MT. LEBANON, Feb. 3, 2014 — State Senator Matt Smith (D-Mt. Lebanon) announced that he will introduce legislation in the near future to strengthen the penalties for severely injuring or killing a police animal.
The Senate delegation from Allegheny County – Senators Jim Ferlo (D- Lawrenceville), Wayne Fontana (D-Brookline), Jim Brewster (D-McKeesport), Randy Vulakovich (R-Shaler), Tim Solobay (D-Canonsburg) and Democratic Leader Senator Jay Costa (D-Forest Hills) – will join Smith as sponsors.
“These animals don’t volunteer yet they are selected and serve with the highest level of dedication and bravery,” Smith said. “When someone deliberately harms a police animal, they should bear the full weight of the law.”
“There is no question that animals who are involved in police work are integral parts of law enforcement and deserve protection,” Costa, the Senate Democratic leader who formerly served as a Deputy Sheriff in Allegheny County, said. “The Senate delegation from Allegheny County strongly supports the new initiative because we all realize the value of animals who are involved in police work.”
Smith said Senate Bill 1260 will be known as “Rocco’s Law” after the Pittsburgh police dog that was killed Thursday evening in the Lawrenceville neighborhood. The dog was stabbed while apprehending a suspect.
Smith said his bill would increase the offense to a second degree felony, which comes with a fine of $25,000 and up to 10 years in prison.
“The tragic death of Officer Rocco, a dog that put his life on the line to protect his partner for five years, should spur us to action in Harrisburg,” Senator Jim Ferlo said. “Canine officers are defending the public each and every day and deserve a higher level of protection under state law than we currently provide. Hopefully we will act quickly in Harrisburg to help protect all police dogs like Officer Rocco.”
Fontana added that “police canine dogs are members of a highly trained specialty unit within our police departments. Above and beyond the humane issues an attack on these dogs brings up, we must remember that their duty is to protect our officers from harm and are true members of the force. Legislation such as this is aimed at deterring future tragedies like what happened in Pittsburgh.”
The federal penalty for killing a law enforcement dog is up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $1,000. Current state law classifies the torture or killing of a police animal as a third degree felony offense punishable by up to seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine, but the same penalty applies to the taunting or striking of a police animal.
Smith’s bill recognizes the fundamental differences between the two crimes by strengthening the penalty for the more serious offense.
“It is an injustice that Pennsylvania’s law lags behind the federal standard in terms of maximum prison time,” Smith said. “It is currently unacceptable that state law currently imposes the same penalty for the separate offenses of taunting or police dog as for its killing.”
“Police dogs provide an essential service and they are faithful public servants that make our communities safer,” said Sen. Vulakovich, a former police sergeant. “When a criminal viciously attacks a police dog, it is appropriate that they face a punishment that is fitting with the crime.
“The dog the officer works with becomes a part of his family both on the job and at home. We can put no price on the loyalty and love that dog has for the officer he works with every day. The dog places his life in jeopardy to protect the officer and when the dog is threatened or killed in the line of duty the punishment should be appropriate.”
The Senators are pushing for rapid consideration of the bill.
“This bill reflects the increased importance of trained dogs as partners in law enforcement,” Solobay said. “Hopefully, this bill will give them the measure of protection they deserve.”
“This legislation is a great way to honor a hero who died protecting and defending his fellow officers,” Brewster noted. “As a former Mayor, I understand how they become a part of the officer’s family and community. Rocco’s loss has affected all of us in Western Pennsylvania.”
“Our hope is that Senate colleagues from all corners of Pennsylvania support this effort to make sure that Rocco’s sacrifice leads to stronger penalties for anyone who would dare harm a law enforcement animal,” Smith said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his handler, family and fellow officers.”
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PITTSBURGH, January 30, 2014 – Flanked by people who have struggled due to state human services budget cuts, Senate Democrats today detailed their budget priorities and challenged Gov. Tom Corbett to produce a spending plan that is aligned with the needs of Pennsylvanians.
Senate Democratic leader Jay Costa (D-Forest Hills) joined Senators Wayne Fontana (D-Brookline) and Matt Smith (D-Mt. Lebanon) to discuss proposals that would create jobs, strengthen education investment and provide an extra $85 million in the upcoming state budget for county human services programs. Funding for such programs has fallen significantly during the first three Corbett budgets.
“We must begin repairing holes in the social safety net by using $85 million in Medicaid budget savings for human services programming such as drug, alcohol and mental health programs,” Costa said. “Expanding Medicaid and extending health care to 500,000 Pennsylvania families would also generate $400 million in budget savings while boosting our economy.”
The Pittsburgh news conference was part of a statewide outreach where Democrats discussed their budget priorities. Similar news conferences were held in Erie, Johnston, Scranton, Hazleton and Philadelphia.
