Summer - Fall 2010

Millard Commends Federal Decision to

Dear Neighbor, Deny I-80 Tolling
Good news was delivered to Columbia County and communities all across
As the end of the 2009-10 legislative ses-
Pennsylvania’s Interstate 80 corridor when the Federal Highway Administration
sion approaches, there are many challenges still
(FHWA) denied an application by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
facing our Commonwealth. I want to take
(PTC) to toll the highway.
this opportunity to update you on the status
This message illustrates that government officials do listen to the people and
of the important issues state government is
can make the right decision. It would have been inherently unfair to allow the
striving to manage.
tolling and further damage our struggling economy. By denying this application,
The economy and jobs are certainly the
the FHWA has told the Turnpike Commission that it cannot impose tolls on an
biggest concerns, as we continue to recuper-
area of the state that will not directly benefit from them. Essentially, PennDOT
ate from the worldwide economic downturn.
and the Turnpike Commission cannot rely on poor public policy to continue
As the economy faltered so did state revenue
sending money to failing mass transit systems and congested highway systems
collections, leading to 25 consecutive months
our residents will never use.
of revenue collections failing to meet projec-
The Federal Highway Administration considered the application to toll I-80
tions. Finally in June, the streak was broken
as part of the Interstate System Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot Program.
and the state actually brought in more revenue
This was the second time the PTC submitted its full application. In late 2007, the
than anticipated – mostly due to a successful
FHWA returned the proposal seeking additional information, and in September
tax amnesty program and licenses for table
2008, the application was denied by the Bush administration.
games. This is very important because our
Whether the denial was based on a questionable market valuation, the in-
state budget is based on this revenue forecast-
creasingly suspect Turnpike Commission or a failure to appropriately address
ing. I am hopeful collections will continue to
the strict criteria of the pilot program, the agency evidently understood that
exceed projections because this will help the
there were more reasons to deny the tolling than to approve it. I am pleased the
state avoid future budget cuts.
FHWA has not succumbed to the pressures of politics inside the Washington,
Speaking of the budget, the state finally
D.C., Beltway and have really listened to those who will be most affected by
passed a budget on time for the first time dur-
this decision.
ing the eight-year Rendell administration. I
The governor has convened a special session of the Legislature to develop
voted against the spending plan, and you can
other alternatives for transportation funding needs, but we can be confident that
read more about my reasons for this in this
his plan to toll I-80 has reached a dead end.
newsletter’s budget article.
Finally, I want to remind you that my office
is here to assist you with any of your state-
related needs. If you would like information Sign Up Now to Receive
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I have been investigating alternative ways to communicate with you
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that are informative, environmentally friendly and cost effective.
(Detailed contact information is available
Although constituents tell me they are worthwhile, newsletters can
on the back of this newsletter.) You can also
be costly to mail. Using improved technology, electronic communica-
find valuable information on my website,
tion is an effective tool to keep you informed. Via e-mail and the web,
RepMillard.com, and on my Facebook page,
I am able to communicate with you at a greatly reduced cost.
Facebook.com/RepMillard
Facebook.com/RepMillard.
To accomplish this goal, I am offering you the option of receiving
Best wishes for the rest of your summer!
all future newsletters from my office in an online format. If you’d like
to make the switch, please take a moment and log onto my website at
Respectfully,
RepMillard.com and click on the “e-newsletter” icon. A simple form
will be there for you to complete.
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David R. Millard
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State Representative
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109th Legislative District
 Constituent
Survey Tell Me What You Think
In order for me to provide the best representation in Harrisburg for our district, I want to know what your opinions
are on the issues. Could you please take a minute and complete this brief survey so I can learn your opinion on legislation
before the House of Representatives. I look forward to reading your responses. Fill out the questions here, or save time and
a stamp by filling it out online at RepMillard.com.

1) Do you support or oppose the governor’s proposal to increase the state’s gasoline tax?

Support Oppose

2) Do you support or oppose merging PennDOT with the Turnpike Commission

to save on administrative costs and reduce government overhead?

Support Oppose

3) Do you support or oppose the privatization of Pennsylvania’s state-owned

liquor stores?

Support Oppose

4) Do you support or oppose all new home construction being required to include a
fire-suppression sprinkler system?

Support Oppose

5) Do you support charging an extraction tax on natural gas if the money raised is sent
to Pennsylvania’s General Fund to replace $5 billion in lost revenue? Or if the money
raised is used to ensure industry regulation and enforcement by DEP and the
conservation districts?

General Fund

Enforcement/Regulation

Don’t support tax

6) Do you use any of the following social networks on at least a weekly basis?

