Article published January 4, 2012

Sick pay abuses making news, being addressed in contracts

Taxpayers shell out $49M for retiring employees' sick time

By Amanda Dolasinski, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, January 2, 2012

Cash-strapped Pennsylvania paid more than $49 million to retiring employees who walked away from their jobs with unused sick time.

Of those, 4,000 retirees, seven — two state police majors, a deputy commissioner, three captains and a lieutenant — cashed out with at least $100,000, records indicate. The average payout was $14,600.

"If employees aren't using their sick time, then they've earned that time," said Leah Wright, spokeswoman for Service Employees International Union Local 668 in Pittsburgh. The union represents about 20,000 home care workers, janitors, engineers and others across the state.

"It's fair that they get paid for it at the end," Wright said. "It's part of their compensation package."

But critics say otherwise.

"I definitely think it could be spent elsewhere," said Nate Benefield, director of policy analysis for the Commonwealth Foundation, a Harrisburg-based think tank. "This is huge money that's costing taxpayers, and you're getting nothing for it. You're not building a bridge or fixing a road -- it's additional compensation for people who are leaving."

Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to propose cuts of $750 million in next year's budget. The state is trying to close a $3.5 billion funding gap for its crumbling bridge system. Given the state of the economy, Corbett's administration should consider eliminating the payouts, said state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler County. He called the payouts "bonuses."

"That is just unbelievable," Metcalfe said of the $49.6 million payout. "What a slap in the face to taxpayers to pay that kind of money out to people for coming to work when they were supposed to."

Retired state police Maj. Terry Seilhamer accumulated 413 sick days during almost 32 years of service and received a payment of $122,781, state records show.

Seilhamer, who oversaw 19 counties in Western Pennsylvania, is back on the public payroll as police chief in Jackson Township in Butler County, records indicate. His salary is $72,373, according to township records.

Charles Skurkis Jr., a retired state police major, also accumulated 413 sick days to collect $122,781, records show. In his time with the agency, he oversaw the Bureau of Integrity and Professional Standards and the Department of the Discipline Office, among others.

Neither Seilhamer nor Skurkis returned multiple phone calls seeking comment.

The payouts to state employees last year prompted officials to reassess the policy. The state is negotiating with 20 labor unions to reduce the number of annual sick days from 13 to 11, which could save about $14 million annually, said Dan Egan, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Office of Administration. The rate a worker is paid for an unused sick day is usually set in the worker's union contract.

"We're looking at a budgetary situation," Egan said.

Numerous calls to Gov. Tom Corbett's office were not returned.

The benefit is rare in the private sector where many firms have use-it-or-lose-it policies.

In Allegheny County, where officials approved a budget with a $31 million deficit last year, 46 retiring employees collected almost $300,000 for unused sick time in 2010.

The 10 highest payouts last year made up about 90 percent of the total payout. Those payments went to six county police officers, two probation officers, a deputy sheriff and a corrections officer. The remaining 10 percent of the payout — about $29,000 — was divided among the other 36 employees.

Daniel Meinert, a retired Allegheny County police officer, topped the list with a $38,249.65 payout after 20 years of service.

Calls to Meinert for comment were not returned.

The cash-out policy is intended to cut down the amount of sick time, maintain productivity and reduce overtime costs, Allegheny County spokeswoman Judi McNeil said.

"This policy isn't something that's a grave concern," she said. "Certainly, we want to cut costs, but it's nearly impossible to try to negotiate a benefit that's been ingrained in all the collective bargaining agreements for literally decades."

Last year, taxpayers funded $148,563.89 in unused sick-day payouts for 70 public employees in Westmoreland County. The 10 highest payouts went to an assistant county detective, a county caseworker, two deputy coroners, an executive secretary, an adult probation director, a district judge secretary, a food service worker, a staff nurse and a court assistant.

The highest amount went to retired Assistant County Detective George Boyerinas, who cashed out with $26,962. He saved 200 sick days during his 36-year tenure.

"From an employee standpoint, I'm sure some use (sick days) yearly for when they're not really sick," he said. "I've never done that. I only used my sick leave when I was very sick, so obviously (it) accumulated," he said.

The policy entices employees to report to work rather than call off and force the county to pay overtime for another to fill in, he added.

Rural Indiana County capped its unused sick time payouts at $3,300 per employee last year - or $15 per day, which worked out to be 220 days. Any additional days are thrown out, said Lisa Bower, Indiana County financial supervisor.