Sen. Wayne Fontana focused on investing in proven job creation and business development programs. He also called for Pennsylvania to increase its minimum wage to at least $9 per hour, and $10.10 by 2015. The legislature has not acted to increase the minimum wage in seven years.
“Since the recession began, my Democratic colleagues and I have sponsored numerous bills aimed at stoking our economy, helping businesses grow, embracing new business opportunities and training people for jobs that are actually out there,” Fontana said. “We need a comprehensive approach that invests state dollars into proven and promising initiatives that will create jobs, retrain workers, and attract business investment and expansion.”
Sen. Matt Smith added, “While other states are making thoughtful investments in education, Pennsylvania has regressed and placed the burden on hardworking families and cash strapped school districts. “Senate Democrats understand that education investments at all levels – beginning with pre-K – will yield direct economic benefits for all Pennsylvanians and is not only the right move, but also the smart one.”
Under Gov. Corbett’s leadership, Pennsylvania has fallen from the top 10 to 48th in job creation. The Democrats said they could bolster state funding for important budget line items by “realigning spending priorities and realizing greater efficiencies. They said they could accomplish this without raising broad-based taxes.”
Senate Democrats said they will also push for the following in this budget:
- Creating jobs by funding targeted water and sewer rehabilitation projects, strengthening school-to-work programs and expanding community economic zones throughout the state; and
- Investing in education with a $300 million boost, bolstering funds for early education and committing to a long-term financing plan that restores funding
- Costa said he realizes the investments and initiatives identified cost money so the Senate Democratic Caucus has devised a budget savings-and-revenue plan of more than $1.1 billion to address the budget shortfall and fund the priorities.
- The governor has scheduled his annual budget address to the General Assembly for next Tuesday, Feb 4.
The news conference featured people who have struggled under the Corbett human services cuts. Officials from the following organizations also took part: Mercy Behavioral Health, Consumer Health Coalition, Community Human Services, Conference of Allegheny Providers, and the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children.
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Harrisburg – Jan. 17, 2013 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) issued the following reaction to Commonwealth Court’s rejection of the controversial voter ID law.
The law required all voters to produce approved photo identification prior to casting their votes in election.
“Senate Democrats have said clearly and repeatedly that the voter ID law was an overreach that would result in the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of voters. It was a law that should have never been approved and we are very happy that the court turned aside the measure today.
“There has been too much upheaval and confusion about preserving the right to vote. Plus taxpayers have had to pay too much in trying to defend this ill-conceived law.
The measure was unconstitutional and political and could not stand legal scrutiny. Simply put, it was an effort by Republicans to deny citizens access and a voice in their government that should have been dismissed.
“Instead of trying to find ways to stop citizens from voting, we should be doing more to encourage all Pennsylvanians to participate in elections.”
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Harrisburg – Dec. 30, 2013 – Gov. Tom Corbett’s decision to discontinue his attempt to privatize the state Lottery is good news for Pennsylvania taxpayers and it aligns with repeated Senate Democratic calls for him to drop the plan and stop wasting resources, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa said today.
Lottery-Outsource-Ends-Costa-W
Costa (D-Allegheny) was reacting to the governor’s announcement that his administration would not continue seeking an agreement with Camelot Global, LLC to privately manage the lottery.
Senate Democrats have been highly critical of the bid and the Corbett administration in its handling of the contract and the multiple extensions. They have said that the governor’s support of lottery privatization was wasteful of both time and money.
Last year, the Corbett administration awarded a contract to privately manage the Pennsylvania Lottery to Camelot Global, LLC. Earlier this year, Attorney General Kathleen Kane rejected the contract, citing instances where the proposal ran afoul of state statutes and constitutional provisions. The state Auditor General recently reported that the Corbett administration had spent, or contracted to spend, at least $4.5 million on the effort.
Costa’s statement is as follows:
“Throughout the process, Senate Democrats have been critical of the contract and the arrangement that the Corbett administration had with Camelot. Pennsylvania has an outstanding lottery that is efficiently and effectively operated by Pennsylvanians.
“There is simply not a good rationale or a responsible argument that the Corbett administration could offer that would justify privatizing the lottery in the manner they proposed. The Camelot proposal was unpopular, unwieldy and costly. It created questions when we should have been exploring answers to how we can help fund senior programs.
“Since the plan was first detailed, Senate Democrats asked tough questions and raised significant issues because we believe that the programs funded by the lottery are too important to be jeopardized.
“There are alternatives that would increase revenues to support senior programs without taking risks. In fact, Senate Democrats just unveiled a plan that would generate more than $1 billion in savings and revenues, a portion of which could be used to bolster senior programs and services.
“The best public policy and what makes most sense for taxpayers, seniors and the Lottery was for the governor to drop his arrangement with Camelot.”
