $5 tax to the Local Tax Enabling Act to fund fire and EMS. Next he asked for the definition of volunteer ambulance service to mirror the definition of EMS Agency in Action 378 or 2009 with certain caveats and asked for support in multiple health care reforms.

Bollendorf commended House Bill 1113 for seeking to codify community paramedicine and to develop a reimbursement stream. Lastly, he asked to be exempt from potential future legislation providing for the prohibition of surprise balance billing.

Heather Sharar, Executive Director, AAP; andDon Dereamus, Legislative Committee Chair, AAP; were also present on behalf of AAP.

Chairman Barrar commented on the Pennsylvania Insurance Department's (PID) proposed draft legislation for the prohibition of "surprise balance billing." Bollendorf commented that if this legislation goes beyond the draft stage it must exempt emergency medical services. He contended that EMS cannot be and should not be lumped in with other "traditional" healthcare provider groups. He told lawmakers the EMS provider community spent more than a decade negotiating with several Administrations, the General Assembly and the Insurance Industry for direct reimbursement. He continued that a partial product of those negotiations was codified in Act 84 of 2015, which provided the EMS community an option to join a registry and voluntarily enter into a third party insurer's network specifically to receive direct reimbursement as an out of network provider. He noted that if one chooses to join, they are prohibited from balance billing the patient. He elaborated that under the act an EMS Agency may choose not to join the registry, based on their business needs, and continue to balance-bill. He added that it does not totally ban "surprise balance billing," as PID is proposing, but it may limit the amount of exposure consumers will see from EMS agencies going forward. He disclosed that his organization is scheduled to sit down with PID to discuss the issue.

Rep. Tallman asked what the average cost for an ambulance transport is across the state. Sharar recalled survey statistics gathered that indicated the average cost in 2007 was roughly $600 for both ALS and BLS.

Speaking on the PID proposal, Chairman Vulakovich asked if "surprise balance billing" is being used as a loophole. Sharar said EMS services are directly cited in the proposal. Chairman Vulakovich expressed support for AAP to take the lead on the proposal. He made note of ongoing issues on the subject of emergency service billing with the insurance industry for the past 14 years. Sean Harris, research analyst for the committee, explained that the PID proposal would act as a blanket prohibition with regard to Act 84. He stressed the need to include a carveout provision for volunteer ambulance services that do not want to opt in. Rep. Farry on the proposal said PID does not have legislation drafted yet; he recommended including an exemptions before the language is introduced.

David Jones, President, Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council, stated the Council serves the Commonwealth as the state advisory board to the Pennsylvania Department of Health on all aspects of emergency health care and expressed concerns in regard to the financial state of EMS in Pennsylvania. He said the reimbursements do not accurately reflect the cost of services and remain limited by insurance payments. He emphasized, "The bottom line for our ambulances services has been significant financial losses due to increased costs and reduced revenue." He stressed EMS is in need of a reliable long term funding source and the EMS system administration needs additional targeted funding for statewide projects and to reestablish the staffing complement for the Bureau of EMS. He recommended funded sources that:

 meet the community EMS needs across the Commonwealth  can be secured so that it cannot be used to balance the budget  do not require an agency to match the funds  are tied to a metric that increases over time  address the costs of readiness in communities  are focused on the per capita cost of EMS

He also recommended, for the State System, funding enhancements consider:

 ensuring the quality of care via monitoring focused on education and medical direction  focusing on the promotion of advancing clinical care  establishing special projects to identify and meet statewide needs  increasing wages, pensions, and volunteer incentives

Jones urged that any changes to reimbursements should be continually monitored in regard to the impact on EMS agencies and will be organizing a task force to consider options for comprehensive funding options.

Regarding a request for legislators to serve on the taskforce, Chairman Barrar asked if Jones could submit a formal letter. Jones answered in the affirmative.

Regarding funding enhancements, Chairman Barrar expressed hesitation moving a "revenue enhancement issue" without considering consolidation of services.

D. Robert Brady, Local Government Policy Specialist, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), stated the Governor's Center for Local Government Services, provides technical assistance, training and other resources to local and county governments and the number one problem with fire and emergency services is the decreasing number of volunteers. He noted there was an estimated 300,000 volunteers in the 1970's and today the number is 45,000-50,000. The second challenge, he said, is inadequate funding and traditional fundraisers are no longer generating enough revenue to pay for basic operating expenses. He added a comprehensive review of local enabling tax legislation would help the funding challenge and local governments cannot rely solely on the state for operating funds.

Brady stated "providing technical expertise for creating new partnerships for the delivery of fire and emergency services is the number one request for assistance received under the shared services umbrella" with three new requests arriving per week. He noted in the last few years these requests have dramatically increased and DCED currently has active steering committees in 40 counties working on creating new partnerships. He noted the Center is working on developing an internal financial control manual in conjunction with Misericordia University in basic booking and accounting to help with the struggle many volunteer organizations have in compiling appropriate budget, audit and financial data. He stated the efforts with the Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit Organizations developed a certified Fire and EMS Administrative Officer Course to provide new educational opportunities in the area of management and leadership.

Brady said DCED's Municipal Assistance Program grant provides up to 50 percent matching funds for eligible costs associated with newly consolidated services but the amount of funds available has decreased and urged the legislature to look at a dedicated funding source for this program. He noted the Commonwealth does provide financial resources each year to the fire and ambulance service but other areas of support are needed to strengthen the system and "I truly believe the cost of acting now will be a lot less than waiting for the volunteer emergency services to continue to deteriorate.

Rep. Ferry commented that the survivability of fire service would be dependent on a toolbox of different training, recruitment, and retention approach's. Brady concurred there is no "one-size-fits all approach" and said it sometimes comes down to "taking a leap of faith." Brady offered his help with regard to technical resources and documentation needed for consolidation efforts and newly consolidated services.

Chairman Vulakovich asked for additional information on consolidation. Brady commented that the Allegheny Valley consolidation was successful. He said once the "trigger" is pulled, to go through with consolidation, the majority of support is in the affirmative. He said the consolidation program is an annual line item in the budget and can be always us support.

Robert Grunmeier, Executive Director, Department of Contracted Public Safety Training and Education, Bucks County Community College, stated the partnership between Community Colleges and emergency service providers is a "marriage of theory and practice" and recognizes the need to bring their respective expertise together to produce well-trained emergency service providers. He said Bucks County Community College delivers approximately 3,200 courses to an estimated 30,000 responders annually including courses on fire, rescue, hazmat, EMS and emergency management disciplines.

Grunmeier stated the partnerships between school districts and community colleges for the Firefighter 101 Initiative are critical for expanding access to training and planning is the key element for initiating a best practice start-up strategy. He emphasized "finding existing and available credentialed multi-disciplined teachers may prove to be a challenge for expanding these programs and credentialing instructional teams is a key factor to short-term and long- term success. He noted partnerships with organizations that have the facilities and equipment to support this initiative is vital and, while the resource needs can be costly, they are essential for bringing the intensity value to it.

Chairman Vulakovich asked if high school students should be the target audience for fire service recruitment. Grunmeier answered in the affirmative. He then spoke about initiatives to pique the interest of adults who work second and third shifts. He continued that a summer fire service camp in Bucks County has piqued the interest of such workers. He stated the current fire service education is not the most conducive to draw workers and is designed for an individual working a "9-5."

Chairman Barrar asked how the summer academy is funded. Grunmeier replied that is funded by Bucks County.

Darrin Cox, President, Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs, stated his organization represents dozens of canine related organizations across the Commonwealth and the issue repeatedly being raised by dog owners is what can be done with or for their pets in the event a disaster would cause them to abandon their homes. He noted the number one reason given by people for not evacuating during Hurricane Katrina was they could not take their pets to shelters. Cox remarked there are now teams in all 67 counties with varying levels of response capability and at least one trailer stocked with equipment to set up a temporary shelter on short notice. He noted the majority of this equipment was purchased using grants from the US Department of Homeland Security (US DHS). He stated hundreds of volunteers across Pennsylvania have invested thousands of hours in training in the handling of production and pet animals and have organized into County Animal Response Teams (CARTs) which answer to the county's emergency management agency. He added CARTs have aided law enforcement during seizures of animals for Humane Law violations and have set up temporary emergency shelters when Dog Law Wardens and Humane Police Officers have served warrants on substandard kennels.

Cox stated the Pennsylvania State Animal Response Team (PASART) has three mobile pet sheltering trailers that can house 17-24 animals. He said everyone involved with PASART and CART is a volunteer except for the Executive Director and, until 2012, funding was available through grants from US DHS to pay the salary, equipment acquisitions, training of volunteers, accounting expenses and insurance costs. He noted "the funding got the program off the ground, but it has dried up" and all involved are actively seeking donations and grants from private sources. He said the leading funding concern is the insurance coverage PASART maintains on its volunteers and such an expansive statewide program needs an active director to lead it. He added funding is also needed for accounting fees for the proper bookkeeping expected with any government funding. He concluded "while the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs completely understands the fiscal constraints currently faced by all in the Commonwealth, it seems to us that the loss of this investment due to lack of operational funding going forward, would be a huge loss for our constituent organizations and all the citizens, their pets and domestic livestock."

Chairman Vulakovich asked about the three new pet trailers and how far they can travel. Cox explained the three trailers weigh roughly 10,000 lbs. when fully loaded and need heavy towing equipment, to which he explained that individuals have been identified to operate the vehicle needed to tow the trailers, in the counties housing the trailers. He continued that a trailer could be in place in around three hours. He added that trailers will be housed in the communities where they will have the biggest impact. He went on that the trailers were purchased for $50,000 each.

- 30 -

House Appropriations Committee budget hearing with Office of the Budget (BH) 3/10/16, 9:30 a.m., 140 Main Capitol By Matt Hess, Jeff Cox, and Kimberly Hess, Pennsylvania Legislative Services

The committee held a budget hearing with Randy Albright, secretary of the Office of the Budget.

Minority Chairman Markosek noted that Chairman Adolph is not seeking reelection and thanked him for his service. "It's been a great experience and I really enjoyed working with you. You've been a real gentleman," he stated. "I've been here in the legislature for a long, long time and there's certain people when they're gone you say 'they were special.' Bill Adolph is one of those people."

Chairman Markosek then expressed condolences for the victims of the shooting in Wilkinsburg early this morning and also emphasized the importance of the state to address the heroin and opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania.

Turning to the budget, Chairman Markosek described himself as "frustrated" with the stalemate. "We need to move forward," he stated. Sec. Albright said the administration is focused on pursuing a compromise on the budget. "We want to do everything we can to continue to pursue that compromise and find that final resolution on the '15-16 budget," he stated.

