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Winter 2008

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PERMIT NO. 529

REPRESENTAT IVE

RANDYVULAKOVICH30th Legislative District

Dear Neighbor,

With the first year of my legisla-tive term behind me, I would like tothank you once again for the privilegeof serving as your State Represen-tative. I would also like to take thisopportunity to update you on mylegislative priorities in Harrisburg and

my work on your behalf here in the30th Legislative District.In this newsletter you will find

important information on legisla-tion I am working to advance tofreeze property tax rates for seniorcitizens, reduce the number oflawmakers and operating budgetof the Pennsylvania General As-sembly, curtail lawsuit abuse andseveral other initiatives to make our

communities a safer place to live,work and raise a family.

Be sure to not to miss theDistrict Digest section on Page 4for updates on upcoming districtevents. If you have any questionsor would like to discuss a particularstate government issue in furtherdetail, please feel free to stop by orcontact my Glenshaw district office

at (412) 487-6600. My staff and Iare here to work with you.

Serving the 30th Legislative District,

Randy VulakovichState Representative

Vulakovich Joins Battle to End Frivolous Lawsuits

House Republicans to unveil a landmark package of legislation aimed at reforming theCommonwealths frivolous lawsuit abuse crisis.

Lawsuit abuse is a crime that every Pennsylvanian pays for in higher insurance premiums,less availability of specialty doctors and the loss of small businesses, manufacturers andother job creators.

The major centerpiece of this package is the Fair Share Act which reforms the statesjoint and several liability law by ensuring that defendants found negligent or liable for an injuryare responsible for only their share of the damages.

This is common-sense measure will restore fairness and balance to the judicial system. It isbased upon the principle that compensation is fair when it is paid in accordance with ones relativefault, not ones ability to pay. Under the current system, a defendant who is found to be even 1percent responsible for an injury can be forced to pay for100 percent of the damages.

In addition to the Fair Share Act, the House Republican Lawsuit Abuse Reform packagealso includes:

Constitutional amendmentsto establish caps on both thecollection of non-economic

damages and attorney fees inliability cases.Limitations on both the collec-tion of punitive damages andattorney fees in liability cases.Restriction on liability for inno-cent product sellers to prevent

On Oct. 22, Rep. Vulakovich joined with former Governor DickThornburgh and many of his House Republican colleagues for theunveiling of a comprehensive lawsuit abuse reform package.

Visit RepVulakovich.com

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Increasing Public Safety

S t a y i n t o u c h w i t h R e p r e s e n t a t i v e V u l

Vulakovich Calls for 10,000 More PA Cops By 2011

1,107new police officers

10,000 new police officers

$56 million

40 percent

10,000 Cops

Representatives Vulakovich and Jim Marshall (R-Beaver) joinedwith local law enforcement officials at the Shaler Township PoliceDepartment to urge support for legislation (House Bill 1189) thatholds the potential to add up to 1,107 new police officers for Allegheny

and Beaver counties by 2011. Watch the entire 10,000 Cops pressconference at RepVulakovich.com.

Vulakovich Convenes Policy Hearing to DiscussChronic Flooding and Disaster Preparation Strategies

Critical areas to improve the prevention and cleanup of flooding among local and state officials were among the topics of discussion at a Nov. 29 HouseRepublican Policy Committee hearing co-chaired by Representative Vulakovichat the Bauerstown Volunteer Fire Department.

Representative Vulakovich tests out the Shaler Police Departments 911 Emergency

Response Simulator.

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Reform Report

k o v i c h b y v i s i t i n g R e p V u l a k o v i c h . c o m

Vulakovich Among First PA Lawmakers to SupportFreezing Property Tax Rates for Senior Citizens

Honoring his originalvoter commitmentto work to reducethe overall size and spending levelsof the PA General Assembly, Rep.

Vulakovich recentlysent a letter to House A p p r o p r i a t i o n sC o m m i t t e eChairman Dwight E v a n s ( D -Philadelphia) calling for a 20 percent reduct ion ($62million) in the 2008-09 PennsylvaniaGeneral Assemblyoperating budget.

In October 2007, I became one of the first state lawmakersto sign on to House Bill 1903 to provide much needed and long-overdue property tax relief to qualifying seniors across the Com-

monwealth by freezing their property tax rates.Property tax reform remains a hotly contested issue because to

eliminate or decrease this tax Pennsylvania must increase or shift toanother revenue source. While I remain fully committed to eliminatingthis ever-increasing economic burden for all Pennsylvania propertyowners, I support this legislation because it will deliver guaranteed,tangible relief to those who need it the most by freezing the propertytaxes of qualifying seniors at 2007-08 base year rates.

n order to qualify, claimants must be over the age of 65, widowsor widowers over the age of 50 or permanently disabled personsover the age of 18. In addition, their total household income mustbe $35,000 or less. Claimants may exclude 50 percent of SocialSecurity or Tier-1 Railroad Retirement Benefits from the calculationsof income. The Commonwealth would reimburse school districts outof gaming revenues for the amount of deferred property taxes.

Under House Bill 1903 an estimated 580,952 individuals state-wide would qualify for the property tax freeze as well as the statesProperty Tax/Rent Rebate program. Twenty-four states currently offersome sort of property tax deferral. Pennsylvania is one of them, butit does so only as a local option. House Bill 1903 would make thisincremental relief mandatory for all Pennsylvania school districts.

Representative Vulakovich is among the first state lawmakers to sign on in support ofSenior Citizen Property Tax Freeze legislation (House Bill 1903).

Vulakovich Tightens Squeeze for Legislature Reduction

20 percent reduction2008-09 state budget

$23.01 per Pennsylva-nia taxpayer

20 percent reduction$62 million

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