PRSRT STD

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HARRISBURG, PA
PERMIT NO. 529

Fall 2009

Congress Urged to Recognize Honor and 2009-10

Remember Flag as National Symbol of Service and State Budget Wrap Up
Sacrifice of Our Fallen Soldiers
While most Pennsylvanians
This spring I authored a House resolution urging Congress to adopt legisla-
were relieved when Gov. Ed
tion that would officially recognize the “Honor and Remember” flag as the na-
Rendell ended a more than 100-
tional symbol of the brave men and women in the United States Armed Forces
day-long stalemate by signing a
who gave their lives in the line of duty.
state budget into law, I voted no
This flag is a simple, yet powerful, symbol of the great sacrifice so many men
due to the tax hikes and exces-
and women have made in our nation’s wars. For the families of these soldiers,
sive spending in the final budget
the adoption of legislation recognizing the flag is an important step in their heal-
ing process and a way for them to forever show their pride for a loved one no agreement.
longer with them.
There have been an estimated 1.6 million fallen servicepersons throughout Tax Hikes
this nation’s history. Among them is Private First Class Aaron Genevie, formerly The budget includes a 25-cent-
of Chambersburg, whom I posthumously honored on the state House floor with per-pack increase in the state tax
a condolence resolution. on cigarettes and creates a new
On April 10, his mother, Patricia Genevie, became the first Central Pennsyl- tax on “little cigars” at $1.60 per
vania person to receive an Honor and Remember flag on behalf of the supreme pack. The state spending plan
sacrifice of her son while serving in Iraq. Aaron was tragically killed on April also calls for a $374 million tax
16, 2007, when his humvee hit an improvised explosive device while serving on Pennsylvania employers at a
in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was awarded both the Purple time when the Commonwealth’s
Heart and the Bronze Star for his service. workers and job creators are
The idea for the flag came from a father who lost his son in the Iraq War. reeling from the international
The flag’s design holds great significance: economic recession.
• The red field represents the brave men and women who sacrificed their In addition, the budget includes
lives for freedom. a tax on Medicaid Managed Care
• The blue star is a symbol of active service in military conflict. Organizations (MCOs).
• The white border recognizes the purity of sacrifice. The good news is that while
• The gold star signifies the ul- the state spending plan includes
timate sacrifice of a warrior in active the targeted tax increases above,
service who is not returning home and House Republicans were able to
reflects the value of the life given. block several new or increased
• The folded flag highlights this taxes proposed by Rendell. At
nation’s final tribute to a fallen servi- various points during the bud-
ceperson and a family’s sacrifice. get process, the governor called
• The red flame symbolizes the for both a Personal Income Tax
eternal spirit of the departed. (PIT) increase and an expansion
House Resolution 275, which urg- of the state Sales and Use Tax
es Congress to officially recognize (SUT). We were able to block
The state House unanimously voted in favor of legislation both of these broad-based tax
authored by Rep. Rob Kauffman urging Congress to of-
the Honor and Remember flag as a
ficially recognize the “Honor and Remember” flag as the national symbol of our country’s fallen increases.
national symbol of the brave men and women in the United soldiers, was unanimously passed by
States Armed Forces who have given their lives in the line the House of Representatives. continued on page 2
of duty.
 State Budget Wrap Up continued from page 1
In addition, the governor pro-
posed a severance tax on natu-
ral gas harvested in Pennsylva-
nia. This would have stunted the
growth of Pennsylvania’s emerging
Marcellus Shale natural gas indus-
try, resulting in fewer good-paying
jobs for Pennsylvania workers.
We were also successful in avert-
ing this job-killing tax proposal.
Draining the Reserve Accounts
Budget negotiators balanced
the state spending plan, in part, by
draining several reserve accounts.
The Commonwealth had built up a
$755 million Rainy Day Fund that
is intended to help the state pay
for unanticipated expenses. That
fund will be completely depleted
during the current budget year.
The budget also calls for de-
pleting the $708 million Health
Care Provider Retention Account
and taking $100 million from the
MCare Fund. Both of these funds
are used to help cover the cost of
medical malpractice for the health
care industry.
Furthermore, $150 million
would be taken from the Tobacco
Settlement fund, which receives
money from a federal lawsuit and
allocates those funds for tobacco
prevention and statewide health
care programs.
By draining the state’s reserve
accounts, nothing will be available
next year. This could be devastat-
ing in the event the economy does
not turn around. Given the fact that
state revenues are already $140
million short for the year, this is a
serious concern.
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Now Accepting Applications
The Pennsylvania’s Low-In-
come Home Energy Assistance
Program (LIHEAP) is now accept-
ing applications for cash grants.
Crisis grants will be available on
Jan. 4, 2010.
LIHEAP helps low-income peo-
ple pay their heating bills through
home energy assistance grants
and crisis grants. Cash grants are
awarded based on household in-
come, family size, type of heating
fuel and region. Crisis grants are
provided in the event of a heating
Federal Bailout Dollars
After being sworn into office,
President Barack Obama and the
Democrat-controlled Congress in
Washington, D.C., acted swiftly to
approve several bailout measures.
One of those was the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA), which, among other things,
provided federal dollars to subsidize
state budgets.
The Pennsylvania state budget
includes more than $2.6 billion in
federal bailout money. Added to the
nearly $25.2 billion in state dollars
in the final budget, this means the
2009-10 Education Funding for 89th Legislative District
*Special education funding will remain the same as last year. Federal funding will provide
additional money; however, this funding is only available for three years.
School District Basic Education
Funding
Shippensburg $8.84 million
Chambersburg Area $19.46 million
Fannett-Metal $2.21 million
Greencastle-Antrim $5.7 million
Tuscarora $8.12 million
Waynesboro Area $12.9 million
emergency, including broken heating
equipment or leaking lines that must
be fixed or replaced, lack of fuel, ter-
mination of utility service or danger of
being without fuel or of having utility
service terminated. In most coun-
ties, assistance with home heating
crisis situations is available 24 hours
a day.
Applications are available by
contacting local county assistance
offices in Cumberland County at 1-
800-269-0173 and Franklin County
at (717) 262-6579. Applications are
Commonwealth will spend approxi-
mately $27.8 billion in the current
spending plan.
Due, in part, to the extensive
use of federal dollars for education,
school districts in the 89th Legisla-
tive District received large increases
in funding within the state budget. Al-
though I am an advocate for educa-
tion, this level of spending cannot be
maintained once the federal money
runs out in a couple of years, which
means taxpayers will have to make
up the difference. This, in my opin-
ion, is not an ideal situation.
Basic Education Federal Stimulus
Percentage Increase Funding
8.44% $1 million
4.58% $2.74 million
2% $346,873
4.80% $650,640
5.50% $724,218
4.49% $985,912
also available from local utility
companies and community ser-
vice agencies, such as Area Agen-
cies on Aging or community action
agencies. LIHEAP cash grant ap-
plications are available online at
compass.state.pa.us.
Income eligibility for cash grants
begins at $33,075 for a family of four.
For complete eligibility require-
ments and additional information
on LIHEAP, visit my Web site at
RepKauffman.com and click on
“LIHEAP Information.”
www.RepKa