Chairman Adolph questioned why the governor vetoed the budget passed in July. Sec. Albright said the administration was "publicly and privately" clear about the reasons for the veto of the original budget. "That particular budget would have been out of balance by more than $1.5 billion. It would have continued a series of budgets since the Great Recession in 2008 that used either one-time gimmicks of revenue assumptions or expenditure avoidance that would have made the budget situation in the state worse," he stated. Sec. Albright noted that the state has experienced five bond rating downgrades and said the S&P has put the Commonwealth on a 90-day notice of another downgrade which would result in paying 100 basis points on new borrowing. "We have to find the means to balance our budget and eliminate that structural budget deficit," he stated. "As the governor clearly said in his budget speech at this point we face two critical but divergent paths. We can either find new recurring revenue to pay for necessary expenditures and the obligations of state government or we can double down on deep cuts that were made over the past several years that put added fiscal pressure on counties, school districts, and local governments." Sec. Albright reiterated that the administration remains committed to work together and compromise on Pennsylvania's budget. Chairman Adolph argued that the total veto of that budget was unnecessary because two- thirds of the line items were at or exceeded the governor's request for that budget.

Chairman Adolph said the House and Senate passed HB 1460 which would have increased spending and was only $400-500 million less than what the governor wanted but $6 billion was blue-lined from that bill. "By vetoing the first budget, by blue-lining $6 billion and preventing tax money to go out to these agencies that deserve it, that's not trying to work towards a compromise; that's creating a crisis," he stated. "You don't create a crisis and let the residents of Pennsylvania and those agencies suffer as a result of that. You can't get us together going that way. We need to finish '15-16 and I think we'll have an opportunity in the next 30 days to do that because we all know it's necessary." Sec. Albright said the governor viewed that budget as an "emergency spending plan" and expected that the General Assembly would return after holiday break to complete a full budget. "Yes an actual appropriation bill did land on the governor's desk but what didn't land on the governor's desk with it was any recurring revenue package to pay for even that bill that was inadequate in many aspects," he stated, adding, "A more than $2 billion structural budget deficit is what looms in front of us and we have to be responsible." Chairman Adolph indicated that no budget meetings between House leadership and the administration are currently scheduled to take place. "I'm looking for discussions, I'm looking for meetings and I have not received those types of conversations from the administration," he stated. "It's now March 10th. I hope the meetings start immediately."

Rep. Mustio indicated that a number of departments raised budget concerns about increased allocations for workers compensation. He cited a letter from Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) which said the liability for the workers compensation fund increased from $160 million to $860 million. He asked how much of the structural deficit is caused by the $700 million liability increase. Sec. Albright disputed the figure but said a recent actuarial analysis made a determination that the Commonwealth's long term workers compensation was around $200 million more than what was previously anticipated. "In the prior administration they made the decision to change the way we apportion workers compensation liabilities across state agencies," he stated. "We're continuing to look at whether that was the right decision to make but that is what is currently in place."

Rep. O'Brien asked what the administration compromised on in the budget negotiations. Sec. Albright said the administration made concessions related to basic and higher education funding levels, steps to eliminate the structural deficit, and a three-year plan to lower the Corporate Net Income Tax. "Together giving up on those three things would have been the compromise," he stated. "By the time we sat down to the negotiating table in April and May once spring update changes were made we were looking at a $31.9 billion proposed spending plan and that's what we compromised down to. It was about $1.1 billion in total cuts from the original proposal that we had circulated in March."

Rep. Dunbar said Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera lamented a decrease in "programmatic spending" in education since the end of the Rendell Administration and questioned what the term "programmatic spending" means. Sec. Albright said the secretary alluded to the cuts made in FY 2011-12. "We have restored some of that appropriation authority to aid local school districts but if you look at '14-15 fiscal year as the base year of where we judge where school districts are compared to where they were at the end of the Rendell Administration, certainly school districts on a whole have not recovered from those deep cuts," he stated.

Rep. Dunbar asked if Sec. Albright agrees with the governor's assertion that House Bill 1460 represents a $95 million cut to education. Sec. Albright said he does agree with the governor. "If you combine the basic education subsidy and restore the blue-line for that subsidy and include the Ready to Learn Block grant, it would provide about $150 million increase. Additional appropriation increases for special education and early learning programs would have totaled another $60 million. But then providing no means to fund school construction obligations would be a net loss compared to the prior fiscal year of $305 million."

Rep. Daley inquired about the administration's efforts to save money and contain costs. Sec. Albright highlighted the governor's GO-TIME initiative and explained that additional efforts are being made by every department to save money including the merger of the Department of Corrections and the Board of Probation and Parole. Rep. Daley asked if the structural deficit can be closed using savings and efficiencies alone. Sec. Albright noted that the goal of GO-TIME is to save $150 million but stated "the simple answer is no."

Rep. Pyle said the Clean Power Plan has forced the closure of six coal-fired plants and removed four gigawatts of electricity from the grid. He disputed Department of Environment Protection Secretary John Quigley's claim that alternative energy portfolio methods can fill the energy gap because it would be too expensive for consumers. Turning to the governor's severance tax proposal, Rep. Pyle said it relied $1.71 per Mcf but the price as of this morning was 92 cents. "I just don't know how we are going to collect revenue on something that's not close to the projection," he stated. Sec. Albright indicated that the administration's projections were provided by Global Insight. "We will revise … in our spring update probably sometime in the month of May. We do believe that that market and those prices will begin to fluctuate upward. Part of that is all about pipelines in Pennsylvania as well and that's a process we will address together as well as cooperatively," he stated. Rep. Pyle questioned if the administration would call the difference in the projected price and the actual price a "structural deficit." Sec. Albright said the administration did make changes to its original severance tax proposal. "We will not touch in anyway the current impact fee, we will leave that in place," he stated.

Rep. Briggs inquired about the administration's position on PlanCon. Sec. Albright said the administration had hoped to implement PlanCon reform as part of a bipartisan compromise budget. "We wanted to not only use bond proceeds to meet our current PlanCon operations but fully eliminate a backlog that had grown over the past several years," he stated. "That bond funding plan would have over the course of the next couple years used a series of debt issuances to fully fund that obligation and then work with the General Assembly to take a hard look at our PlanCon process and talk about future reforms that probably could or should be considered before we resume making new state commitments for future school district construction obligations."

Rep. Kampf spoke about the school districts that had to borrow money because of the Governor's veto last July. He wanted to know the extra costs incurred because of the borrowing. Sec. Albright explained, "The compromise budget agreement would have provided $10.7 million which would have re-funded local school districts and re-funded some nonprofit providers for at least some of the costs they incurred from their borrowing." Rep. Kampf asked again about the borrowing costs the school districts as a result of the Governor's veto last July. Sec. Albright repeated, "The $10.7 million is what we would have provided to reimburse school districts." He noted that the school districts "would have been the biggest piece of that $10.7 million appropriation." Rep. Kampf asked if the budget office knows what the school districts actually had to borrow. Sec. Albright replied, "We believe it is in that range." Rep. Kampf commented that "the borrowing cost was the only tangible fiscal impact of that veto." He added that it did not

PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com March 11, 2016 generate more money for schools and did not solve the structural deficit. Rep. Kampf asked Sec. Albright if he agreed. Sec. Albright answered, "Not at all." He argued, "The most tangible outcome that came from that veto was not another round of downgrades from all three bonding agencies." Sec. Albright pointed out that none of the three agencies have downgraded the Commonwealth's bond rating since the veto but cautioned that "Standard and Poors has given us 90 days" and made it clear the Commonwealth faces a downgrade if it does not change the way it does its budgeting. Rep. Kampf wanted to know if the rating agencies said they were not going to downgrade the Commonwealth as a result of the Governor's veto. Sec. Albright responded, "I am telling you the rating agencies made it very clear we could not enact another budget like that one and if we did there was going to be a consequence.

Rep. Kamp described the Governor's veto in July and his blue-line veto in December as "a tactic to try to generate more in tax revenue for specific purposes." He asked at what point the Administration is going to say this particular tactic for 2015-16 is not working. Sec. Albright responded, "I think what the Administration is going to say is compromise is difficult. It is hard for all of us to find the means to come together and work together to find common ground." He continued, "The Governor and all of his staff are fully committed to continue to engage and work with the General Assembly to find whatever that compromise or common ground is necessary to bring the current budget debate to a close."

Regarding the Governor's income tax proposal, Rep. Kampf wanted to know if there is no retroactive component, will the 2015-16 budget be a balance of $30.8 billion. Rep. Albright replied, "Not unless we develop other alternative recurring revenues."

Rep. Dean wanted to know the Governor's vision for wrapping up last fiscal year's budget. Sec. Albright explained, "His instructions to us from the day that the emergency spending plan was signed into law, was to simply complete our work as soon as possible." He added, "Over and over again the Governor tells us compromise is difficult. We have to be good listeners and we have to work with everybody to find common ground and find the ability to bring closure." Sec. Albright also said, "It has to be done in a responsible way and we can't put into place something that repeats the mistakes of the past." Rep. Dean spoke about government's role in providing education and restoring education funding. Sec. Albright responded by emphasizing the importance of providing those resources in a "fair and equitable way." He also commented about the Governor's commitment to finding a better way to fund local school districts.

Rep. Keller pointed out that between fiscal years 2002-03 and 2010-11, state spending increased 35 to 40 percent while the state economy grew 20 percent. He offered a hypothetical where an individual's salary rose 20 percent over the same period of time and his spending increased 35 to 40 percent. Rep. Keller asked if the person has a structural deficit or the person spends too much and does not manage his money well. Sec. Albright responded that during the time in question includes the great recession and if the individual lost his job he has financial difficulties. He added, "Over that period of time as a state government, we had to do the best job we could to manage the resources we had, provide for local school districts and municipalities as well." According to Sec. Albright, "At the end of that time period, Pennsylvania had one of the ten fastest growing state economies in the country." Rep. Keller commented that with the 2014-15 budget, he did not hear it referred to as an "emergency spending plan" but only as the "2014-15 budget." Sec. Albright said, "I believe I made it very clear when I was here last year talking about how that budget was setting up a fiscal crisis and I think I alluded to the fact that you did not have to take my word for it that my predecessor, Budget Secretary Zogby, noted the nearly $2 billion of one-time gimmicks and fixes."

Rep. Keller asked if he looked at the Office of the Budget's website, would the 2010-11 budget have a column indicating arrow funding. Sec. Albright responded, "I think you would have at the time." Rep. Keller wanted to know where the arrow funding came from. Sec. Albright explained that the stimulus money from the federal government was in several parts and that the arrow funding was part of the fiscal stabilization funds. He explained that those funds were to provide states with funding short-term operating expenses in the belief the states' revenue bases declined because of the great recession. According to Sec. Albright, those moneys were used in three areas including avoiding cuts in Medical Assistance, to fund corrections' obligations, and to help local school districts. He added that when the Commonwealth's revenue base was restored the money went toward various business tax cuts.

Rep. Keller wanted to know how much revenue would be generated by the proposed tax increases. Sec. Albright said that if the proposals are fully enacted and fully annualized in fiscal year 2015-15, it will generate $2.7 billion. Rep. Donatucci wanted to know the deadline to pass a budget in order to meet the revenue estimates. Sec. Albright commented, "With every passing day of delay, the costs get steeper." He explained the need for lead time in putting

PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com March 11, 2016 some of the tax proposals into place and with every passing day to generate the recurring revenue necessary to meet the obligations becomes more difficult.