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Additional Comments: _________________________________________________________________________

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Thanks so much for your replies! If you’re mailing your answers in, please send them to my Bloomsburg office: 605
West Main St., Bloomsburg PA, 17815. Remember, you can answer online at RepMillard.com.
 A Look at the Pennsylvania State Budget
As you may have seen in news reports, Pennsylvania has a state budget for Senior Expo a
the 2010-11 fiscal year. The appropriations bill was passed in the House and the Great Success
Senate by the constitutionally mandated deadline of June 30; however, Gov. Ed
Rendell signed it about a week later.
Seniors from all over Co-
Though I’m pleased that Pennsylvanians didn’t have to endure a saga like
the 101-day late state budget in 2009, the final plan failed to earn my support lumbia County recently en-
for several reasons: joyed a great morning at our
- This budget relies on more than $2.7 billion in stimulus funding from annual Senior Expo at the
the federal government. At the time of the budget passage, the numbers only
Espy Fire Hall. More than
worked if Pennsylvania received $850 million that had not yet been authorized
by Congress. In recent weeks, Congress passed a bill that will bring at least 400 seniors visited the doz-
some of those funds to the Commonwealth, but the total will be at least $200 ens of vendors that we had
million short of what had been expected. In other words, it was balanced on on hand to learn important
the premise of money that we do not have. information on state and
- The budget does not meet necessary fiscal obligations to fund state pen-
sions (see more on this issue in the pension article in this newsletter), thereby community resources that are
potentially setting up more future problems. available to them.
- The “balanced” budget is predicated on financial commitments from an
as-of-yet not instituted tax on natural gas income from the Marcellus Shale.
Basing financial practices on income that does not yet exist is simply not sound
planning.

House Approves Public Pension Reforms

The House recently approved a public pension reform bill that would fulfill
the state’s obligations to current workers and retirees while taking steps to reduce
the long-term burden on Pennsylvania taxpayers.
The legislation aims to smooth out what has become a potentially crippling
crisis resulting from Act 9, a 2001 law that increased pensions for state workers
and school employees but left taxpayers on the hook for a bill that would come
due in 2012.
The reforms are aimed at two pension systems: the Public School Employ-
ees’ Retirement System (PSERS) and the State Employees’ Retirement System
(SERS). These pension systems are funded primarily through three sources:
employee contributions, employer contributions and investment returns. The
state makes the employer contribution for the state workers’ pension system. The
state and local school districts make the employer contribution for the public
school teachers’ pension system.
Due to a combination of investment downturns and the global economic
crisis, as well as increasing benefits and a cost-of-living adjustment for retired
employees, the state and local school districts are facing a sharp increase in
employer contributions to the pension funds in the next few years.
The changes included in House Bill 2497, the bill that recently passed in
the House by a vote of 192-6, would “smooth out” those increases (similar to a
home re-financing) while also implementing pension benefit reforms, resulting
in short-term relief and long-term cost reductions for taxpayers.
House Bill 2497 would not reduce pension benefits for these current em-
ployees and retirees in the two systems. In actuality, the U.S. Constitution and
the Pennsylvania Constitution prohibit making changes to pensions for existing
workers and retirees due to contractual law.
Furthermore, the House bill also would implement pension reforms for
future state workers and teachers. These reforms include increasing the amount
of time a teacher or worker must be employed before they are entitled to certain
pension benefits. It also increases the amount of time they must serve before
they can retire.
Together, these reforms stand to benefit taxpayers and protect current pen-
sion plan participants.
If something is not done to address this looming crisis, Pennsylvania families
could be facing a massive tax increase. While House Bill 2479 will not solve all
of the problems facing our state pension systems, I support it because I believe
it is an important first step toward keeping the systems healthy without placing
a greater burden on Pennsylvania taxpayers.
The bill is currently in the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.

Get the latest news on my Web site: RepMillard.com

 New Website Offers Help for
Consumers Selecting Electric Provider
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is now offering consumers who are shopping for a
competitive electric generation supplier a one-stop shop website for residential, commercial and industrial cus-
tomers.
The website includes information about electric shopping, what it is, how to shop and which suppliers are available,
as well as the PUC’s list of competing suppliers and the Office of Consumer Advocate’s Shopping Guide pricing infor-
mation. A ZIP code search feature is also available so consumers can see all suppliers and offers serving a given area.
For a link to the website and further information about electric rate information, visit RepMillard.com.

On the Air with Rep. Millard

Tune into WHLM (930 AM) on the last Thursday morning of each month to hear Rep. David
Millard’s legislative update program. He’s typically on the air starting at 8:15 a.m.*

*Subject to last-minute programming changes

Our staff is here

to serve you.
(front row from
left) Bloomsburg
office: Lisa
Wagner and Sandy
Robbins; Berwick
office: Trudy Stout
and Chris Yacina.
With Rep. Millard
in the back row
is Denise Murray,
Capitol office.

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