Dora Murdick, the former second deputy register and recorder, topped Indiana County's list, cashing out $3,240 last year. She accumulated 216 sick days during 41 years of service. A county corrections officer was paid $1,676.40, the second-largest amount.

Washington County caps its unused sick time payouts for employees. Depending on the labor union contract, some stop accumulation at 225 days, others are capped at 180.

Once employees retire, they must receive a pension within two months to be eligible for the unused sick days, county Deputy Controller Joshua Hatfield said.

The two largest payouts went to Donald Roach and Nancy Mizia, who cashed out $7,875 each. Roach, a flood control technician, served for 19 years, and Mizia, a magisterial district judge secretary, worked for 22 years.

In Fayette County, only one union allows workers to cash out unused sick time. Other retiring employees have to use sick time, or lose it at the year's end.

"When you retire, you give up your sick time," said Jeannine Wrona, chief deputy controller. "Otherwise, you wouldn't know how to budget for it."

States make daily life harder for illegal immigrants

By Alan Gomez, USA TODAY

December 21, 2011

State legislators looking to crack down on illegal immigration in 2012 are turning away from the law enforcement laws that dominated state houses this year, and instead are pushing other measures that can make life just as difficult for illegal immigrants.

Much of the international furor over state immigration laws in states such as Arizona and Alabama focused on the portions that granted local police the ability to conduct roadside immigration checks of people stopped for other crimes.

Alabama leaders are now considering revisions after foreign workers at Mercedes-Benz and Honda car making plants in the state were detained under the new law. The U.S. Department of Justice has sued to block four state enforcement laws — Alabama, Arizona, South Carolina and Utah — and Arizona's law will be in limbo until at least next summer when the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on its constitutionality.

"(Immigration enforcement) bills in other states that were advancing, you may see them stall until we can get clarification from the Supreme Court," said South Carolina state Sen. Larry Grooms, a Republican whose enforcement bill passed this year.

That political and legal turmoil has left few legislators in other states pushing new law enforcement laws.

Mississippi state Sen. Joey Fillingane, a Republican whose enforcement bill passed the state Senate and could pass the House with a new Republican majority there this year, said he won't let potentially-lengthy reviews of Arizona's enforcement law stop him from pushing a similar measure.

"We understand from being attorneys and dealing with appeals that rulings can take a long, long time," Fillingane said. "I don't think that's any reason … to stop everything in its tracks."

But Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has helped Arizona and other state legislators craft laws cracking down on illegal immigrants, sees that as the exception. He said legislators will continue expanding the use of E-Verify, which businesses can use to check the immigration status of job applicants, Secure Communities, which allows police to check the immigration status of people booked into local jails, and laws that restrict illegal immigrants from accessing public benefits.

Yet it's a new provision in Alabama's law that has caught the eye of many state legislators. Kobach said Alabama was the first state to invalidate all contracts entered into with illegal immigrants. A strict reading of the law could mean that any contract, including mortgages, apartment leases and basic work agreements, can be ruled null and void.

"That is one that has a much greater effect than some people might expect at first glance," Kobach said. "Suppose an illegal alien is doing some roofing business and wants to rent some equipment. Some short-term or long-term rental suddenly becomes more difficult to do."

Another aspect of Alabama's law forbids illegal immigrants from conducting any "business transaction" with a government agency. An Alabama federal judge ruled that the state must stop using that provision to prohibit illegal immigrants from renewing permits for their mobile homes, but it's being applied elsewhere.

The combination of those provisions "has led to nothing short of chaos in the state," said Karen Tumlin, managing attorney for the National Immigration Law Center, which was part of a lawsuit against Alabama's law. "They've been applied to a striking range of activities, from getting tags on your cars to getting public utilities to changing title on your cars."

Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a Republican and founder of State Legislators for Legal Immigration, which pushes for federal and state laws that restrict illegal immigration, said he will wait for the Supreme Court to rule on the Arizona law before pushing anything similar in his state. But he said the recent success of Alabama banning contracts and business transactions by illegal immigrants has placed them on his "wish list" for the upcoming session.

"That's a very good way to expand the fight to shut down access to revenue that they get," he said.

North Carolina state Rep. Harry Warren, co-chairman of the state's Select Committee on the State's Role in Immigration Policy, said he is intrigued by the Alabama's law ability to prevent illegal immigrants from securing utilities such as heat and gas. He said that could be part of a package that the committee recommends to the Legislature some time in 2012.

But he worried about some of the unintended consequences that the contract and business transaction provisions have had in Alabama. Legal residents had to wait for hours in lines to renew their car registrations because they had to prove their citizenship.