Rep. Greiner commented that the budget passed by the House and Senate in December included $10.7 billion in funding for public schools which he said was "the highest amount ever in Pennsylvania history." Noting the Governor subsequently vetoed more than $3 billion of that funding, Rep. Greiner asserted the Governor's action was an attempt to "leverage a huge tax increase." He described it as "holding parents, students and schools as hostages." He wanted to know the thought process behind the cut in funding to school districts. Sec. Albright responded, "The Governor has made clear both on the campaign trail and throughout his first year in office that providing increased support to local school districts is his highest priority." He added, "We currently have a very inequitable school funding system for local school districts because of an overreliance on local property taxes." Sec. Albright said, "The Governor's intent in much of this budget struggle going forward is the Governor's strong held belief that we must provide a much more significant state share to support local school districts." Rep. Greiner asked how the cutting of the funding benefitted Pennsylvania school districts. Sec. Albright replied, "To make the clear statement that it's not enough." He added, "School districts are struggling and there is a result if we don't adequately fund our school districts local property taxpayer will have to bear the burden of that." Rep. Greiner then referenced a document distributed by the Department of Education on how to close schools, commenting it made him feel uncomfortable and that the governor is supportive of schools closing in order to create a crisis.

Rep. Rozzi spoke about the recent grand jury report relating to child sexual abuse in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese. He said that he has received telephone calls from additional victims. He expressed concern that the victims will end up in the state system and wondered if the proposed $5 million for the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs is sufficient for the potential increase. Sec. Albright responded that the amount is "as much as we can afford." He explained that the money is dedicated to addressing the heroin/opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania and helping families deal with addiction. He added that adequate funding is "something we struggle with every day."

Rep. Helm noted that recently the Administration released a blog post about "skyrocketing school property taxes." She wanted to know the percentage increase in school property taxes over the past three years as reported to the Department of Education. Sec. Albright commented, "While that percentage may look modest (2.2 percent), it is masked a little bit." He explained that the data does not include countywide reassessments which can lead to substantial increases for some local property taxpayers. Rep. Helm wondered how an 11 percent retroactive personal income tax increase would be termed if a 2.2 percent increase is termed "skyrocketing." Sec. Albright answered, "The income tax we proposed we think is fair." According to Sec. Albright, with a 3.4 percent tax rate Pennsylvania would still have the third lowest personal income tax rate in the country.

Rep. Schreiber asked if the Commonwealth is facing a $1.9 billion structural deficit. Sec. Albright replied, "Yes." Rep. Schreiber asked if the budget sent to the Governor is December was structurally unbalanced by at least $300 million. Sec. Albright responded, "With the caveat 'least', yes." Rep. Schreiber asked if the Commonwealth's credit rating has been downgraded as a result of inaction to responsibly balance a budget. Sec. Albright said, "Yes." Rep. Schreiber then wanted to know the approximate cost in real dollars as a result of the credit downgrades. Sec. Albright explained that "$10 million for each $1 million that the Commonwealth issues which translates into $140 million annually.

Rep. Schreiber asked if it is safe to say Pennsylvania has missed out on approximately $1.8 billion in revenue since 2011 by not collecting a severance tax. Sec. Albright responded that he would have to go back and look. Rep. Schreiber asked if the first budget passed in July and sent to the Governor was arrived at mutually. Sec. Albright replied, "No." Rep. Schreiber asked if the second budget passed in December and sent to the Governor was arrived at mutually. Sec. Albright replied, "No."

Rep. Millard raised the question of state correctional institutions and expressed his surprise that the governor vetoed more than $900 million in funding. He wanted to know the rationale behind this particular veto. Sec. Albright explained, "The rationale was the governor signed the bill as an emergency spending package and was intended to provide a temporary relief from some of the negative impacts from the budget impasse." He added, "It was not intended to be a long-term funding plan." Rep. Millard asked, "Now that there is a budget in place with no money for state correctional institutions, can the committee be assured that only those payments that are truly critical and necessary for the Department of Corrections to safely operate our prisons are being paid." Sec. Albright responded, "Yes." He explained, "We have already put systems in place working directly with our comptroller shop, the Corrections Department and the state Treasury Department." Rep. Millard then spoke about two vendors who work

PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com March 11, 2016 with the Department of Corrections who are owed money and have not been paid. Sec. Albright responded that they will be paid.

Rep. Bullock expressed concern about the Lottery Fund and wanted to know the Administration's plans for stabilizing it. Sec. Albright responded, "I share your concern." He explained the Administration is in the midst of piloting several initiatives in the lottery to look at ways to experiment with new games, new processes, and new procedures to grow lottery revenue going forward. Sec. Albright added, "We are confident we will meet our projected revenue assumptions for the current fiscal year and confident the revenue assumptions for the next fiscal year will be met." Rep. Bullock then wanted to know the Budget Office's involvement in workforce diversity programs. Sec. Albright said that the governor issued a directive on day one to the cabinet secretaries that "we want to create a workforce within all of our agencies that looks like the Commonwealth."

Rep. Quinn wanted to know the percentage of general government operations for each agency that relates to salaries, benefits and pensions. Sec. Albright said that he would have to get the numbers and provide it to the committee. He commented that there are approximately 70,000 state employees plus retirees. Rep. Quinn asked how many retirees. Sec. Albright said that he would get the number. Rep. Quinn also asked for the number of dependents receiving benefits. She then asked about a dependent eligibility audit. Rep. Albright explained that the Commonwealth takes measures to make sure they are not paying twice for some employees. He noted that health care benefits are part of the current contract negotiations. Rep. Quinn asked if he would support an audit. Sec. Albright said yes. He also spoke about the importance of having a healthier workforce. Rep Quinn discussed the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC). She asked about the delay in awarding the tax credits this year. Sec. Albright explained that until the final budget is concluded "everything is on the table." He said, "We cannot presume anything about what final expenditures will be or what tax credit allocations will be."

Rep. Schweyer wanted to know if the Governor would have accepted the budget passed in December what the budget deficit would have been for this coming year. Sec. Albright responded, "Our estimate was it was about $510 million out of balance." He added that number assumes the appropriations for the state-related universities would have reached the governor's desk in their current form. Rep. Schweyer asked Sec. Albright if any member of the General Assembly has come to him and asked that the state funding to his or her school district be cut. Sec. Albright answered, "No." Rep. Schweyer highlighted the fact that the Allentown School District in his legislative district over four consecutive budgets had reduced it complement of teachers by 400. He noted that is a quarter of the entire complement of educators that they had. Rep. Schweyer told committee members, "In anticipation of the restoration of some of the funds from the Commonwealth, in their 2015 budget the school district restored 30 of those 400 positions.

Rep. Boback asked about advanced liquor proceeds, reading from the budget documents that a stakeholder group will be convened to assess proposals and there will be $100 million in proceeds. Sec. Albright said the Budget Office worked with the Liquor Control Board to reach that figure and pointed out an agreement had been reached on a bill that would make significant changes to the liquor laws and set up a commission to discuss future steps to increase customer experience and look at other delivery systems. If that bill is not part of an agreement to move forward, he continued, an informal group of stakeholders would be convened instead. He indicated the administration would work with the four caucuses in that endeavor.

Rep. Bradford thanked the secretary for his recognition of the size and scope of the problem and for recognizing the late payment of managed care organizations, one of the largest expenditures. He noted the same "gimmick" was used by governors Rendell and Corbett and commented all of the problems have "blue and red fingerprints." Rep. Bradford further commented on the level of frustration and anger in the legislature, but said many of the mistakes rest on the leadership of the legislature over the past few years. On education funding, he agreed education expenditures are going up but noted the increase in the pension payments. He said, "We're putting more money in but less is going to our schools, but that's the price we pay" for the "gimmicks" like the late payment to MCOs. He questioned if these "feel good things" are good budgeting and questioned if the difference in HB 1460 being out of balance is the big items. Sec. Albright reiterated the willingness of the administration to take two years to eliminate those "gimmicks" and agreed the responsibility is shared. He said a more responsible budget solution needs to be found going forward. He opined the work before the holidays was not wasted, commenting significant progress was made. He said that work should be built upon to find a final compromise and solution. Rep. Bradford read comments of former Budget secretary Zogby, including that there is no room for cuts and that the new governor will face a structural deficit as the Corbett administration did. Rep. Bradford said, "We've got to align revenue and expenditure in a most honest way." He pointed out the Republican administration and legislature were unable to cut enough to

PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com March 11, 2016 resolve the structural deficit. Sec. Albright remarked on the need for painful decisions to not grow, except in education spending, and advocated for enacting real recurring revenues. Rep. Bradford said objections to "growing government" are about restoring teachers that have been decimated. He concluded by recalling that Zogby had told reporters about the need to govern to address looming deficits and the appropriateness of a discussion of new revenue. He called for political will to pass a balanced budget.

Rep. Grove asked if the Public Employee Retirement Commission (PERC) employees have been transferred back. Sec. Albright explained the misunderstanding about PERC. He said the commission continues to exist, as its future can only be determined by the General Assembly, and employees continue on Budget Office payroll and providing their functions relating to municipal pensions. "And that is our intention going forward," he said. Rep. Grove noted Rep. Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre) is expected to introduce legislation regarding PERC. Sec. Albright noted all four caucuses have been involved in conversations and said PERC was involved in what are considered to be redundant functions.

Rep. Grove asked how much is spent to defend Right-to-Know requests. Sec. Albright did not know but indicated he would provide the information. He said transparency is nice but does come with a price tag.

Rep. Grove then said he has yet to see the subtracted amounts from GO-TIME in the governor's budget books and asked for specific line items of reductions. Sec. Albright said the administration has tried to provide detailed GO- TIME updates from each agency and will be taking the last step of compiling it all into one document. He said the members can assume if the initiatives had not been done, then they would have required increased expenditures in the proposed budget. He added GO-TIME is "an organic process" that continues to evolve. He confirmed the savings are real. Rep. Grove said the General Services secretary said there are not any savings and they were spent. Sec. Albright was not sure of the miscommunication but speculated that Sec. Topper meant to imply the $150 million in savings is not in his budget, but spread out. Rep. Grove explained Sec. Topper had said the savings were spent. Sec. Albright said without the initiative, the agency budgets would have had to be the saved amount more or other expenses could not have been made. Rep. Grove objected to claims that the budget is cost-to-carry, because there are a lot of new expenditures. He asked if the cost savings are built into the budget, but not reflected. Sec. Albright reiterated GO-TIME is ongoing and assumptions were built into the requested budget amounts for all agencies. He guaranteed that the Spring update plan will reflect further changes from other GO-TIME saving assumptions. Rep. Grove again argued that the savings should be reflected in the budget. "Why not put the data in there," he asked. Sec. Albright argued the administration could not be more specific than the GO-TIME data plans issued. He said Sec. Topper could not answer for other departments. Rep. Grove determined the money was saved and then spent in other areas and concluded, "So they're not really savings."

