rep. evans april 2009

8/14/2019 Rep. Evans April 2009

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PRSRT STD

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

HARRISBURG, PA

PERMIT NO. 529

StateRepresentative

PO Box 202005

Harrisburg, PA 17120-2005

EVANSJohn

John

SPRING 2009

Dear Resident,

Even though the new legislative sessionstarted a couple of months ago, it is alreadyturning out to be one of the more challengingones I have witnessed in Harrisburg. is yearis also my first serving on the House Appro-priations Committee, and during Februaryand March, we heard testimony offered on thegovernors $29 billion budget proposal.

In these tough economic times, we knowthat many, many families are struggling, andeven more families and individuals are fearful ofwhat their future may hold. is situation hasbeen at the forefront of our budget hearings anddiscussions. e members of the RepublicanAppropriation Committees thoughts on thebudget is that we must curtail state spending,and our caucus has taken that challenge veryseriously by reducing our expenses 10 percent

in each of the last three budgets, and we haveplans to cut our costs even more this year.Unfortunately, our priorities for next years

budget are not quite meshing with those of theadministration, and I foresee a very interest-ing budget approval process in the comingmonths.

In the meantime, there are a number ofprograms and services that are available to helpPennsylvania families in facing these difficulttimes. Youll find more information aboutwhere you can find the details of the programson Page 2.

In addition, we are working on severalother issues, and details about various piecesof legislation as well as happenings aroundthe district are located inside this edition ofmy newsletter.

If you should ever need assistance with astate-related problem or issue, please do nothesitate to contact any of my offices. Completecontact information is on the last page of thisnewsletter.

Evans to be Honored by CommunityHealth Care Association

Seeing that health care is affordable and accessible to residents of northwesternPennsylvania, as well as those who live throughout the Commonwealth, has beenone of my priorities while serving at the state Capitol.

erefore, I sponsored legislation last session that would give additional fundingto Federally Qualified Health Centers and other look-a-like community health cen-

ters in Pennsylvania. ere are two such centers right here in the 5th

District: PrimaryHealth Net in Linesville and Conneaut Valley Health Center in Conneautville.ese centers are so valuable because not only do they offer health care services,

but they can serve as a medical home meaning they keep records and provideindividuals and families with their own primary care physician and family practice.is helps ensure continuity of care.

Fortunately, the proposal passed the House, but there wasnt enough time inthe last legislative session to gain approval by the Senate. However, similar proposalsare included in this session, and I am hopeful they will be signed into law so thatthousands of Pennsylvania residents can have the quality medical care they needand deserve.

As a result of this advocacy, five lawmakers, including myself, are being honoredby the PA Association of Community Health Centers at an upcoming reception in the

Capitol. Joining me in this honor are Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-Westmoreland) andSen. Edwin Erickson (R-Delaware) in addition to my colleagues who serve with meon the House Republican Health Care Task Force - Reps. Scott Boyd (R-Lancaster)and Kathy Watson (R-Bucks). We are very humbled to receive this award from anorganization that does such fine work for our health care community.

To maintain the open lines of communication with local residents, I held a legislative breakfastat Ruths Restaurant in Conneautville on April 16. During the gathering, which was attendedby 30 people, I spoke about the upcoming state budget negotiations, as well as other legislationand policy issues the House Republican Caucus is developing this legislative session.


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V I S I T M Y W E B S

Track the Federal Stimulus in PA

You cannot turn on the television news or read an article in thenewspaper these days without hearing about the federal stimulusplan and what it means in Pennsylvania.

Known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, itsintent is to jumpstart the economy and get people working again.While the new law was very controversial in getting passed, its now

a reality, and I hope this money can be spent in a way that will bebeneficial to all. After all, it is YOUR money.

As of this writing, Pennsylvania is expecting to receive upwardof $16 billion in federal stimulus money for a wide range of projectsfrom transportation and infrastructure to health care and educationto helping those who have been affected by the struggling economy.Many of the details of funding are still being worked out, and therecontinues to be a lot of questions as the money is being committedand received.

To ensure that the public is well informed of where their moneyis going, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has posted an InternetWeb site atRecovery.PA.gov that is your link to the stimulus.

You can access the stimulus information online through myWeb site atRepEvans.com, you can read the basics of the stimulus,review a presentation given to the Legislature, read the full text ofthe new law, learn about grant opportunities, link to federal agencyrecovery sites, and find out where your money is going on a nation-wide scale.

