Philadelphia Daily Record

Vol. II No. 184 (344)

Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia

November 16, 2011

Philadelphia Daily Record

Fall Daze

WITH ELECTIONS OVER, Phila readies itself for the eternal: the approach of holiday cheer and the steady – and fleetingly beautiful – advance of seasons, as in this tree in W. Mount Airy overlooking Fairmount Park.

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The Philadelphia Public Record Calendar When You Want Your Roof To Be Done Right The First Time

Nov. 17-

FOP Auxiliary presents Ladies Night, holiday-shopping demos at 1336 Spring Garden St., 6-9 p.m. Many vendors. Snacks, beer, wine & soda. Free.

For info Donna Giulian (215) 820-0865.

saxophonist John Williams & band and a special awards ceremony.

Tickets $20. For info Yanina (856) 228-5040, Crystal (215) 375-6267 or Norm (215) 5887838.

Nov. 17-

Community Con- Nov. 21versation with State Rep. Rosita Youngblood at Indochinese American Council, 4934 Old York Rd., 6-8 p.m.

Phila. Tea Party Patriots invite all to meeting at Prudential Bank, 1834 W. Oregon Ave., 7 p.m.

Entrance and parking in rear.

Nov. 17-

“Education Over Incarcertaion Youth Town Hall Meeting hosted by Chairman Ron Waters and the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, 5 to 7 pm at West Phialdelphia High School,49th and Chestnut. For more info call 717772-6955.

Nov. 18-

Bobbie Carter Foundation celebrates 10 years of service with Jazzin’ 4 Diabetes at Park Avenue Banquet Hall, 4942 Parkside Ave., 7 p.m.-12 a.m. Festivities include butler hors d’oeuvres, silent auction, dinner,

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Health Partners Donate Turkeys, Food Baskets More than 40 Health Partners volunteers will join the Health Partners Foundation and its corporate partners Interphase Medical Equipment and Burman’s Medical Supplies to make Thanksgiving brighter for underserved families

in Philadelphia.

On Friday, Nov. 18, 125 frozen turkeys and 30 beautifully wrapped Thanksgiving food baskets will be delivered to residents at Abbotsford Homes in Philadel-

phia. The employee-donated baskets will be loaded with all the trimmings needed for a Thanksgiving feast for four and will also include a $15 grocery gift card, courtesy of the Health Partners Foundation.

Lawmakers Fret Over Loss Of Pa. Refineries US Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Congress Members Bob Brady (D-Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), Pat Meehan (R-Pa.) and Allyson Schwartz (DPa.) sent a letter to the US Energy Information Administration requesting a thorough analysis of the potential impact of three possible Pennsylvania refinery closures.

The owners of three refineries in Philadelphia, Marcus Hook and Trainer recently announced that they plan to sell, and if no buyers are found, shut down. If these re-

fineries are forced to close, more than 2,600 people will lose their jobs. Another 5,000 to 6,000 workers – largely employees of contractors and suppliers – indirectly rely on these facilities for their paychecks and would be impacted by their closures. In addition, local townships and school districts would be hurt by the loss of tax revenue.

“A broad range of American families and businesses could be negatively impacted by further reduction of US refining capacity.

From daily commuters to families reliant on home heating oil; from chemicals manufacturers to airlines – all depend on the steady, affordable supply of fuel,” the legislators write in the letter to Howard Gruenspecht, acting administrator of the Energy Information Administration.

Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Congressman John Carney (D-Del.) also signed the letter.

Casey Unveils Bill To Help Disabled Folks Save Money For Care US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) has unveiled legislation that could help thousands of individuals with disabilities across Pennsylvania save for their long term care.

Under his bill, the ABLE Act, parents of children with a disability could set up tax advantaged savings accounts to help provide for their long term care. For example, nearly 17,000 children across the Pennsylvania impacted by autism could be helped by the passage of

this bill.

“Parents of children with disabilities face struggles on a daily basis that we can’t even begin to imagine,” said the Senator. “This legislation will help make it easier for those families to save for their care and for their future. It will provide families with the financial peace of mind they need.”

The Achieving a Better Life Expe-

rience Act of 2011 will allow individuals with disabilities and their families to save money and cover expenses such as education, medical and dental care, community support services, employment training and support, moving and assistive technology, housing and transportation.

Under current law, many individuals with disabilities are forced to divest of all of their assets in order

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THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD to qualify for health care under Medicaid. This requirement effectively impoverishes these individuals and prevents them and their families from building and using savings to meet expenses.

