Working for You on the Appropriations Committee
On Monday, Dec. 4, I was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, which is the primary committee of the House tasked with overseeing state government spending, setting state fiscal policies and developing a state budget each fiscal year.
This is a fantastic opportunity and I am looking forward to serving the residents of Carbon County in this role. The Appropriations Committee is one of the busiest and most powerful committees in the House, and I feel grateful to for the chance to serve as a steward of Pennsylvania’s tax dollars.
Forcing Unemployment Compensation System Improvements
As a way to force accountability in the unemployment compensation (UC) system while ensuring that it efficiently serves its customers, legislation passed the House this week to ensure the completion of long-awaited computer system updates and an end to state supplemental funding.
House Bill 1915, which is now with the Senate, would propose a four-year exit strategy to provide the money necessary to complete the computer upgrades and then bring an end to the funding.
In total, the legislation would provide about $115.2 million in additional funding for the Department of Labor and Industry to implement a modern, efficient UC system and transition to a budget that can be covered by federal funding totaling approximately $130 million per year to operate the UC program.
From 2012 to 2016, federal funding has decreased by 24 percent, but initial claims processed by the Pennsylvania UC program actually decreased by 31 percent. With fewer claims to process, fewer employees are needed, especially once an updated computer system is in place.
No Welfare for the Deceased
To help prevent fraudulent use of state benefits, the House recently passed legislation to require more coordination between state agencies.
Currently, state departments share contact information of recipients for state programs and may send letters about other state programs or benefits for which they may be eligible. Unfortunately, that contact information may not be up-to-date and may contain information for people who are deceased.
House Bill 1588 would require the Department of Aging to cross reference its list of beneficiaries with death records maintained by the Department of Health on a monthly basis. This would help enhance the system and increase efficiencies by more promptly removing deceased persons from their database.
The bill now goes to the state Senate for review.
Trees for Troops
Timm Berger, from my office, attended the Trees for Troops 2017 weekend event at Yenser’s Tree Farm on Friday, Dec. 1.
Since 2005, Trees for Troops has provided more than 191,000 Christmas trees to military families and troops in all branches of the military at more than 65 bases in the U.S. and overseas.
In 2016, Trees for Troops delivered 17,141 farm-grown Christmas Trees. Trees were donated by roughly 450 Christmas tree growers, retailers and their customers in 25 states. Donations were received through individual farms, the collective efforts of state and regional Christmas tree associations, and Trees for Troops weekend. Hundreds of donors and volunteers participate each year to make Trees for Troops a success.
House Tourism Committee Examines Economic Impact of Sports
The House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee, of which I am a member, met on Tuesday to learn more about the economic impact of sports in Pennsylvania.
Greg Cook, executive director of the Hershey Harrisburg Sports and Event Authority, testified along with Adam Sacks, founder and president of Tourism Economics.
Did you know that in 2015 sports events in Pennsylvania generated a total economic impact of $766.5 million – supporting nearly 8,200 jobs?
Thanks to Greg Cook and Adams Sacks for their fascinating presentation.
|