Rep. Grove asked when the Act 147 waivers will be reconciled. Sec. Albright replied the attempt to do that will be when a complete budget is in place. He said the continued use of waivers "is particularly important as we reconcile our agency budgets." He said the hope is that $200 million of lapses will be made available as part of the revenue to balance the budget. Rep. Grove said the Transportation secretary testified that she reconciled her lapsed funds and spent it on transportation projects and similarly the Health secretary used her waivers for general government operations line items and have been reconciled. He concluded there is a lot of room in the budget to defer raising taxes.

Rep. Day commented Rep. Grove touched on one of the cornerstones of a budget impasse in that whatever is saved gets to be kept for the next needs and acknowledged the desire of the agencies to keep the saved dollars instead of asking for reapproval. But the point, he continued, is that the budget is built based on if $100 million allocated, but 10 percent saved, why is the ask still for $100 million. He further commented on remarks that the budget was $300 million short so the governor vetoed $6 billion and argued the strategy is to ask for more than is wanted to compromise to the desired level, veto items Republicans support, and stretch the process out. Rep. Day proposed for the negotiation going forward, "Let's make our best case and then we'll let the people decide...Let's be as transparent as possible." He called for a determined date and time for when the budget will be passed. He asked the secretary to commit the governor to compromise and agree to an on-time budget with a series of dates to meet. Sec. Albright offered to commit to "not in a matter of months but in a matter of weeks bring final closure to this year's budget." He hoped that conversation could lead to agreement on common ground for a timely 2016-17 budget. Rep. Day indicated his disappointment that the secretary would not break from "message." Sec. Albright responded, "I think the rating agencies have set that deadline for us." Rep. Day said he needs the governor to know that the people who continue to say the same things over and over again contribute to the budget impasse. He asked if the governor would compromise and sign a supplemental appropriation to release funds for 4-H and agriculture. Regarding any supplemental, Sec. Albright said the governor will participate in compromise to enact a final spending plan; he will not

PLS’s Transportation Recap – Copyright 2016 – Pennsylvania Legislative Services – www.mypls.com March 11, 2016 choose one appropriation over another or pit competing line items against each other. Rep. Day concluded, stating that he thinks it is important to set a date and time and asked the governor to consider that. Rep. Kampf submitted questions to the secretary on behalf of Rep. Todd Stephens (R-Chester) regarding social impact financing, or "pay for success." Sec. Albright welcomed them and thanked Rep. Stephens for his efforts and leadership on the issue.

Chairman Adolph wrapped things up and expressed his hope "this comes to an end real soon." He remarked education funding will likely be subject to great discussion in the coming weeks.

- 30 –

Press Conferences

GOVERNOR SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER RAISING MINIMUM WAGE FOR CERTAIN STATE EMPLOYEES By Nina Lehr, Pennsylvania Legislative Services | March 7, 2016

Gov. Tom Wolf today signed an Executive Order increasing the minimum wage for certain employees of the Commonwealth as well as organizations receiving state contracts.

Gov. Wolf stated this Executive Order applies to around 450 state employees raising their wage from $7.35 per hour to $10.15 and companies doing business with the Commonwealth. He said this is part of his "Jobs That Pay" initiative and "the goal is to do what I can as Governor to make sure the people working in Pennsylvania have a living wage, or as close to a living wage as we can get it." He emphasized this order is fair for workers who have too long languished below the poverty level. He reiterated this order is limited to a narrow group of employees but stressed "we need legislation that applies to all workers in Pennsylvania."

Gov. Wolf noted if this increase was applied to all workers in Pennsylvania it would affect 1.2 million people and would not just help the workers but the companies they work for. He stated a decent minimum wage boosts morale, improves productivity and reduces turnover rates. He added "it's a smart move for business but would also be a very smart move for the economy" and the higher minimum wage will increase consumption at the same time increasing Pennsylvania's current revenues by roughly $60 million per year. He recognized Sen. Tina Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia) and Rep. Patty Kim (D-Dauphin) who have co-sponsored legislation (SB 195 and HB 250) to increase the minimum wage for all Pennsylvanians.

Gov. Wolf then took questions from the media:

What sort of jobs do the 450 employees affected by this order do? I believe it affects some maintenance jobs as well as part-time employees and would cost $1.6 million.

How many contract employees would be affected? I'm not sure what the estimate is, probably somewhere around $3 million, but would only affect new contracts and would not affect human service providers.

Would all employees of a contracted company be affected or just the ones specifically working with the state contract? Yes, it would affect all employees.

Why does it not affect human service providers? In the absence of a budget we didn't want to put additional burdens or pressures on those providers.

Will it apply to human service providers if a budget is passed? I have not made that decision.

Why did you wait until now, why not do this a year ago? I was hoping we could get a minimum wage increase for all of Pennsylvania.

Do the costs outweigh the benefits?

I think the benefits of the minimum wage increase far outweigh the costs because we should get higher productivity, better output, better morale, lower turnover and lower training costs. It is hard to say in advance what exactly the cost benefit ratio will be. There was a study done in the 1990's looking at the difference in minimum wage in the fast food industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that showed an increase in employment due to higher productivity.

Can you respond to the management employees who are saying the Governor is picking and choosing which employees receive increases? For years management employees were not getting raises and that is a separate and legitimate issue to look into but is not covered by this order.

Has the Administration done any analysis of whether this order will lead to any job loss or decrease in bids for state contracts? We're not assuming anything but the studies we looked at show at least a modest increase in employment.

How are you paying for the $1.6 million cost? We are obligated to pay for it under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

Is there any chance of the minimum wage being raised statewide? I sure hope so because someone working 40 hour per week making $7.35 is living well below the poverty level and that's not a good thing for families, communities, neighborhoods or the economy. I'm urging the legislature to back Sen. Tartaglione and Rep. Kim's bills to raise the minimum wage statewide.

How soon will state workers see a change in their pay? The state workers will see a change immediately and the companies that contract with the state will see it when new contracts come into effect.

Is there any analysis that shows when the government does something like this then the private sector follows the lead? There might be but I haven't seen it.

Does this have any impact on school districts? No, this is only for employees directly working for the Commonwealth.

Can you follow up on how the $1.6 million in cost is getting paid? It is coming out of the same pool of money that is for state employee compensation which the state is obligated to pay. There was a court case years ago that ruled federal law trumps a state budget when it comes to state employee compensation.

Can you describe the type of work that these contract employees do and how many will be impacted? I don't know how many contracts will be coming down the road or at what point in time.

###

Upcoming Events House Transportation March 14, 2016 - 11:30 a.m., Room 205, Ryan Office Building To consider: HB 1740 Diamond, Russell Amends Title 75 re police reports SB 61 Greenleaf, Steward Amends Title 75 re bike medics HB 1171 Baker, Matt Act re Lance Corporal Michael Plank Bridge HB 1685 Fee, Mindy Act re Samuel L. Snyder Memorial Bridge HB 1711 Regan, Mike Act re Staff Sgt. Faley Memorial Bridge HB 1762 McCarter, Steve Act re Honorable Lawrence H. Curry Bridge HB 1787 White, Martina Act re Michael R. Goodwin, Sr. Highway HB 1561 Snyder, Pam Amends Title 75 re signs, signals & markings

PA Turnpike Commission March 15, 2016 - 10:00 a.m., Turnpike Admin. Bldg, Large Board Room, 700 S. Eisenhower Blvd., 3rd Fl., Middletown Commission Meeting. For additional information: (717) 831-7333

MADD to Call on General Assembly to Require Interlocks for All Convicted Drunk Drivers March 15, 2016 - 12:00 PM Press Conference, Capitol Media Center, East Wing, Harrisburg

Senate Republican Policy Committee March 15, 2016 - 9:00 a.m., Hearing Room 1, North Office Building Public hearing on unmanned aerial vehicles

Senate Transportation March 16, 2016 - 10:00 a.m., Room 8E-B, East Wing To consider: SB 52 Greenleaf, Stewa Amends Title 75 re windshield obstructions SB 973 Scavello, Mario Amends Titles 18 & 75 re litter fines SB 1152 Browne, Patrick Amends Title 75 re rear-facing child seats SB 1155 Reschenthaler, G Amends Title 75 re military license plate HB 1087 Vereb, Mike Amends act re Delaware River Joint Commission SB 1040 Teplitz, Rob Act re Staff Sergeant Mowery Memorial Bridge SR 261 Folmer, Mike Resolution re PFC increase for airports

House Commerce March 16,2016 - Off the Floor, Room B31 Main Capitol To consider: HB 1600 Mackenzie, Ryan Amends Titles 51 & 74 re veteran start ups

Delaware River Port Authority/PATCO March 16, 2016 - 11:00 a.m., 11th Floor Board Room, One Port Center, 2 Riverside Drive, Camden NJ Finance Committee Meeting. For additional information: (856) 968-2253

Pittsburgh Port Authority March 18, 2016 - 9:30 a.m., Neal N. Holmes Board Room, Pittsburgh Port Authority Building, 5th Floor, 345 Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh Board Meeting. For additional information: (412) 566-5137

PA Public Utility Commission March 24, 2016 - 10:00 a.m., Commonwealth Keystone Building, Hearing Room 1, 400 North St., Harrisburg Public Meeting. For additional information: (717) 783-1740

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) Board March 24, 2016 - 3:00 p.m., SEPTA Headquarters, 1234 Market Street, Mezzanine Level, Philadelphia Board Meeting. For additional information: (215) 580-7800

Session Schedule

Senate March 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 April 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 May 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18 June 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

House March 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 April 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 May 2, 3, 4, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 June 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

In the News

03-10-2016 Secretary of Aging Teresa Osborne Offers Remarks on 2016-17 Budget at Senior... (Press Release)

03-10-2016 Barrar Hearing Focuses on Programs, Issues Impacting Military and Emergency... (Press Release)

03-10-2016 Intertek Expands Shale Testing Capacity with Opening of New Laboratory in DJ... (Press Release)

03-10-2016 Keep PA Beautiful Launches New Electronics Waste Recycling Website (Press Release)

03-10-2016 DEP to Host Alternative Fuels Grant Seminar in Luzerne County (Press Release)

03-10-2016 PennDOT: Motorcyclists Encouraged to Take Free Courses, Start Riding Season... (Press Release)

03-10-2016 Primoris Services Corporation Announces Pipeline Construction Awards Valued... (Press Release)

03-10-2016 Liberty Bridge rehab will make South Hills commute difficult Anyone from the South Hills who wants to get to Downtown Pittsburgh during the upcoming road construction season is advised to start early. Now wouldn’t be a bad idea. The Parkway West and the Smithfield Street Bridge will be open without restrictions, but just about every other artery from the south will be... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

03-10-2016 This region needs the Mon-Fayette Expressway extension Late last year the Construction Legislative Council issued a report reviewing a number of key transportation projects essential for the economic future of our region. On this list was the completion of the Mon-Fayette Expressway link from Route 51 to Monroeville, with extension of... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