House Republican Plan
House Republicans presented
several spending plans through the
budget process, including the most
comprehensive plan created with the
input of several key House Demo-
crats (House Bill 1943). Only par-
tial withdrawls from the reserve ac-
counts and none of these new and
increased taxes would have been
necessary under the House Repub-
lican budget proposal, which was
never brought before the General
Assembly for consideration by the
Democrat-controlled House.
Local Students Participate in
Guest Page Program
Rep. Rob Kauffman posed for a picture
with Matthew Brockman, a senior at
Shalom Christian Academy, on June 23.
auffman.com
2010-11 Budget Process
We will be working on the
2010-11 budget in less than three
months, and we must follow our
constitutional obligation to get a
state budget passed on time.
There are several legislative
proposals currently being circu-
lated that might help expedite
the process and put measures in
place to hold the General Assem-
bly more accountable. Those ini-
tiatives should be coming before
the House and Senate in the next
few months.
Brendan Bittle and Brenton Miller, pictured with Rep.
Rob Kauffman, participated as guest pages on June 16.
Hunters Encouraged
to ‘Share the Harvest’
With hunting season in full
swing, I am asking successful
hunters to consider sharing a
portion of their catch with those
in need.
Every year, Pennsylvania
deer hunters donate tens of
thousands of pounds of veni-
son, or deer meat, to local
food banks and soup kitchens
through the Hunters Sharing
the Harvest (HSH) program.
Established in 1991, HSH is
sponsored by Pennsylvanians
for the Responsible Use of Ani-
mals and operates with the co-
operation of the Pennsylvania
Game Commission and state
Department of Agriculture,
along with several state sports-
men’s organizations.
The HSH program calls upon
hunters to donate anything
from a few pounds of venison
to a whole deer to help needy
Pennsylvanians.
On average, the meat from
one deer can provide 200 meals
for hungry Pennsylvanians.
Venison is a good source of
protein, low in fat and eagerly
sought after by food banks for
its nutritional value.
With more than 1 million deer
currently living in Pennsylvania,
it comes as no surprise that
hunters have managed to do-
nate more than 80,000 pounds
of venison a year to needy in-
dividuals and families through
food banks and soup kitchens.
One of the group’s largest
costs is the result of processor
reimbursements, which is why
HSH continually accepts mon-
etary contributions year-round
for its services. Hunters do-
nating their harvest voluntarily
pay a $15 tax-deductable fee
toward each processed deer.
The remainder of the process-
ing fee is covered through HSH
sponsors and generous dona-
tions of individuals across the
state.
Anyone interested in con-
tributing venison to the HSH
program should call 1-866-474-
2141. Information can also be
found by visiting my Web site at
RepKauffman.com and click-
ing on “Sharing the Harvest.”
 Take Precautions to Prepare Yourself for H1N1
There has been
a lot of information
about the H1N1
virus in the news
lately. The most
important piece of
information to discern from the wealth
of statistics, precautions and myths
about H1N1 is that it appears to be
no more dangerous that the seasonal
strain of influenza each year.
H1N1 causes symptoms similar to
seasonal flu and can include a fever
over 100 degrees, cough, sore throat,
runny or stuffy nose, body aches,
headache, chills and fatigue. In some
cases, individuals with the virus may
experience vomiting and diarrhea.
People infected with H1N1 are
contagious one day before getting
sick and up to seven days after that.
This time period can be even longer
in children and people with weakened
immune systems.
The Pennsylvania Department
of Health cautions anyone with the
above symptoms to stay at home (ex-
cept to get medical care) until at least
24 hours after the fever ends natu-
rally (without the use of fever-reduc-
ing medication). The department also
advises individuals who believe they
have H1N1 not to go to school or work
because doing so could spread the vi-
rus to those who are otherwise well.
In addition to practicing good hy-
giene – washing your hands frequently
and coughing into a tissue or into the
crook of your arm – there are some
precautions you can take, including
finding out if H1N1 vaccinations will
be distributed in your area.
The Advisory Committee on Immu-
nization Practices (ACIP) has identi-
fied five targeted groups that should
receive the H1N1 vaccine:
• Pregnant women.
• Persons 6 months to 24 years
of age.
• Health care providers and EMS
personnel.
• Individuals caring for infants
under 6 months of age.
• Individuals under age 65 with
underlying medical conditions.
These groups have been targeted
for various reasons, including con-
trolling spread and decreasing hos-
pitalizations and complications from
H1N1.
The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention calls for children un-
der 10 to receive two doses of the vac-
cine administered 28 days apart OR a
minimum of 21 days apart. Individu-
als over the age of 10 will receive one
dose of the vaccine. The vaccine is
an intra-nasal vaccine that is a spray.
Parents are asked to check with their
providers and/or schools, who will be
responsible for administering the vac-
cines.
It is important to note that this vac-
cine DOES NOT replace the seasonal
influenza vaccine. If you received a flu
vaccine last year or you fall into an at-
risk category, you should obtain one
this year as well.
For more information on where to
get vaccines, call 1-877-PA HEALTH
or visit my Web site at RepKauffman.
RepKauffman.
com and click on the “Flu Season:
Stay Informed” link.