"Going to the DMV is a long line already," Warren said. "The only thing you can do in your state is make it less attractive (for illegal immigrants) to come to, a little harder to live here legally. But the flipside is unforeseen circumstances. We need to really try to see what the ramifications would be of the laws that we would pass to try to accomplish those means."

The Philadelphia Record

DARYL VS. BABETTE: Round 1 For A Statewide Race?

December 8, 2011

BY TONY WEST/ In other years, the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee hasn’t been an arena that set pulses pounding. This session of the General Assembly, it’s different. A clash of wills and philosophies between its new Majority Chair Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) and its long-serving Minority Chair Babette Josephs (D-S. Phila.) has drawn security guards into the committee room and left observers agape.

That they should clash is no wonder. Josephs, 71, is a card-carrying liberal from worldly Center City. Metcalfe, 49, hails from the remote Pittsburgh suburb of Cranberry Township, nestled amid rolling countryside about as far from Philadelphia as you can get in this state.

Which probably doesn’t bother Metcalfe, since he is as conservative as Josephs is liberal. Over the last eight years, Bob Guzzardi, the small-government activist from Wynnewood, has usually rated Metcalfe the top legislator on his Liberty Index. This score would make Metcalfe the farthest-right politician in Harrisburg.

Since the 2011 session began, the two Chairs have been dueling fiercely over procedure. When Josephs was Majority Chair in the last General Assembly, she ran things one way; Metcalfe runs things another way. Josephs and her fellow Democrats are effectively shut out of the action now and are crying foul.

Josephs is a fan of patient study. “The public has demanded openness, accountability and transparency,” she said. She also takes pride in her fairness to the opposition. “When I was Majority Chair, I advanced 28 Republican bills,” she noted.

State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre), who served Minority Chair of State Government in the last General Assembly, paid tribute to Josephs’ style. “I appreciate the way she ran Republicans’ bills,” he said. “Though she may have opposed our views, she was always respectful. My members liked the way we worked together.” Her slow, painstaking reviews often improved Republican initiatives in a “collaborative learning process,” he said.

Then came the mashup. Right before the end of the last General Assembly, the old Intergovernmental Affairs Committee was folded into State Government. An opening arose on the Finance Committee, a plum assignment, and Benninghoff leapt at a chance to take it over as Majority Chair. That left Metcalfe, the Republican Chair of Intergovernmental Affairs, as ranking GOPster in the new State Government Committee. So when he took over as its Majority Chair, Josephs and he had never worked together.

They still haven’t. Metcalfe’s style could not be more different from Josephs’. He comes with a ready-made agenda and sees his committee as a vehicle to advance it, chop-chop. If minority members want to sit and watch, they’re welcome to; if not, they can leave.

“I think [Josephs] is having a hard time adjusting to the fact she doesn’t run the committee anymore and cannot set its agenda or moderate its discussion,” Metcalfe commented. As for working with Chairs across the aisle, he said Intergovernmental Affairs wasn’t very active, so there wasn’t much to interact with Democrats over.

Although Metcalfe and Josephs sit side by side, he will not recognize her when she asks to speak. She now communicates with him, bitterly, by letter.

Metcalfe brought with him a number of junior Representatives, some of them elected by the 2010 Tea Party movement. Metcalfe, who has been in the legislature since 1999, proved a natural leader for them. “Before he ever heard of the Tea Party, he believed in all its causes,” observed Robert Nix, a Philadelphia lawyer and a Hispanic Republican activist who has often dealt with Metcalfe.

“My speculation is he got 15-20 members who would vote with him and he threatened the leadership with something – maybe holding up the budget. Then he got a chance to handpick his members,” Josephs mused.

Metcalfe promptly used his new committee as a vessel for his top issue: a crackdown on illegal immigration. Metcalfe has earned prominence among state legislators nationwide in this cause. He introduced a 16-part package of legislation into State Government to combat the crime, welfare and school costs he says stem from their presence.

All 16 parts sit on the committee’s agenda like a millstone, at every meeting. Testimony is not circulated in advance. No one knows which parts will actually be discussed, so Representatives have no way to bone up for the day’s discussion.

Not that there will be much discussion, at least for Democrats. Metcalfe “has not let us speak in committee. He has had the question called twice in committee. When I asked around if anyone has ever heard of a committee hearing before where debate was cut off, the answer was no,” Josephs said.