The ABLE Act would authorize a new type of 529 College Savings Account to be created by an individual for themselves or a beneficiary to save for future costs related to a disability. ABLE Accounts would be available to individuals eligible to receive supplemental security income benefits under Title XVI of the Social Security Act. Anyone may contribute to an ABLE account under the proposal.

The principle in the account would accrue interest tax-free during the life of the beneficiary. When distributions are made to the beneficiary for qualified expenses, the distributions are excludable from the gross income of the beneficiary.

All across the Pennsylvania, children with disabilities could be aided by passage of this bill. In the Philadelphia region, for instance, 4,902 children have been diagnosed with autism.

Casey called on Congress to pass this bipartisan bill right away. The ABLE Act is cosponsored in the Senate by Sen. Richard Burr (RN.C.). Congressman Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.) has introduced companion legislation in the House.

Farnese Pushes Direct Wine Shipment State Sen. Larry Farnese (D-S. Phila.) yesterday voted to expand consumer choice and support local businesses by allowing consumers to directly ship wine to their homes.

SB 790, which was amended in committee to closely resemble Farnese’s March 2011 legislation (SB 886) unanimously passed out of the Senate’s Law & Justice Committee. The bill will offer Pennsylvanians more choice in the wines they select and drink in their homes and area restaurants.

“Philadelphia has some of the greatest BYOs, restaurants, bistros and wine lovers in the Commonwealth, and I’m pleased to announce that a version of my legislation allowing the direct shipment of wine passed out of committee. I hope it will be voted on by the Pennsylvania Senate shortly so we can expand consumer choice and further support local businesses,” said Farnese.

SB 790 amends the Pennsylvania Liquor Code to allow for the direct shipment of up to 18 liters of wine per month to Pennsylvania residents 21 years or older. Purchases to licensed direct shippers can be made via the internet, telephone or mail. The bill also calls on direct shippers to verify the age of the recipient, pay all applicable taxes, mark that the shipping containers contain alcohol and be licensed and bonded in their home state.

The Pennsylvania Senate could

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consider the legislation before Dec. 14, which is the end of the current legislative session.

REACH Stages Rally For School-Choice Act Otto Banks, Executive Director for the REACH Alliance, addressed a crowd of hundreds in support of school choice in Pennsylvania yesterday and urged passage of SB 1 by the House of Representatives.

“SB 1 is a tremendous step in the right direction towards expanding school choice across the Commonwealth and we urge our representatives to support this bill,” he said.

Banks stressed that the quality of a child’s education should not be determined by zip code. He urged supporters to visit their legislators in the House and ask them to vote “yes” on SB 1.

Gov. Tom Corbett agreed that passage of SB 1 is a great first step in education reform. He emphasized it is unacceptable for children to attend failing schools in Pennsylvania and noted that too many students leave school early and unprepared. Corbett said that spending more money on education is not the answer and that changes to the system are necessary.

He noted that every year 11,000 inmates are sent to prison, half of which read at a 6th- to 8th-grade level, with 43% of men entering the prison system not having a high-school diploma and 36% of women.

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Tartaglione Blasts Unemployment Compensation Bill State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione (D-Kensington) blasted yesterday’s vote on updating Pennsylvania’s unemployment-compensation law that gives businesses a huge tax break while doing nothing to fix the insolvency of the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund.

With one of the highest trust fund deficits in the nation, Senate Republicans rejected Tartaglione’s amendments and pushed through SB 1310, which borrows money to pay the state’s debt to the federal government, getting businesses off the hook for their share.

“This scheme takes the burden from businesses and puts it on the backs of workers,” Tartaglione

said. “It’s exactly the type of lawmaking that has the working public up in arms.”

Under the bill, employers receive the benefit of lower taxes because the debt service tax on the bond floated to pay the federal debt is lower than the additional federal taxes they would be responsible for to repay the federal loans, but employees will not see their taxes go down because the solvency percentage is artificially kept at zero, meaning that the solvency measures, including the employee tax, remain in effect at their highest levels.

The bill also keeps Pennsylvania’s taxable wage base – the maximum wage on which employers pay unemployment taxes — among the lowest in the country for years to come.

Tartaglione said. “And soon it will be only outdated by 28 and a half years. That’s what we call progress.”

Pennsylvania remains one of only three states in which employees pay unemployment taxes, and those taxes rise with every salary increase, even as employer taxes have been capped at the same rate since 1982.

“With all of the fiscal challenges we face, somehow we can afford this big holiday gift to business,” Tartaglione said.

Tartaglione offered amendments, both at yesterday’s Senate Appropriations Committee and before today’s floor vote that would have leveled the burden of paying the trust fund debt and would have taken steps toward improving the trust fund’s solvency.

“Pennsylvania’s taxable wage base is outdated by 30 years,”

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