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IssuesEnding Teacher Strikes and Resolving Teacher Contract Disputes Creating Jobs at Home and throughout Pennsylvania Ending Teacher Strikes and Resolving Teacher Contract Disputes:The Back to Educating Our Kids Act My opponents in this year’s race for State Representative have attacked me over the issue of teacher strikes. What they don’t tell you is that I have written a bill that not only would make teacher strikes a thing of the past, but would result in fair and fast settlements of teacher contract disputes so that our schools can go back to doing what they do best: educating our kids. I call it The Back to Educating Our Kids Act. Under my legislation, teachers and school districts would be required to start negotiating earlier than is currently required. The process would be divided into four phases: negotiation; fact finding; mediation; and arbitration. In each phase, The Back to Educating Our Kids Act would require that the two sides meet regularly. If they get to the arbitration stage without settling, an arbitration decision would be rendered.
The Act also prohibits strikes and lockouts from the beginning of the negotiation process through the 10-day, post-arbitration decision period. This approach is better than simply outlawing strikes without addressing the contract issue, because it will guarantee a quick and fair resolution to teacher contract disputes, something merely outlawing strikes does not do (remember, Neshaminy is going into its 3rd year without a deal and there have been no strikes there). Moreover, The Back to Educating Our Kids Act does not take sides. It puts maximum pressure on both sides to settle or accept the arbitration ruling. It’s time to cut through the rhetoric on this issue and do what is right for our kids’ education and taxpayers. The Back to Educating Our Kids Act is the answer. A Committed EnvironmentalistGoing back to his days as township supervisor in Lower Makefield, Steve has been a committed environmentalist, standing up for a sustainable energy policy and open space preservation. Energy Policy In Harrisburg, Steve serves on the important House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.In that capacity he has worked closely on new legislation that would increase alternative energy requirements -- making Pennsylvania a leader in solar energy standards -- while enacting new consumer protection rules that would help keep the cost of energy low.Steve also has been a leader in the so-called "Green Dog" caucus -- a group of Democratic and Republican legislators who have fought to stop natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania's state forests while ensuring that drilling on hundreds of thousands of private lands throughout the Commonwealth is done in an environmentally responsible manner. Steve also has worked to promote sound energy policy here at home.He has helped secure a $250,000 grant for Lower Makefield Township to purchase LED lights that will reduce energy usage, thereby saving taxpayers about $50,000 a year.He also helped get a $21,000 grant for Crossing Vineyards in Upper Makefield. The grant is for the purchase of solar panels and will help Crossing Vineyards realize its goal of becoming energy independent within the next 5 years. Protecting Open Space Since his days as a leader in the movement that stopped the Matrix big-box store shopping center, Steve has been a strong proponent of open space preservation. In Harrisburg, Steve serves on the House's Local Government Committee, which considers land use policy and other matters relating to county and municipal government.Steve has introduced a bill in the Committee that would give towns more power to control development.Among other things, Steve's bill would allow towns to reject proposed development if there were not sufficient infrastructure (such as roads, schools, utilities, etc.) to service it. Back home, Steve continues to support residents as well as Lower Makefield and Newtown Townships in their joint fight to stop the proposed relocation of Frankford/Aria Hospital to the land adjacent to Shady Brook Farm.[Steve was one of the founders of Residents Against Frankford's Relocation -- the residents group fighting the move.] Fixing the Pension ProblemThe current pension problem in Pennsylvania was caused by three factors:
Over time, gains in the market will offset some of the shortfall that we currently face. But if we’re going to avoid a 30% spike in employer contributions to the funds, systemic changes need to be made. Toward that end, this summer we in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted 192-6 to pass pension reform legislation (“the Pension Reform Act” or H.B. 2497). This was a true bipartisan effort as the lopsided vote demonstrated. In fact, every House member from Bucks County – and there are 10 of us in total – Republican and Democrat alike, voted for it. This legislation reforms some of the problems of our public school teacher and state employee pension systems (i.e., PSERS and SERS) by:
Under state law these changes can apply to new employees only. Even so, they will save the funds more than $25 billion over time. Earlier this month, the PA Senate modified the Pension Reform bill to require new employees to assume more of the risk of a downturn in the markets. It also added a provision stating that no one could take full pension benefits unless their years of employment, when added to their age, equaled or exceeded 92 years. These changes -- which I support -- together with the original bill, will save taxpayers $39 billion over time. That averages about $5,400 in savings for each household in the Newtown-Yardley area. The Pennsylvania Constitution prohibits similar changes for existing employees. That is why I have co-sponsored another bill (H.B. 2559) that would create a Public Employee Pension Commission. The Commission will have 6 months to prepare a comprehensive report including recommendations for long-term changes to pension systems to ensure fiscal solvency. Finally, the Pension Reform Act that we passed this summer would re-amortize existing obligations over a 30-year period. That step also will help to avoid a potential spike in pension payments by school districts and the state. On a personal note, I have signed onto legislation (HB 2066) that would convert pensions for state legislators into 401(k)-style defined contribution plans, something that the legislature can do to itself voluntarily. Creating Jobs at Home and throughout PennsylvaniaSince taking office in January 2009, I have been working to bring jobs into the Yardley-Newtown area while fighting to protect the jobs that we already have. Earlier this year I succeeded in getting a major international marketing firm to relocate to Lower Makefield, bringing with it over 200 jobs to our community. At the same time, I fought the New Jersey Legislature over its proposal to require that all New Jersey public employees live in the Garden State. As a result of my efforts, New Jersey lawmakers finally agreed to exempt current employees from the new rule, saving over 3,000 families in the Yardley-Newtown area from having to choose between their jobs and their homes. But we need to do more. That’s why in a second term I will work to create a system of tax credits to small businesses to help them expand and create more jobs. Those credits will compliment the bill that I proposed this year – and which was passed and signed into law in July – that will make more credit available to small businesses as they grow. I also will work on a series of targeted tax incentives to attract biotech and alternative energy companies to Pennsylvania. These incentives will include the creation of “Green Enterprise Zones” designed to offer tax abatements to companies in the alternative energy and green technology sectors who pledge to stay in Pennsylvania for the long haul and create jobs for Pennsylvanians. Finally, when the economy begins to improve and revenues to the state pick up, we need to continue previous efforts to lower the corporate net income tax rate to help make Pennsylvania more competitive with other states. At the same time, we should phase out the corporate stock and franchise tax for the same reason. Cutting SpendingThere has been a lot of talk this campaign season about cutting spending – and rightfully so. In Pennsylvania, however, that is exactly what we have done. Like many other states, Pennsylvania has a balanced budget requirement. Faced with an historic budget deficit in 2009 of $3.2 billion, I voted with a majority of the legislature to make cuts across the board. We did the same thing this year. Overall, total state spending has gone down by over $400 million since I took office in January 2009. As a result, we were able to balance the budget in each of the last two years without raising either the sales or income tax. And despite those cuts, we were able to preserve funding for important services and even increase funding for basic education, helping our local school districts. A Real Reform AgendaSince taking office in January 2009, I have fought for reform in Harrisburg. I am the only representative from Bucks County – and there are ten of us altogether, Democrats and Republicans alike – who does not take the $163 per diem, the check that lawmakers get for just showing up to work at the Capitol. It’s supposed to be for expenses, but they never have to prove that they incurred any expense. Most legislators use it for up to $30,000 in additional, non-taxable income each year. It’s wrong and I don’t accept it. I also am one of the few representatives who voluntarily pays toward the cost of my health care and proposed a bill last year that would require all representatives to do the same – believe it or not, it’s not currently required. I also refuse to take a cost of living increase in my salary and don’t take a state car. Put simply, public servants should serve the public, not the other way around. We also need to make structural reforms in the legislature. I support term limits for the House and Senate (something between 12 and 16 years would make sense). I also support cutting the size of the legislature in half. Doing so will reduce costs and make the legislature more efficient. Finally, we need real campaign finance reform. I am a sponsor of legislation that would impose federal-style limits on the amount of contributions that can be made to candidates. I also have introduced a joint resolution of the Pennsylvania House and Senate proposing a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution1 that would make it clear that Congress and the states have the right to impose limits on both contributions and campaign spending. Such an amendment would overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case last January that held that corporations and unions can contribute unlimited amounts to political campaigns. 1 There are only two ways to propose an amendment to the US Constitution: two-thirds of the Congress can do it or two-thirds of the states can do so by calling for a convention to draft the amendment. Since no one in Congress is taking action, I decided to start the process at the state level. A state senator in Maryland is doing the same thing. Hopefully we can start a movement on this important issue that spreads across the United States. |
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