03-10-2016 Liberty Bridge tops PennDOT's 2016 list of Allegheny County projects Don Valentine tries to avoid the Liberty Bridge as much as possible. He plans to dodge the popular link between the South Hills, Downtown and beyond even more once a major PennDOT project starts next month. “Unfortunately for everybody from this side, that's their main way into... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

03-10-2016 Westmoreland to consider extending hotel tax to Airbnb, similar businesses With sluggish hotel tax revenues in Westmoreland County, officials said Wednesday that they will consider extending the levy to include rooms rented via online booking agents such as Airbnb. The county since 2003 has assessed the room tax on motels, hotels, inns and... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

03-10-2016 Auto industry breathes sigh of relief as millennials finally show interest in car ownership DETROIT — Millennials were once a source of panic in the auto industry. .. - AP

03-10-2016 Volkswagen's top executive in U.S. resigns WASHINGTON — Volkswagen's top U.S. executive is stepping down amid the company's ongoing emissions cheating scandal, the company announced Wednesday... - AP

03-10-2016 Judge lets taxi firms' suit against Uber proceed A federal judge has allowed Philadelphia taxi companies' unfair-competition lawsuit against Uber to move forward. U.S. District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro denied Uber's motion to dismiss the cab companies' false-representation claim filed by Checker Cab... - Philadelphia Inquirer

03-10-2016 Bill would standardize the way airlines disclose fees WASHINGTON (AP) - The government would standardize the way airlines disclose fees for basic services like checked bags, seat assignments and ticket changes so that passengers can more easily comparison-shop the full cost of flights under a bipartisan Senate bill introduced Wednesday... - AP

03-10-2016 Lehigh Valley roads unable to handle truck traffic Do we want eastern Lehigh Valley to become a mirror image of western Lehigh Valley? After reading The Morning Call article concerning the need for an interchange to relieve truck traffic on Route 100, I started looking at the area at Airport and Schoenersville roads.... - Allentown Morning Call

03-10-2016 Shuster partners with Senate counterpart to move FAA legislation New life was breathed into a somewhat stalled air transportation bill on Wednesday as U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster and Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, agreed to work with their respective members to extend the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding and push to enact legislation that would... - Uniontown Herald-Standard

03-10-2016 Who pays for new truck access to Commerce Park? | Letter Truck access to the soon-to-be-started four warehouses at Commerce Park will most likely need municipal bonding for road infrastructure from Lopatcong Township and Phillipsburg to make improvements for a proposed turning lane from Route 22, south of the junction with Route 57.... - Easton Express-Times

03-10-2016 PennDOT to spend $81 million on 13 road, bridge improvements in Beaver County PennDOT this year will spend $81 million on 13 improvement projects for state-owned roads and bridges in Beaver County. The projects include rehabilitating or improving 17 bridges, nine of which are structurally deficient, and 14 miles of roads that will be paved or... - Beaver County Times

03-10-2016 Millions to be spent on Allegheny County road projects The roads, highways and bridges being repaired may be in Allegheny County, but drivers from Washington and Greene counties heading to Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh International Airport will be impacted by work the state Department of Transportation has planned for the 2016 construction season.... - Washington Observer-Reporter

03-10-2016 5 Monroe bridges next on replacement list, including one near Stroud Mall Construction won’t begin this year on a new bridge near the Stroud Mall until after work is completed on a delayed bridge replacement on Rimrock Road in Hamilton Township. That’s what Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners spokesman Rory McGlasson said during a Chestnuthill Township forum Tuesday on five local... - Pocono Record

03-10-2016 Judge Kennedy: 3 law changes that could fight DUI The scale of the drunk-driving problem in America is startling. Two in three Americans at some point in their lifetime will be involved in a crash with a drunk driver. More than 10,200 people in 2014 were killed in the United States by drunk drivers, the most recent figures available.... - York Daily

03-10-2016 Zipcars now on York College campus Zipcar has parked two vehicles, a Ford Focus and a Volkswagen Golf, on the Spring Garden Township campus for students Kelly Peck came back to the York College of Pennsylvania campus this semester without her car. "I had an accident over break," the New Jersey college junior said on... - York Daily

03-10-2016 York getting electric car charger The sidewalk has been cut and electrical conduits are visible on the northeast corner of Continental Square in York city, where a charging station will be installed for electric vehicles.(Photo: Paul Kuehnel, York Daily Record)Buy Photo An electric car charging station will be built on York's Continental... - York Daily

03-10-2016 PennDOT announces Bradford County maintenance activity PennDOT’s maintenance schedule for the week of March 14 is as follows: SR0706: Stevensville to county line, Stevens Township, crack sealing and brush cutting SR1001: Clapper Hill Road, Tuscarora and Stevens townships, crack sealing SR2010: New Albany-Wyalusing Road, Albany and Terry townships, low... - Towanda Daily Review

03-10-2016 Today's Editorial: Seriously, put the phone down Even with vehicles moving at higher speeds than ever before and automobiles manufactured with safety as a top priority, how safe do you feel on the road? Our desire for constant connectivity has unquestionably made driving less safe, an opinion held by a majority of drivers according to a report from... - Sunbury Daily Item

03-10-2016 Viaduct heads PennDOT list of local road, bridge projects Extensive repairs to the Mahoning Avenue Viaduct are among seven major transportation projects planned for Lawrence County this year. Resurfacing of a four-mile stretch of Wilmington Avenue in the city and Wilmington Avenue in Neshannock Township also is on the list.... - New Castle News

03-10-2016 Industrial Street venture, rail crossings planned Bricks and mortar from the former New Castle Refractories building came tumbling down Wednesday. Demolition of the 105-year-old building at 915 Industrial St. in New Castle will make room for another industry on that property, which had been marketed as a Brownfield site — previously used industrial land that... - New Castle News

03-10-2016 Editorial | Expanded passenger rail service would be big boost for region Pennsylvania and the Johnstown region have an excellent opportunity to expand tourism and impact economic development through what might seem an unlikely source: train travel. A movement that is gaining support at the local, state and federal levels could pay huge dividends across the region through the addition of a daily... - Johnstown Tribune-Democrat

03-10-2016 N.J. Transit and New York Businesses Make Strike Contingency Plans The worst-case situations are sounding dire. Doctors sleeping on cots at their Manhattan hospitals because they cannot get home to New Jersey. A cost to New York City’s economy of nearly $6 million per hour of delays. Traffic jams in New Jersey up to 25 miles long.... - New York Times

03-10-2016 Airline Fees Are Out of Hand, a Bill From Senators Says

What once was free on airlines now often translates to fees. An aisle or window seat can cost extra. Bag fees come in at least six varieties. Even airline-issued pillows and blankets have a price tag on some carriers. While it has done wonders for the airlines’ bottom line, the fee frenzy... - New York Times

03-10-2016 Stalling on Fuel Efficiency THE Obama administration’s stringent fuel efficiency standards are intended to reduce auto pollution and drive up gas mileage. They are the biggest single step any nation has taken to fight global warming. The rules worked well, at first. They no longer do. They can be fixed.... - New York Times

03-10-2016 Finally, an action plan for Metro MINDFUL THAT passengers can stand only so much abuse, and loath to add insult to injury, Metro decided not to raise rail fares last year. Don’t get used to it. According to the transit agency’s new general manager, Paul J. Wiedefeld, passenger fares will need to go up over the... - Washington Post

03-10-2016 Stranded riders? Negotiators work on what happens in NJ Transit strike NEWARK — As face-to-face negotiations to avert a possible state-wide rail strike took a day off Wednesday, another issue appeared to generate differing viewpoints from the two sides: what will happen at midnight Saturday if no agreement is reached? As they did in the days leading up to Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, New... - AP

03-10-2016 Capitol Journal Pouring bullet train money into water development could backfire At first glance, the idea is appealing: Scrap Gov. Jerry Brown’s troubled bullet train project and pour the money into water development. Voters have soured on the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco high-speed rail line after authorizing it eight years ago. It’s way behind schedule. Projected costs and routes keep changing. It... - Los Angeles Times

03-10-2016 'Gold Star Bridge' replacement project begins in Shenandoah SHENANDOAH — The “Gold Star Bridge” replacement project in Shenandoah began this week and is expected to continue to the end of the year. With the project started on state Route 924 at the south side of the borough, drivers should expect delays due to a change in the traffic... - Pottsville Republican and Evening Herald

03-10-2016 Pottstown Police to intensify DUI efforts POTTSTOWN >> Pottstown Police are planning to intensify DUI enforcement over the next week. Beginning next week, Pottstown Police and several other area departments are planning to utilize the multi-jurisdictional DUI enforcement team in order to prevent alcohol related crimes. The team will be conducting... - Pottstown Mercury

03-10-2016 Jury awards $1.4M to state trooper struck by DUI driver in Upper Merion NORRISTOWN >> A Montgomery County jury has awarded a Pennsylvania State Police trooper more than $1.4 million in damages for injuries he suffered when an intoxicated driver crashed into his cruiser while he was monitoring a Route 422 construction zone. The total $1.44 million verdict, officially marked as satisfied in county... - Pottstown Mercury

03-10-2016 PennDOT, local municipalities gearing up for pothole season PennDOT and local municipalities are gearing up for spring and summer roadway maintenance, including pothole repairs. PennDOT had 25 trucks operating throughout the winter with 51 drivers, all taking care of the state roadways that PennDOT maintains. Crews occupied... - Oil City Derrick

03-10-2016 Congressman visits Route 219 construction site Rothfus at 219: U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus, center, meets with Thomas Prestash, right,

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation district executive, and other officials Tuesday to discuss progress on the Route 219 project in Somerset County. The group is standing in front of piers for an... - Somerset Daily

03-10-2016 Commissioners approve trail memorandum The Somerset County commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding Tuesday for a Federal Lands Access Program project to construct 1.3 of 7 miles of trail from the Great Allegheny Passage north toward Berlin Borough as part of the September 11th National Memorial Trail.... - Somerset Daily

03-10-2016 York College announces partnership with Zipcar York College through a partnership with the world's largest car-sharing network will be offering its students and faculty an additional method of transportation. The college on Monday announced its partnering with Zipcar and will place two vehicles on campus available for students, staff and members of the... - York Dispatch

03-10-2016 County commissioners discuss bridge repair program During a finance meeting Wednesday, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners heard a progress report on Cumberland County’s Bridge Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), a working program to repair deficient bridges located within county. According to County Director of Planning Kirk Stoner, 2015 bridge... - Carlisle Sentinel

03-10-2016 House Appropriations 3/10/16, 9:30 a.m., 140 Main Capitol By Matt Hess, Jeff Cox, and Kimberly Hess, Pennsylvania Legislative Services The committee held a budget hearing with Randy Albright, secretary of the Office of the Budget.