Nearly 100 students from EdinboroUniversity showcased their musicaltalents in the state Capitol Rotundaon March 18. e public concert featured the Edinboro UniversitySingers (pictured at right), a con-cert choir of about 52 students, theSymphonic Wind Ensemble, andthe universitys 48-student concertband. e concert represented thefirst performance at the State Capi-tol for either of the musical groups.ey were led by Dr. Gary Grantand Dr. Peter van den Honert. Pic-tured with us is Edinboro PresidentDr. Jeremy Brown.

New Web Site Launchedto Help

During Economic CrisisPennsylvania has a new online resource to help

residents find the government resources their families

may need during this economic crisis.rough the Web site HereToHelp.pa.gov, Penn-sylvanians can find information regarding employ-ment, family services, housing, programs for seniorcitizens and economic development.

rough the employment section of the Website, visitors can access the online unemploymentcompensation form, information on the ChildrensHealth Insurance Program (CHIP) and Adult Basichealth insurance, as well as job training and employ-ment opportunities. e housing section includesbeneficial information regarding mortgage assistanceand ways to lower home heating bills.

Information about other programs available toCommonwealth residents is available on my Website atRepEvans.comor by calling my offices at (814)734-2793, (814) 774-2892 or (814) 683-5550.

A group of Conneaut Lake High School students were recentlyhonored for their efforts to promote safe driving. e entry inPennDOTs Drive Safe PA radio contest was submitted by senior

Mark Holcomb; juniors Cameron Smith, Holly Bond and RobertCourtney; sophomore Morgan ompson; and freshman MatthewJohnson. During their trip to Harrisburg to record the spot, theyjoined me for lunch and a tour of the state Capitol. e radio spotwill air throughout the state in May. Pictured with me are (backrow, from left): Matt Johnson, Cameron Bish, Mark Holcomb,and John Wiltrout; (front row) Morgan ompson, Holly Bondand English teacher Mary Morris.
http://www.recovery.pa.gov/http://www.repevans.com/http://www.heretohelp.pa.gov/http://www.genedigirolamo.com/http://www.genedigirolamo.com/http://www.heretohelp.pa.gov/http://www.repevans.com/http://www.recovery.pa.gov/


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T E : R E P E V A N S C O M

Around the District. . .

e long-standing tradition of feed-ing bread to the carp at the Pymatuning

State Park Spillway will continue for theforeseeable future.e spillway is a tremendous asset

to our region and local economy, and Iappreciate the Department of Conserva-tion and Natural Resources (DCNR)and other state agencies coming togetherto work with us in preserving the time-honored family traditions at the spillway.Id like to thank the residents and localbusinesses for their efforts in the re-evalu-ation of this monumental decision. Yourvoices truly made a difference.

To ensure your voices were heardabout the proposed ban, I joined withSen. Bob Robbins and Rep. Michele

Tradition to Continue Feeding Bread to Carpat Linesville SpillwayBrooks in hosting a public meeting inLinesville last September. More than 350

turned out to oppose the ban.is final decision from the DCNRfollows months of evaluation by the stateagency. Last year, DCNR proposed a con-troversial ban on the feeding of bread inan effort to keep the spillway clean and todiscourage overabundance of geese at thespillway.

In order for the federal government,under the U.S. Department of Agriculture,to manage the geese, both agencies compro-mised to propose the feeding of fish throughfish pellets that would have been sold at the

spillway. Last fall, DCNR put the ban onhold for a year to re-evaluate its proposal.In the meantime, visitors to the spillway

were allowed to continue feeding breadto the fish.

At a time when our regional economyis struggling, both visitors and businessesdepend on the spillway. It would havebeen a true shame to diminish a majorattraction in our backyard. I applaudDCNR officials and those of the otherstate agencies involved for re-evaluatingthe decision and allowing the feeding ofbread to continue.

More than 300,000 people visit thespillway each year, making it one of themost visited attractions in Pennsylvania,and a decision to prohibit bread from

the spillway would have had a significantimpact on local businesses and tourism.

House GOPPolicy Committee

Traveled to EdinboroCommittee hears about perils

of universal health care

To help learn more about universal health care andits impact on people, the House Republican PolicyCommittee and its Health Care Task Force traveled toEdinboro on April 30. A public hearing allowed us tofurther study universal health care and the single-payerinsurance system.

