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For Immediate Release
January 5, 2010
Contact: Sally Kohr
(717) 787-4651

Progress 2010
By Senator Richard Alloway (R-33)

2009 was one of the most challenging years for the General Assembly. The worldwide recession created an unprecedented $3.2 billion budget deficit, and legislators and the Governor had drastically different ideas on how to close this gap. While the Governor and House Democratic leadership pushed for the adoption of a $1.5 billion personal income tax hike, Senate Republicans opposed taking more money out of the pockets of taxpayers at a time when many families could least afford to pay. After a long and protracted debate, the final budget agreement provided funding for Pennsylvania's vital social services without the need for broad-based tax increases. While I am thankful that we were able to avoid disastrous tax increases on families and businesses, the budget stalemate was an unnecessary and ugly display of politics at its worst.

If the dark cloud over state government this year has a silver lining, it is the fact that the difficult choices we made in 2009 should set the stage for a much brighter 2010. We reduced overall government spending for the first time in decades, and these cuts will set the stage for more responsible, sustainable budgets in the future. It also exposed some of the flaws of the budget process, and it created a call to action for rank-and-file legislators to prevent this ugly scenario from happening again. I have cosponsored legislation that would include financial penalties for all legislators when a budget is not passed on time, and I believe that passing this bill in 2010 should be one of our top priorities to ensure that no party in future budget negotiations will have leverage to hold the people of Pennsylvania hostage in order to gain a political advantage.

While improving the budget process is a priority, the only way that we can truly claim progress in 2010 is to get our economy back on track. The recession claimed too many jobs for district residents, and the General Assembly must do our part to help businesses create good-paying, family-sustaining jobs in the area. Even in a difficult budget year, the state took a big step toward improving the business tax climate by expanding the cap on a tax credit program that allows businesses to carry forward current losses toward tax liabilities on future profits. This program is especially important for businesses looking to relocate or expand in Pennsylvania because it allows these businesses to recoup some of their initial investment for the acquisition or construction of facilities and the purchase of equipment. 

In the first year of the 2009-10 legislative session, I introduced two important bills to help protect district residents. I introduced legislation that would completely phase out the inheritance tax by 2017. The vast majority of states do not impose an inheritance tax, and I hope that Pennsylvania will soon join these states in refusing to profit from someone's death. I also authored a bill that would establish the Castle Doctrine in Pennsylvania to protect gun owners who act in self-defense. The bill would provide important protections against criminal prosecution or civil litigation for those who act to defend themselves. Both bills have been referred to Senate committees for consideration, and I hope to see progress on these bills in 2010. 

While the legislative action in Harrisburg garnered most of the media attention, I offered support for a number of local initiatives that will help improve the quality of life in our communities in 2010 and beyond. Communities in the 33rd Senatorial District will benefit from more than $33 million in grants through the H2O PA program and PENNVEST to improve our infrastructure to allow for job growth. Adams, Franklin and York Counties are also set to receive a combined total of more than $115 million through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide job training for district residents and improve our transportation infrastructure, public schools and water, sewer and other infrastructure projects. 

I am very optimistic about the future of our communities, and I am confident that 2010 will represent another step in the right direction.