Frustrated, Democrats are acting up. “If he tries to cut us off, we keep talking,” said Josephs – even during votes. “He has not advanced one Democratic bill anyway; we have nothing to lose.” Metcalfe has responded by stationing Capitol security in the hearing room – a rare move – and threatening to eject members from the hearing room.

Metcalfe’s interests range far beyond “the illegal alien invasion,” as he puts it. He targets everything else on the Movement Conservative hit list: gun laws, environmental regs, climate science, abortion, homosexuals, Muslims, vote fraud, taxes, unions, public workers. Metcalfe uses State Government as a forum for many of these hot-button campaigns.

Josephs complains many of them don’t belong in State Government and suspects a deal with a fellow Westerner, Speaker Sam Smith (R-Jefferson). Another Republican observer doubts this, however: “I don’t agree with Metcalfe much, but I think everything he is handling in committee is germane to State Government.”

Regardless, Metcalfe’s hard-hitting, wide-ranging style has turned State Government from a sleepy sideshow into a dynamic venue for big ideas.

Latest out of the chute is congressional redistricting legislation (HB 5), which Metcalfe sped to the House floor despite the efforts of Josephs to slow it up enough to permit public hearings and input.

Metcalfe is a veteran who worked as an engineer before he went to Harrisburg. A Republican colleague described him as “very bright and methodical about his maneuvers.” People who know him describe him as straightforward and sincere. “He is a little bit like the Soup Nazi on ‘Seinfeld’, said Nix. “He lives by the principles that he espouses for others.”

“Daryl has some specific core principles he believes in and lives his life by being fairly rigid to them,” said Benninghoff. “But even people who disagree with him respect the fact he will stand up for them.”

Metcalfe also likes to play his cards close to his chest. “He ran a stealth Lieutenant Governor race in 2010 and did very well,” Benninghoff recalled. “He kept it all under the radar until he filed.”

Josephs charges other Republicans are “afraid” of Metcalfe. That may be a stretch. But his causes are hot nationally; the freshmen look up to him; there is no project so big he won’t tackle it; and he is still young. He has already taken a lick at statewide office and might like to follow in Gov. Tom Corbett’s shoes.

But Pennsylvania is more than just Cranberry Township. “Metcalfe is a fine gentleman,” said State Rep. Jewell Williams, “but he needs to get more sensitive to other people’s cultures and struggles.”

Meanwhile, chairing Finance now, Benninghoff mused, “In my current position, I have a Minority Chair with me and I have tried to operate by what I learned from Babette, utilizing some of the same techniques she showed me.”

Pennsylvania bills would crack down strongly on illegal immigrants

Published: Wednesday, November 02, 2011, 12:00 AM    

CHARLES THOMPSON, The Patriot-News
 

It’s not every day that lawmakers in Harrisburg gird themselves for votes against illegal immigrants.

But that pervades Rep. Daryl Metcalfe’s ongoing fight against illegal immigrants in Pennsylvania — a battle over what demographers say is a relatively small slice of the state’s population.

Pollsters also say the matter grabs even less of the general public’s attention, but it seems likely to dominate the social justice agenda for the rest of this two-year legislative term.

Metcalfe’s “National Security Starts At Home” package includes bills requiring:

— Verification of legal status for anyone 18 or older applying for public benefits such as welfare or food stamps.

— Employers seeking public-works contracts to use the voluntary federal database “E-Verify” to authenticate employees’ Social Security numbers; and higher penalties for firms that have hired illegal immigrants.

— Police to verify a person’s immigration status if that person is stopped for a crime and reasonably suspected of being in this country illegally.

Metcalfe, along with like-minded lawmakers from other states, has also proposed a special noncitizen birth certificate for the U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants to prevent their families from gaining privileges.

Only emergency medical treatment is spared.

“From one human to another,” Metcalfe said Tuesday, “you can’t allow someone’s life to be put at risk because they violated an immigration law.”

In part, the focus comes because of the new Republican majority in the state House, which has given Metcalfe — who has introduced similar bills for years — a platform to push them as chairman of the House State Government Committee.

But the fight also echoes a national trend that has seen lawmakers in several states acting on immigration issues in the face of rising costs and federal gridlock on meaningful reform.

Metcalfe said his package is designed to shred the economic cover he says too many illegal immigrants use to grab public benefits and take jobs.

The annual public cost from illegal immigration in Pennsylvania has been estimated at $1.4 billion by the conservative Federation for American Immigration Reform, which has applauded Metcalfe’s efforts.