The lottery reported record sales of $3.69 billion last year.
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The following are Sen. Costa’s remarks at the Healthy PA hearing in Pittsburgh on Dec. 20:
Thank you very much for providing me the opportunity to discuss Gov. Corbett’s Healthy PA plan.
This is an important initiative and I am pleased to convey my thoughts about Healthy PA, and share ideas from myself and other Senate Democrats regarding health care.
As you well know, Senate Democrats have been at the forefront of trying to provide health care for each and every Pennsylvanian. Last year, we led the effort to include language in a bill that would provide for the expansion of Medicaid to cover individuals who earn up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.
We argued that by using the expansion of Medicaid, which is available under the federal Affordable Care Act, we can provide life-saving health care for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, create budget savings and draw in billions of new federal funds.
If Pennsylvania were to opt in to expanding Medicaid using the traditional model, it would book $400 million in total budget savings next fiscal year, create between 35,000-40,000 jobs and receive an economic boost from the billions of dollars that would flow into the state.
While we were successful in working with our Republican colleagues to pass this plan in the Senate, the state House of Representatives refused to adopt our plan. That was unfortunate and irresponsible.
Despite our efforts, and, while we were unable to get that plan to the governor due to House Republican intransigence, we are open to other alternatives. Although it is not our preferable route, we recognize that one of the possible ways to expand Medicaid has been outlined by the governor in his Healthy PA plan.
My comments today will be concerning the governor’s plan.
Senate Democrats are pleased the governor recognized that we should cover the hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians who need health care. In addition, we are glad that he has, in his way, opted-in to a main feature of the Affordable Care Act. Senate Democrats are also pleased that the governor has taken action and asked for federal approval of his plan.
While these are positive aspects of the governor’s approach, we are very concerned about the implementation timeline. Simply put, if the governor’s waiver is approved, coverage will not be available until January 1, 2015. That is unacceptable, counterproductive and costly.
In order to maximize budget savings and help the most people that we can in the limited time available, we need to get on-line with health care as quickly as possible. Pennsylvania needs a plan that is effective by July 1, 2014. We can have one in place if we expand Medicaid using the traditional model while the waiver approval is pending.
As I indicated, there are many aspects of the governor’s plan that move the process forward; however, the suggested work search requirement is one element of the plan that sets the process back. This requirement is unrealistic and unreasonable and it is my understanding that the approach has been rejected by federal officials.
We are also very concerned with the portion of the governor’s plan that requires a subscriber’s monthly fee. Our concern is that for many of those who would be covered by the governor’s premium support approach, the required co-pay or fee would make health insurance unaffordable. In addition, we believe the governor should follow the MCO approach. In our view, this provides the greatest cost savings and management features.
As I indicated, Senate Democrats think that we need to move expeditiously in implementing Medicaid expansion. While we think this is best achieved through traditional expansion, we understand that the governor has other thoughts and has pursued a different course.
We stand ready to work with the governor and others who share our interest in promoting health care. In fact, we have already joined with like-minded lawmakers and the governor to implement portions of Healthy PA – including the elimination of the children’s health insurance six-month waiting period (Act 74).
We also worked to pass “benevolent gesture” legislation (Act 79) that allows doctors to express empathy for unforeseen outcomes without the fear that the admission will lead to a lawsuit.
There is plenty of work to do and many ways to deliver health care to hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians via the Affordable Care Act. Democrats and Republicans must agree that quality health care is a right and it our duty to provide access.
Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to discuss the governor’s Healthy PA plan.
Harrisburg – Dec. 19, 2013 – In a significant decision announced today, the state Supreme Court overturned portions of Act 13, a law that established an extraction fee and regulations regarding Marcellus shale drilling in Pennsylvania.
Several members of the Senate Democratic caucus participated in the case by filing an amicus brief in support of overturning the blanket local zoning preemption provision and the setback requirements related to sensitive water resources.
State Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), the Senate Democratic leader, offered his reaction to the decision:
“The court’s decision to overturn portions of Act 13 – those provisions that involve zoning restrictions and the community’s right to protect their own water resources – provides Pennsylvania lawmakers with a second chance to craft a better, more responsible law. This is an opportunity to revisit an issue and devise a shale drilling law that is meaningful; one that offers protections for our citizens, communities and a valuable Pennsylvania natural resource.
“While Act 13 included a wide range of subjects, it failed to institute a reasonable shale drilling tax and took too much control away from local municipalities. We left too much control in the hands of gas drilling companies and the governor was too lenient in dealing with energy companies at the expense of Pennsylvania’s citizens and our communities.
“Senate Democrats are hopeful that the governor will work with legislators on a balanced plan that includes a responsible approach to drilling restrictions and community protections.”
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