Such a system may very well put the government incharge of health care decisions decisions that shouldbe made by an individual and his or her physician.

Several countries including Canada and Europe

have single-payer systems where consumers are on longwaiting lists for health care services. Many even cometo the United States to get their care.

Our hearing focused on the failures of these sys-tems and brought in experts from all over the world todiscuss why Pennsylvania and the nation should notmove to a government-run health care system.

Our task force, of which I have been a membersince 2007, has been developing and advocating healthcare policies that put the consumer in charge of theirhealth care decisions, rather than some governmentbureaucrat. To that end, we are also consistently fight-ing for more accessible and more affordable health

care in order to ensure that no one is without accessto quality health care.

More information about our plan is available onmy Web site at RepEvans.com.

Devin Smith, a student atthe Erie County TechnicalSchool, visited the Capitolthis winter as part of Careerand Technology Educa-tion Week sponsored by thePennsylvania Departmentof Education. Smith, whois enrolled in the electron-ics program at the school,attends Girard High School,and has participated inthe SkillsUSA electroniccompetitions, Rotarys lead-ership camp and EdinboroUniversitys AmericanSociety for Metals (ASM)International Program. Heplans to enter the PittsburghInstitute of Technology thissummer to study electricalengineering technology.

Jamie Forinash, a4-H student fromSpringboro, recentlyvisited Harrisburgand joined me in myoffice for a discussionon agricultural and

education issues. Shewas in Harrisburgfor Pennsylvania 4-HCapitol Day. Jamie, asenior at CambridgeSprings High School,is the 2009 PA 4-HState Council presi-dent.
http://www.repevans.com/http://www.repevans.com/


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Edinboro:123 Meadville StreetEdinboro, PA 16412

Phone: (814) 734-2793 / Fax: (814) 734-4534

State Representative

JOHN EVANS

RepEvans.com [email protected]

Linesville:158 West Erie Street

P.O. Box 455, Linesville, PA 16424Phone: (814) 683-5550 / Fax: (814) 683-4246

Girard:4880 Birchdale Drive, Suite 2

Girard, PA 16417Phone: (814) 774-2892 / Fax: (814) 774-7122

Harrisburg:P.O. Box 202005

107 Ryan Office Bldg., Harrisburg, PA 17120-2005Phone: (717) 772-9940 Fax: (717) 772-7099

Robert Doc Orr (center), a council member in Girard Borough, wasrecently sworn in as president of the Pennsylvania State Association ofBoroughs at a conference in Hershey. As a result of Orrs term as presidentof the organization, I was given the privilege of swearing in Doc andhis colleagues. At the ceremony were (from left): Ronald Evanko, secondvice president from Blairsville, Indiana County; James Felmlee, first vicepresident from Lewistown Borough, Mifflin County; Orr; and omasOliverio, past president from Zelienople Borough, Butler County.

Cassandra Boni, pictured at right with her fianc Jeff, recently joined mylegislative staff and is working out of my Girard office. A 2008 graduateof Edinboro University, Cassandra earned a bachelors degree in environ-mental studies with a minor in political science, and shes currently work-

ing toward her masters degree. She also currently resides in Girard.

Stacey Anderton, a resident of Linesville, was recently honored as Pennsylva-nias Journalism Teacher of the Year. Anderton, who teaches at SaegertownHigh School, was presented with a citation from the Pennsylvania House ofRepresentatives sponsored by myself and Rep. Brad Roae (R-Crawford).

In March, I had the pleasure of welcoming Bavarian students Stefanie Bau-ernseino and Teresa Furst to the Pennsylvania Capitol. e students spent sixweeks in Pennsylvania learning about American culture and education tech-niques. In addition to spending time in American classrooms, the students who will become teachers upon finishing their studies visited several edu-cational sites in Pennsylvania. ey were hosted by local resident Becky Travis(second from right), a retired teacher who lives in Edinboro.

DISTRICT OFFICE SERVICES

My district office is here to help you.Services my staff and I provide include:

Drivers license and vehicle registration applications and renewalsAssistance with PennDOT paperwork (lost cards, changes, cor-rections, special registration plates, vanity plates, and temporaryplacards for disabled persons) PACE and PACENET applications for seniors Property Tax and Rent Rebate 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 legislationTours 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 district office.

rep. evans april 2009

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