A Chance to Do Something About the New 16% to 54% Pay Raise

AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION OF PENNSYLVANIA

ACTION ALERT . P.O. Box 1048

149 Summit Drive

Franklin, PA 16323

Phone: 1.814.271.9078

FAX: 1.814.432.0931

http://www.afaofpa.org

AFA of PA ACTION ALERT

October 4, 2005

A Chance to Do Something About the New 16% to 54% Pay Raise

Two bills were introduced last week that would address the issue of the early morning passage of the executive, judicial and legislative pay raises. HB 1956 <http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/BT/2005/0/HB1956P2740.HTM> <http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/BT/2005/0/HB1956P2740.HTM>repeals the unvouchered expenses portion of the new law and HB 1945 <http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/BT/2005/0/HB1945P2739.HTM>would repeal the salary increase in its entirety. Almost as soon as they were introduced House Speaker John Perzel assigned them to the Rules Committee which, surprise, surprise, is controlled by the leadership who all voted in favor of the pay raise! He took this action to make sure both bills died in committee. Speaker of the House Perzel took his action on September 27; on the 29th Representative Daryl Metcalfe issued a news release. Click here <http://www.repmetcalfe.com/index.cfm?ContentID=152&ParentID=0&SectionID=6&SectionTree=6&lnk=b&ItemID=148 >to read the release. <http://www.repmetcalfe.com/index.cfm?ContentID=152&ParentID=0&SectionID=6&SectionTree=6&lnk=b&ItemID=148>In fifteen legislative days a discharge resolution will be presented to be voted on two days later. House Rule 53 states, "A member may present to the Chief Clerk a resolution in writing to discharge a committee from the consideration of a bill or resolution which has been referred to it 15 legislative days prior thereto..." Twenty-five signatures must then be gathered and the discharge resolution is officially entered in the House Journal and placed on the voting calendar. A vote on whether to accept the discharge resolution can be taken two days after the full House is notified.

Our State Representatives need to hear from us! They need to sign onto the discharge resolution and then vote in favor of it!

My guest this week on American Family Focus on PA Issues is Representative Daryl Metcalfe of Butler County. We will be discussing the 15-day countdown toward the discharge resolution to force these two bills to be placed on the house calendar for a vote. The program can be heard on WAWN 89.5 at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday and again on WTMV 88.5 at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

ACTION NEEDED:

1.) Contact your State Representative and ask him or her to sign onto the discharge resolution to force H.B. 1956 and H.B. 1945 out of the Rules Committee. While Pennsylvanians struggle to pay their taxes and put food on the table, it is outrageous that legislators vote themselves, judges and the governor a 16% to 54% pay raise. Last month Senators Joe Scarnati R-Warren) and Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) each collected paychecks of $8,916! Because of the unconstitutional ‘unvouchered expenses,’ this pay raise will cost PA taxpayers $16 million this year alone and it doesn’t even officially go into affect until December 2006! Click here <http://www.legis.state.pa.us/index.cfm >to find out who your State Representative is and their contact information. <http://www.legis.state.pa.us/index.cfm>

2.) Sign our online petition <http://www.afaofpa.org/sign_online2.htm> to Protect Traditional Marriage and encourage our legislators to allow Pennsylvanians to vote on a marriage amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Click to Download Petition <http://www.afaofpa.org/Revised Petition for State Marriage Amendment 8.05.pdf>. You will need the free Adobe Reader <http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html> to access the petition.

3.) Feel free to forward this alert to other concerned Pennsylvanians. If this alert is being forwarded to you by a friend, please feel free to sign up by sending an e-mail to info@afaofpa.org </ym/Compose?To=info@afaofpa.org>

4.) Please consider supporting the ongoing work of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania. Make an online donation <http://www.afaofpa.org/donation.html>.

In His service,

Diane Gramley

President

American Family Association of PA

AFA of PA encourages Christians, through education, to become involved in pro-family issues in their community, state and the nation.

Vice Chairman of Voter Education

http://www.ycop.org

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/YCOP/

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