Around the
89th District

Rep. Kauffman at the Cumberland Valley Ama-
teur Radio Club’s Field Day in July.
Rep. Rob Kauffman presented Hazel McNew of
Chambersburg with a citation in honor of her 98th
birthday on March 16. The citation was presented
to Hazel on the floor of the House of Represen-
tatives during her first visit to the state Capitol.
She has five children, 11 grandchildren, 22 great-
grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Rep. Rob Kauffman was presented with an award
from the Pennsylvania Families for Public Cyber
Schools in recognition of his support and dedica-
tion to public cyber schools. Pictured left to right
are Rebecca Bradmon, Linda Dupes, Kauffman
and Rachel Bradmon.

District Office Services

My district offices are here to help you. Services my staff and I provide include:
Driver’s license and vehicle registration applications and renewals  Assistance with PennDOT paperwork  Copies of birth and death certificates
 PACE and PACENET applications for seniors  Property Tax and Rent Rebate forms and applications  Voter registration forms and absentee ballot
applications  State tax forms  Student aid applications  Free state maps, state park information, and PA Vacation Guides  Copies of legislation 
Tours of the State Capitol  Referrals to agencies to resolve state-related matters

If you need help with any of the above or with any other state-related matter, please do not hesitate to call my offices:
Chambersburg Office
Shippensburg Office Capitol Office
166 South Main Street
9974 Molly Pitcher Highway Room B13 Main Capitol
Chambersburg, PA 17201
Shippensburg, PA 17257 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2089
Phone: (717) 264-3943
Phone: (717) 532-1707 Phone: (717) 705-2004
Fax: (717) 264-2893
Fax: (717) 532-5043 Fax: (717) 783-1341

www.RepKauffman.com