03-09-2016 Keep PA Beautiful Programs, Local Affiliates Earn National Recognition (Press Release)

03-09-2016 Freeman's Announces Management Buyout (Press Release)

03-09-2016 PFB Warns of Impending Budget Disaster for Penn State Cooperative Extension... (Press Release)

03-09-2016 VA Announces Additional Steps to Reduce Veteran Suicide (Press Release)

03-09-2016 Increase in pedestrian deaths hits a 40-year high nationally Lower gasoline prices may be good for the wallet, but they may be bad for the health of drivers and pedestrians. A study released Tuesday by the Governors Highway Safety Association predicts the number of pedestrian fatalities for 2015 increased about 10 percent, the highest yearly increase since the annual Spotlight on Highway... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

03-09-2016 Mt. Lebanon enforces jaywalking laws, but should get tough on bad drivers, too Mt. Lebanon recently passed an ordinance to ticket jaywalkers. I have worked in Mt. Lebanon for over eight years, parking in the North Garage at Washington Road and Cedar Boulevard. The real problem is more than pedestrians jaywalking. Drivers constantly run red lights, or do not give way to pedestrians who are in the crosswalk.... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

03-09-2016 Fallout from 2011 asphalt spill on turnpike nears an end More than four years after a 40-mile asphalt spill caused about a thousand vehicles to stick to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the last claims are about to be paid. About two dozen claims are

pending because the vehicle owners or their insurers haven't signed settlement release forms, Thomas Frampton, the... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

03-09-2016 Westmoreland County airshow organizers raise third of money needed Organizers have raised a third of the $300,000 needed to put on the Shop 'n Save Westmoreland County International Airshow. Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said $100,000 in corporate and individual sponsorships have been secured for the... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

03-09-2016 Activist investors aim to shake up United Airlines Two hedge funds with a combined 7.1 percent stake in United Airlines want to shake up the airline's board of directors, adding six of their own candidates, including former Continental Airlines CEO Gordon M. Bethune. PAR Capital Management and Altimeter Capital Management, which are both... - Philadelphia Inquirer

03-09-2016 Timely freight delivery During an election cycle, it’s easy to get caught up in partisan politics and the issues that divide us. But the close of 2015 brought significant, bipartisan progress in an area that affects millions of Americans daily: transportation, and more specifically, freight rail.... - Scranton Times

03-09-2016 US should lead charge to update aviation technology The ongoing mystery of the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 that disappeared nearly two years ago with 239 passengers and crew members has not produced the rapid implementation of remedial technology that many aviation experts predicted at the time. Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared March 8, 2014, while on a routine... - Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice

03-09-2016 Mixed reviews follow Uber’s expansion in Pittsburgh PITTSBURGH -- Despite recent unrest among Uber drivers in Pittsburgh, the company is forging ahead to make the city into a hub for autonomous vehicle testing. The ride-sharing company already has an Advanced Technologies Center near Carnegie Mellon University, and it announced last month that it plans to... - Beaver County Times

03-09-2016 Names sought to add to DUI memorial The Kain Memorial Committee has reinvigorated efforts to update a longtime memorial dedicated to victims of alcohol-related crashes. A local committee plans to re-dedicate a memorial for victims of drunken driving crashes, but needs the public's help in the meantime.... - York Daily

03-09-2016 Fly from Harrisburg to Myrtle Beach this summer Harrisburg International Airport will offer nonstop flights to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, starting this summer, according to a news release The flights being offered by Allegiant Air, priced as low as $45, will be offered between May 19 and Sept. 18. In addition to the low fares touted by... - York Daily

03-09-2016 15 bridges to be replaced in York County Some plans are available for public review at this time. Fifteen bridges in York County will be replaced within the next two years as part of a "Rapid Bridge Replacement Project," a public- partnership between the state Department of Transportation and Plenary Walsh Keystone... - York Daily

03-09-2016 Lock Haven mayor objects to the cost of having a city airport March 9, 2016 LOCK HAVEN — Delta Airport Consultants Inc. may be the city’s next consulting firm for airport projects. City Council gave the nod Monday to city staff negotiating a contract with Delt. more »» - Williamsport Sun-Gazette

03-09-2016 Survey: 1-in-3 drivers text behind wheel SUNBURY — City police Cpl. Brad Hare isn’t surprised by a recent AAA report that reveals more than 87 percent of drivers engage in unsafe behavior while behind the wheel. He has responded to two accidents in the past week, and both were casued by distracted drivers, he said, “One was text-messaging and the other... - Sunbury Daily Item

03-09-2016 N.J. Transit Users Study Their Options in Case of Train Strike NEWARK — Some New Jersey commuters are planning to add an hour to their 60-to-90-minute slog into Manhattan. Others intend to pay for one of the more expensive private buses that service their suburbs. Still others said they would wake up at the crack of dawn and shoulder their way into the... - New York Times

03-09-2016 Long-Haul Sweatshops IT might seem like a good time to be a long-haul trucker: More than ever, the American economy relies on hundreds of thousands of 18-wheelers to move goods across the country. But the industry is in crisis, with drivers leaving in droves because of low pay and poor working conditions.... - New York Times

03-09-2016 PennDOT starting repairs Wednesday on Route 501 in Lititz, Manheim Township The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will start repairs and the resurfacing of a 4.29- mile section of Route 501 in Lititz Borough and Manheim Township Wednesday. The stretch starts south of the intersection with Wynfield Drive and North New Street and follows Broad Street (Route 501) through Lititz, continuing... - Lancaster Intelligencer Journal

03-09-2016 Larger vehicles, new car leases trending up in York Bob Darr recently leased a 2016 Ford Escape SUV, highlighting two major trends local vehicle dealerships have been seeing recently. New vehicle leases in the U.S. reached their highest levels ever in 2015, according to a 2016 report from Manheim, the nation's largest used-car... - York Dispatch

03-09-2016 Liberty Bridge top priority on regional list of PennDOT road and bridge projects PennDOT will begin 50 new road and bridge projects at an estimated cost of $276 million in Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties this year. But it is a continuing project, the $80 million rehabilitation of the Liberty Bridge, that is expected to cause the most disruption.... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

03-09-2016 Liberty Bridge project tops list of PennDOT work this year PennDOT plans $189 million worth of construction on 59 projects in Allegheny County this year. The largest project is an $80.08 million replacement to the bridge deck and revamping interchanges of the structurally deficient Liberty Bridge, one that will require long-term closures of ramps to and from the Boulevard of... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

03-09-2016 Sunoco begins first exports of Marcellus Shale ethane via Marcus Hook terminal

The first export shipment of Marcellus Shale ethane will depart Wednesday from Sunoco Logistics Partner's Marcus Hook terminal to a petrochemical plant in Norway, Sunoco spokesman Jeff Shields confirmed. The JS INEOS Intrepid, one of eight 575-foot tankers commissioned by... - Philadelphia Inquirer

03-09-2016 House Appropriations 3/9/16, 9:30 a.m., 140 Main Capitol By Matt Hess, Pennsylvania Legislative Services The committee held a budget hearing with the Department of Human Services (DHS).

03-09-2016 House Appropriations 3/9/16, 3:00 p.m., Room 140 Main Capitol Building By Virginia Lucy, Pennsylvania Legislative Services The committee held a budget hearing with Curt Topper, secretary, Department of General Services (DGS) and Beverly Hudson, Deputy Secretary of Administration.

03-09-2016 House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Prepared. 3/9/16, 9:00 a.m., Room G-50, Irvis Office Building By Eric Failing, Trevor Monk, & Nina Lehr, Pennsylvania Legislative Services The committees held a joint informational meeting on the issues facing the veteran, military and emergency service communities.

03-08-2016 BLOG: Meet the Women of the Wolf Administration (Press Release)

03-08-2016 PFB Warns of Impending Budget Disaster for Penn State Cooperative Extension... (Press Release)

03-08-2016 DEP Announces Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Seminar in Dauphin County (Press Release)

03-08-2016 Alpha Natural Resources Files Plan of Reorganization (Press Release)

03-08-2016 Pittsburgh Port Authority Planning & Stakeholder Relations Agenda for 03/10/16 (Press Release)

03-08-2016 Governor Wolf Announces 140 New Jobs with New Select Products Holdings... (Press Release)

03-08-2016 CMU robotics center rebuilding staff after 'Uber crisis' Carnegie Mellon University said Monday its National Robotics Engineering Center is thriving a

year after it lost 40 researchers and scientists to Uber when the ride-share giant opened a Lawrencevilleresearch facility. But the “Uber crisis,” as School of Computer Science dean Andrew... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

03-08-2016 Shuster too cozy with lobbyists Bill Shuster, the U.S. representative in the 9th Congressional District, has been caught again. According to news reports, Shuster and top airline lobbyists were lounging poolside at a Miami hotel after the House Transportation Committee, which Shuster chairs, approved a bill to overhaul... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

03-08-2016 SEPTA clears officer, disciplines another in man's death Four months after a Kensington man died in SEPTA police custody after violently struggling with an officer, the transit agency's internal affairs investigators have cleared the officer of any wrongdoing, but recommended discipline for the sergeant who failed to direct officers to the closest... - Philadelphia Inquirer

03-08-2016 Presentation of SEPTA's proposed rail spur to King of Prussia greeted with groans The slide show image depicted a computer rendering of a sleek train traveling along an elevated rail alongside some houses. Cries of "No!" immediately burst from the audience. "Those are our homes," one person shouted. Monday night, SEPTA gave the public a first chance to comment on the... - Philadelphia Inquirer

03-08-2016 Pet Peeves mounting as more drivers complain I did a column 25 years ago that invoked the book, "Crocodile Attack," a collection of stories about people being eaten by crocodiles in Australia. I can't find the book online anymore — we're not talking Pulitzer material here — so you'll have to take my word that it was good... - Allentown Morning Call

03-08-2016 Area residents, taxi companies adapt to Uber One year after arriving in State College, the popular and sometimes controversial ridesharing service Uber has raised competition and pushed the adoption of new technologies in the local taxi business. Uber connects independent drivers and riders using mobile phones. Riders... - State College Centre Daily Times

03-08-2016 Self-driving cars may be more lethal than we think No one likes a backseat driver. Nagging, nannying. Questioning every decision, constantly attempting to correct what he or she considers to be your errors of judgment. How about an “it” doing the same thing? One you can’t kick to the curb? The “it” in question being the backseat computer. Under the dash... - State College Centre Daily Times

03-08-2016 Up front: Hello electric, goodbye gasoline Our century-plus dependence on oil to fuel our own transportation could come to an end. - Reading Eagle

03-08-2016 Greene Co. commissioners consider adding $5 vehicle registration fee WAYNESBURG – Drivers who register their vehicles in Greene County could be paying an additional $5 each year. The Greene County commissioners will consider approval of a $5 vehicle registration fee for local transportation projects, which is permitted under the state’s Act 89 transportation funding law passed in 2013.... - Washington Observer-Reporter

03-08-2016 Funding to be sought for feasibility study for constructing local bicycle trails TOWANDA — Local officials plan to seek funding for a study that would evaluate the feasibility of constructing two bicycle trails in the central part of Bradford County, the Towanda Borough manager announced Monday. -Towanda Daily Review

03-08-2016 Somerset to host first natural gas vehicle training run by state fire academy SOMERSET – With a natural gas fueling station underway in Somerset Township and more natural gas vehicles on the road, local emergency responders are gathering for a first-of-its-kind training session. The Somerset County Department of Emergency Services is planning a pilot... - Johnstown Tribune-Democrat

03-08-2016 Road Work on 322 May Cause Delays Road work is under way on Route 322 at Port Matilda Mountain stretching to the Philipsburg State Police Barracks and will likely cause travel delays in the area, according to PennDOT. The project will improve the driving surface and upgrade drainage and guide... - State College News

03-08-2016 United Continental Shareholders Turn to Bethune to Lead Revolt United Continental is facing an insurrection among its shareholders — led by the well-regarded former chief executive of Continental Airlines, Gordon M. Bethune. Mr. Bethune is one of six director candidates put forward on Tuesday by two hedge funds, Altimeter Capital Management and PAR Capital Management, which... - New York Times

03-08-2016 Route 422 intersection realignment to begin soon Realignment of Clear Spring and Killinger roads part of development plans. A project to realign two roads on the busy Route 422 corridor is one step closer to beginning. The Lebanon County commissioners last week opened bids to Killinger and Clear Spring roads between Annville and Palmyra.... - Lebanon Daily News

03-08-2016 Allegiant Air to begin flights between Harrisburg and Myrtle Beach in May Allegiant Air said Tuesday it will begin offering nonstop service between Harrisburg and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Thursday, May 19. The seasonal, 90-minute flights will operate twice weekly, on Sundays and Thursdays, through Sunday, Sept. 18. Allegiant is introducing the new service with an introductory one-way fare... - Lancaster Intelligencer Journal

03-08-2016 Christie: NJ Transit Talks Won’t Derail Vacation NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Negotiators for New Jersey Transit and rail workers met again on Monday to try and avert a strike this weekend, as Gov. Chris Christie said the ongoing dispute won’t interfere with his plans to take a vacation for his 30th wedding anniversary... - AP

03-08-2016 SEPTA Releases Plan To The Public For Expansion In Montgomery County KING OF PRUSSIA, P.A., (CBS) — On Monday night, the public had the chance to see SEPTA’s plans to expand in Montgomery County. The meeting was held in King of Prussia where SEPTA plans to expand its Norristown High Speed Line. The rail service would also go to Upper Merion Township. The route would... - KYW News Radio 1060

03-08-2016 Mayor: City airport is drain on budget March 8, 2016 By WENDY STIVER [email protected] LOCK HAVEN — Delta Airport Consultants Inc. may be the city’s next consulting firm for airport projects. more »» - Lock Haven Express

03-08-2016 CENTER TOWNSHIP: Funding allotted for road repairs GRACETON — Center Township has been awarded more than $143,000 of grant funds from a local agency to help improve several township-owned roads in the upcoming construction season. The township supervisors reported Monday the Indiana County Conservation District

approved their applications for aid to help fix Smith Road, Fabin... - Indiana Gazette

03-08-2016 Oberlander appointed to savings task force HARRISBURG In looking for cost-savings and efficiencies in state government, state Representative Donna Oberlander (R-63) has been appointed to the House Majority Policy Committee's PennSAVE task force and is asking residents of the 63rd District for ways in which the Commonwealth can save... - Clarion News

03-08-2016 Officer crashes avoiding deer Ralpho policeman in fair condition; chief laments rural ‘job hazard’. RALPHO TWP. — A township officer is hospitalized after he ran his SUV off the road and into a utility pole early Monday while trying to avoid a deer, police... - Bloomsburg Press Enterprise

03-08-2016 State bridge replacement project moving forward Cumberland County is expected to see 10 state-owned bridges replaced by the end of 2017 thanks to a public-private partnership Pennsylvania has undertaken to spend nearly $1 billion replacing state infrastructure. “It’s a replacement of 560 bridges throughout the state of... - Carlisle Sentinel

03-08-2016 CAT to host public outreach sessions in Carlisle Capital Area Transit will host four public outreach sessions in Carlisle this week ahead of its May transit service changes to the Carlisle Circulator and other routes serving the borough. “Service changes CAT’s Planning Department are looking at right now would adjust service where needed based on almost two years of ridership... - Carlisle Sentinel

03-08-2016 New summer destination added to Harrisburg International Airport flights Allegiant Air will begin offering nonstop flights from the Harrisburg International Airport to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for as low as $45 beginning this summer. HIA Executive Director Timothy Edwards announced Tuesday that summer seasonal routes to Myrtle Beach will operate twice weekly beginning May 19.... - Harrisburg Patriot-News

03-08-2016 Activist investors aim to shake up United Airlines Two hedge funds with a combined 7.1 percent stake in United Airlines want to shake up the airline's board of directors, adding six of their own candidates, including former Continental Airlines CEO Gordon M. Bethune. Boston-based Altimeter Capital Management L.P. and PAR Capital Management... - Philadelphia Inquirer

03-08-2016 Walking gets deadlier, even as roads get safer for people in cars Safer cars and safer roads have resulted in an overall decline in driver and passenger fatalities in recent years, but pedestrians are as vulnerable as ever and the number killed by vehicles continues to increase, according to a new study. The Governors Highway Safety Association estimates that the number of... - State College Centre Daily Times

03-08-2016 House Appropriations 3/8/16, 11:30 a.m., 140 Main Capitol By Nina Lehr, Pennsylvania Legislative Services The committee held a budget hearing with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Office of the State Fire Commissioner.

03-07-2016 Acosta: PennDOT to phase out vehicle registration stickers next year (Press Release)

03-07-2016 Governor Wolf Signs Executive Order to Raise Minimum Wage, Calls on... (Press Release)

03-07-2016 Businesses Applaud Gov. Wolf's New Minimum Wage Executive Order and Call for... (Press Release)

03-07-2016 Rep. David Parker - Weekly Roundup for March 4, 2016 (Press Release)

03-07-2016 How SEPTA deals with disruptive passengers He's become the scourge of the Media/Elwyn Line quiet car. At 8:30 a.m., among those seeking silence on their way to work, the tall, gray-haired man is loud and insulting, other riders say. He's vocal when something annoys him, and cruel to conductors. "He's just mean and nasty, and he looks for obvious targets," said Megan... - Philadelphia Inquirer

03-07-2016 With a new CEO, Phila. airport resets priorities A fifth new runway on the Delaware River, once seen as the linchpin in a long-range expansion plan at Philadelphia International Airport, is on hold for now because of changing flying trends, said the airport's new CEO, Rochelle "Chellie" Cameron. Rochelle “Chellie” Cameron became CEO of Philadelphia International... - Philadelphia Inquirer

03-07-2016 Prevent more Flight MH370s The ongoing mystery of the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 that disappeared nearly two years ago with 239 passengers and crew members has not produced the rapid implementation of remedial technology that many aviation experts predicted at the time. Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared March 8, 2014, while on a routine... - Scranton Times

03-07-2016 With grant, Wiley’s Road Bridge could become path for walkers, bikers Ontelaunee Township, Pa. Berks County officials are hoping Wiley's Road Bridge can get new life as a crossing for bicycles and pedestrians. The county is trying to get $1 million in grant money to fund a repair of the closed metal-truss bridge, which crosses the Maiden Creek in Ontelaunee... - Reading Eagle

03-07-2016 Roadblocks remain for autonomous cars By Stephanie Roman PublicSource Ninety percent of car crashes are preventable. As it stands, about 30,000 people die in car crashes every year in the United States, said Mark Kopko of PennDOT. “If you could reduce that by 90 percent, that’s huge.” Autonomous cars have the capacity to do that.... - Beaver County Times

03-07-2016 Require ignition interlock after 1st DUI Lives could be saved if Pa. DUI first offenders were required to use interlocks for six months. In Pennsylvania, a third offense for shoplifting can result in a felony prison sentence, while a third DUI conviction is just a misdemeanor, noted Missy Sweitzer, shaking her head in disbelief.... - York Daily

03-07-2016 Expect massive loads on Golden Strip for Hummel Station construction project Heavy-haul trucks will begin delivering massive pieces of equipment to the Hummel Station construction site in Shamokin Dam as early as mid-April, according to a site manager. Three turbine generators, 13-feet by 38-feet and weighing 790,000 pounds, and 36 heat-recovery steam-generating modules, 90 feet long and weighing... - Sunbury Daily Item

03-07-2016 Driver improvment course offered for seniors Seniors for Safe Driving will offer a driver improvement course for people 55 and older. The course will be offered in two locations on two different dates in Lawrence County. One is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 20 at the Recreation Center at Firest Presbyterian Church in New Castle, and the other is noon to 4... - New Castle News

03-07-2016 Trucking company out to revolutionize road care J&J Truck Bodies & Trailers, a manufacturer of dump bodies, trailers, oil and gas equipment and custom transportation solutions, announced the completion of a new patent pending truck body meant to revolutionize the way state and municipal government agencies clear snow and ice from... - Johnstown Tribune-Democrat

03-07-2016 PennDOT distributes payments for municipal road maintenance The state Department of Transportation distributed nearly $445 in liquid fuels payments March 1 to help municipalities maintain roads and bridges. It is a $64 million, or 16 percent, increase over the $381 million distributed in 2015. Before Act 89 was enacted in 2013, municipalities... - Pottsville Republican and Evening Herald

03-07-2016 Switch to license plate readers raises concerns for police departments Local police chiefs expressed concern about the cost to purchase license plate reader technology and the elimination of the vehicle registration stickers by the state Department of Transportation. The elimination of the registration stickers by 2017 is part of Act 89, the... - Pottsville Republican and Evening Herald

03-07-2016 N.J. Transit and Unions to Continue Negotiations as Strike Looms New Jersey Transit and its rail workers’ unions will continue negotiations on Monday in Newark, as both sides try to reach an agreement over wages and benefits before a threatened strike on March 13. The discussions will come after eight hours of talks in Washington on... - New York Times

03-07-2016 New Jersey Transit, Rail Workers Union Trying To Avoid Strike PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — New Jersey Transit and its rail workers unions will pick up negotiations Monday in an effort to prevent the agency’s first strike since 1983. If there’s no deal this week, a work stoppage on the rails could begin as early as March 13, impacting about 160,000 NJT... - KYW News Radio 1060

03-07-2016 New electronic logging rules are set to go into effect for drivers this month In mid-December the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration finally released its ruling on electronic logging. The regulation is set to go into effect in mid-March. The federal government has long been involved in the regulating and monitoring of professional truck and bus drivers. The paper log book system... - Lehighton Times News

03-07-2016 Hazleton mayor will not change car policy Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat has no plans for changing a years-old practice that allows certain city employees to take city-owned vehicles home when the workday ends. His reasoning is based partly on practicality and precedent. “It’s been in place prior to my time in office,” Cusat said... - Hazleton Standard-Speaker

03-07-2016 Memphis company buys Blair airport provider MARTINSBURG - The airline providing passenger flights at the Altoona-Blair County Airport has a new owner. - Altoona Mirror

03-07-2016 10 bridges in York County to be replaced in 2016 Ten bridges in York County will be replaced later this year as part of a statewide public-private partnership aimed at saving the state money while addressing the aging and decaying bridge

infrastructure. An additional five bridges will be replaced in 2017 under the Rapid Bridge... - York Dispatch

03-07-2016 Roundabouts: A traffic tool to address safety Roundabouts are a point of contention between residents and municipal officials; they’re polarizing, but are they the future? In Carlisle and Mount Holly Springs, roundabouts are involved in major redevelopment plans that have elected officials optimistic for future... - Carlisle Sentinel

03-07-2016 Senate Appropriations 3/7/16, 3:00 p.m., Hearing Room 1, North Office Building By Trevor J. Monk, Pennsylvania Legislative Services The committee held a budget hearing with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA).

03-06-2016 Vapor trail: The FAA wisely bans e-cigarettes on airlines Three decades after banning tobacco cigarettes from airliners, the Federal Aviation Administration is forbidding use of the electronic variety. This welcome change will not only protect the health of “vaping” passengers and reduce the annoyance of fellow travelers over aerosol fumes,... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

03-06-2016 The car century was a mistake Consider this: All cities were car-free little more than a century ago. And not all cities responded to the advent of automobiles with the same enthusiasm as the cities of the United States. In fact, some cities never did adopt the car. Venice was unwilling to destroy itself in order to build streets wide... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

03-06-2016 Are Americans leaving cars behind? America’s love affair with driving seems to be cooling off, while our obsession with urban living is heating up. The percentage of Americans holding driver’s licenses has fallen sharply over the past several decades, especially among the young. In 1983, more than 91 percent of 20-to-24- year-olds held a license. By 2014, that... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

03-06-2016 Letters to the Editor 3/6/2016 Editor: Drug overdose deaths are claiming the lives of more Pennsylvanians today than even motor vehicle accidents. In 2014, 2,500 individuals — seven people a day — succumbed to overdoses from prescription opioids and heroin in the commonwealth, a staggering 20 percent increase over the previous year. Sadly, we expect... - Scranton Times

03-06-2016 Mountain bikers create trails in Bradys Run Park One group of mountain bike riders have worked on trails in Bradys Run Park, clearing away areas and adding paths. - Beaver County Times

03-06-2016 City of Erie announces street closings for next week Several Erie streets will be closed for parts of next week, city officials said. West Seventh Street will be closed between Peach and Sassafras streets Monday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for construction work, the city of Erie Engineering Department said. In addition, the intersection at West 22nd and Myrtle streets as well as... - Erie Times-News

03-06-2016 Gas prices expected to keep rising The national average price of gas has climbed by six cents per gallon since last week and, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic, it is likely to continue to rise as the spring refinery maintenance season ramps up. Jana L. Tidwell, , manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA... - Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

03-06-2016 Roundabouts: Plans push forward in Carlisle, Mount Holly Springs

A proposed roundabout for Mount Holly Springs, located at the intersection of North Baltimore Street and Mill Street. The average construction cost of a single roundabout is estimated at about $250,000, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal... - Carlisle Sentinel

03-06-2016 Bypassing the gasoline pump requires consistency | Editorial While there is reason to applaud for a natural gas vehicle fueling center that just opened conveniently at a South Jersey Wawa, it's also a reminder of our sadly scattered national and state energy policy. In comparison with refined petroleum — gasoline and diesel —... - Trenton Times

03-04-2016 Rep. Brett Miller - Weekly Roundup for March 4, 2016 (Press Release)

03-04-2016 PPG announces executive appointment (Press Release)

03-04-2016 DLI: PA Unemployment Rate Declines to 4.6% in January (Press Release)

03-04-2016 World Trade Center's $3.9 billion transit hub revealed NEW YORK — New Yorkers and tourists got their first look inside a $3.9 billion transportation hub at the World Trade Center site on Thursday as officials opened one entrance to the cathedral-like pavilion... - AP

03-04-2016 SEPTA battles Bucks borough over Levittown upgrade SEPTA wants a federal judge to issue a restraining order against a lower Bucks County municipality that the transit agency contends has imposed "exorbitant" fees and "excessive" regulations that are delaying a $36 million upgrade of its Levittown station. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the transit agency asked the court to bar the... - Philadelphia Inquirer

03-04-2016 NJ Transit paints dire picture of rail strike possibilities SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey transportation officials painted a dire picture Thursday of what would happen if rail workers go on strike next weekend, predicting alternate forms of transportation would be able to accommodate fewer than four in 10 commuters who travel into New York each... - AP

03-04-2016 Letter: Another option for rail line to King of Prussia ISSUE | SEPTA REGIONAL RAIL Another option to link city and King of Prussia SEPTA wants to extend regional rail service to King of Prussia with an elevated, four-to-five-mile spur running mainly along the Pennsylvania Turnpike ("SEPTA reveals K of P rail plan," Saturday). But there is another... - Philadelphia Inquirer

03-04-2016 Northampton County Council approves bridge repair program EASTON — Northampton County Council on Thursday night backed a new bridge repair program that will temporarily give away 33 bridges so they can undergo construction. By a unanimous vote, council transferred ownership of the bridges to the county's General Purpose Authority so they would be eligible for a... - Allentown Morning Call

03-04-2016 Scranton streets to get smoother, brighter Scranton streets will be getting smoother and more brightly lit. Scranton City Council on Thursday unanimously introduced unrelated resolutions from Mayor Bill Courtright’s administration for road paving and street light improvement projects. Regarding street lighting, council voted 5-0, with council President Joe... - Scranton Times

03-04-2016 Five dead in Route 222 crash identified as workers from nearby packing plant Tom Gougoustamos, owner of the Home Town Diner on Route 222 near the Route 100 merge at Breinigsville, said he's going to take a new route to and from his children's school. That's because five workers from a nearby packing plant were killed Wednesday afternoon in a fiery crash on Route 222, about halfway between... - Reading Eagle

03-04-2016 Township considers PennEast pipeline's affect on roads If it happens, construction of a proposed PennEast natural gas pipeline is sure to affect many Lehigh Valley communities. For more than a year, meetings, rallies and public forums about the proposed 118-mile pipeline have focused on environmental concerns and... - Easton Express-Times

03-04-2016 Deadly Rt. 222 crossover crash 1st of its kind, state says More than 30,000 vehicles per day travel the stretch of Route 222 near its merge with Route 100 in Upper Macungie Township. It's been open to traffic since 2005. And up until Wednesday afternoon, there's never been a crossover crash on that particular stretch, according to the Pennsylvania Department of... - Easton Express-Times

03-04-2016 Question of hit-and-run drivers Two weeks ago while parked at the Monaca (Center Township) Walmart, someone decided to crash into the front passenger side of my family's parked Honda Civic and just drive away like nothing happened. Although it was reported to the service desk personnel, security at Walmart and Center police, all... - Beaver County Times

03-04-2016 14 Beaver County bridges to be replaced by end of next year Fourteen bridges in Beaver County are scheduled to be replaced by private contractors by the end of 2017, and half of those are expected to be complete by the end of this year. The projects are a part of PennDOT’s Rapid Bridge Replacement Project, an $899 million program that will see more than 500 bridges across... - Beaver County Times

03-04-2016 Tanker carrying frack water crashes in Amwell Nine hours after a tanker truck hauling flowback liquid from a gas well site crashed Wednesday in North Bethlehem Township, state police, firefighters from Lone Pine and Amwell Township and the Washington County Hazardous Materials Team were called to a second crash involving the same... - Washington Observer-Reporter

03-04-2016 Section of rail trail to close for improvements The public will not be able to access the rail trail between the Colonial Courthouse and Grantley Road during the improvements. A section of the York County Heritage Rail Trail in York will be closed this spring through mid-summer for improvements, according to a news... - York Daily

03-04-2016 Two York County bridges to be reconstructed The bridges are on routes 425 and 124, the news release states. Two York County bridges are slated for replacement, and the public can review and comment on the plans this month, according to a news release. The bridges being replaced are the Route 425 bridge over Fishing Creek and... - York Daily

03-04-2016 Lebanon County opts out of regionalized transit system The Lebanon County commissioners on Thursday made official an agreement with Dauphin County to explore opportunities to coordinate mass transit services between the counties, but won't participate in the proposed seven-county plan. The commissioners announced the agreement on Wednesday when the Dauphin... - Lebanon Daily News

03-04-2016 Judge to decide in ‘scary drunk’ case WEST CHESTER >> A Common Pleas judge today will be asked to decide between sending a

drunk driver and repeat felon to state prison for an alcohol-related crash, or to transfer his case to a court program where he will be in line for treatment of his chronic alcoholism.... - West Chester Daily Local News

03-04-2016 Threatened With Rail Strike, N.J. Transit Warns of Disruptions SECAUCUS, N.J. — New Jersey Transit warned riders on Thursday that under its contingency plans for a rail strike it would be able to transport fewer than half its regular commuters to New York City. The chairman of the agency’s board, Richard T. Hammer, said that... - New York Times

03-04-2016 VW Scandal Clouds Prospects for Other Diesel Makers at Geneva Motor Show GENEVA — Thanks a lot, Volkswagen. That is the sarcastic undercurrent at the annual motor show here, as executives survey the damage that Volkswagen’s diesel cheating scandal has inflicted on the industry — particularly on its plans to keep pace with stricter emissions regulations.... - New York Times

03-04-2016 Harsher penalties for illegal drinking move forward in Maryland Maryland’s House Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved a bill to require more convicted drunk drivers to use ignition locks — legislation the panel has blocked in the past but which has received new attention since the drunk-driving death of a police officer in December.... - Washington Post

03-04-2016 New bullet train plan delays opening of the first leg by three years California will need to double down on support of the bullet train by digging deeper into the state's wallet and accepting a three-year delay in completing the project's initial leg, a new business plan for the 220-mph system shows. Rail planners have turned their construction plans upside down, attempting... - Los Angeles Times

03-04-2016 Fitting seniors comfortably and safely in their cars St. Mary Medical Center's Regional Trauma Center, the American Society of Aging and AAA have partnered in an effort to help keep many drivers over the age of 70 on the road. On Thursday, a pilot of the CarFit program was held at the Upper Makefield Fire Co. in Washington Crossing as a training session for technicians and... - Levittown Bucks County Courier Times

03-04-2016 SEPTA files federal injunction against Tullytown Disagreements between SEPTA and Tullytown officials over the design and oversight of Levittown Station's $21 million renovation have entered the courtroom. The transit authority filed for an injunction Wednesday against the borough in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, saying the borough's permit... - Levittown Bucks County Courier Times

03-04-2016 Lehigh Valley International Airport police have a new contract Police who patrol Lehigh Valley International Airport have a new four-year deal that will give them annual increases of 3.5 percent, while forcing them to help pay for their health care costs for the first time. The deal was unanimously approved by the Lehigh-Northampton Airport... - Allentown Morning Call

03-04-2016 U.S. investigates 420,000 Ford F-150s for brake failure DETROIT — The U.S. government is investigating complaints that the brakes can fail on Ford's F-150 pickup truck, one of the most popular vehicles in the nation. Ford's F-Series pickup is the

top-selling vehicle in the U.S., and the F-150 accounts for two-thirds of those sales.... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review