“The states are paying an enormous price for the failure or refusal of the federal government to enforce the laws,” said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for FAIR. “They shouldn’t have to roll over and endure millions, and in some cases billions, in annual costs.”

To opponents, the effort is at best a waste of time, and at worst courts economic suicide through a brand of de facto racism.

“Pennsylvania cannot afford new laws that show people that they’re not welcome here,” said Andy Hoover, state legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union, citing a population growth rate of minorities in the state that is only about one-third the national rate.

“We need to welcome people as much as possible, and what [Metcalfe] is doing does not achieve that.”

It’s not just civil libertarians who are raising caution flags. Some in the state business community are worried the bills will force them into a police role and expose them to potential lawsuits if they incorrectly flag a potential hire.

Brad Hollabaugh, an orchard owner in Biglerville, Adams County, said he hires about 25 immigrant workers each summer. All are checked in accordance with federal requirements that require them to show a green card, work visa or other proof of ID.

“It’s not just fly in off the street, pick some fruit, get aid in cash at the end of the day and see you later,” Hollabaugh said. “If they don’t present the appropriate documentation, we can’t hire them, and we won’t.”

Hollabaugh acknowledged that some of the documents he sees might be frauds. But, he added, his family doesn’t have time to take on the role of investigators when the crop is in, and he has never turned away a local resident because of the migrants.

“American citizens aren’t coming to the farms to work. It’s just the reality,” he said.

Pennsylvania is an unlikely stage for this debate.

Fruit orchards not far from Harrisburg have relied on foreign-born labor for years to bring in the peach and apple harvests.

While there are large pockets of Hispanics in some towns and cities, the Pew Hispanic Center estimates there are 160,000 illegal immigrants statewide. The 110,000 in the workforce, the center adds, amount to 1.7 percent of the workforce; the national average is three times higher, at 5.2 percent.

On the other hand, Pennsylvania has always been known for a strong streak of social conservatism and difficulty in dealing with change. Local efforts such as those of former Hazleton mayor-turned-U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta against illegal immigrants there made national headlines.

Metcalfe, a Butler County Republican whose wife is a naturalized German, argues that his fight serves to honor the role of the legal immigrant in American history. He attributes his zeal for the issue to his fiscal conservatism and military service.

He takes poll results that show the economy as the top concern of Pennsylvanians and turns them into a tool, arguing that if people are worried about finding jobs, “then it’s our responsibility to find ways to see that there are jobs available for Pennsylvanians.”

Fayette Patriots present award to lawmaker for defending Constitution

Posted: Sunday, October 30, 2011 2:00 am

WHARTON TWP. — State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, says the most important part of his job as an elected official is to uphold and defend the Constitution, something he swore to do as a soldier and again as a requirement of taking public office.

Metcalfe received the first Patriot Award from the Fayette Patriots, a local chapter of the Tea Party, for his dedication to upholding the Constitution at a fundraiser dinner held Thursday evening at the Summit Inn.

 Dave Show, founder of the Fayette Patriots, praised Metcalfe for sticking close to the Constitution and said the organization chose to honor him with the inaugural award because “when you have somebody who has the courage enough to stand up in front of it all, to take the blasts when you have to, for the right reasons, they deserve to be recognized.”

“When you’re defending (the Constitution) as a soldier,” Metcalfe said in his keynote address, “it’s not just the document you’re defending, but a way of life.” As an elected official, he said he has retained this principle, and said, “With every vote we cast, we should be holding that up against the Constitution to see if it fits or not.”

Metcalfe spoke about key pieces of legislation he supported, such as the recently passed “castle doctrine.”

The doctrine was signed into law this summer, and gives Pennsylvanians the right to use force to protect themselves and their property both inside and outside of their home. Under the old law, people were permitted to protect themselves in their home, but the new law expanded those protections to the garage, driveway, yard or vehicle.

Formerly, people in those latter areas had a duty to retreat before using potentially deadly force, and could have faced criminal charges.

“The Second Amendment, to me, is one of the most important amendments,” Metcalfe said, because citizens may need to use guns to defend themselves. “That’s what really motivated us to get the castle doctrine signed into law.”

Metcalfe added that the Second Amendment isn’t just to protect people from home invasions, but also to protect citizens from a tyrannical government.

“We have the ultimate reset button in the Second Amendment,” he said.

Metcalfe also discussed the voter identification bill requiring citizens to show state- or federally issued identification in order to vote, which passed through the House and is now under consideration in the Senate. He mentioned other legislation he supported, such as prevailing wage reform, school choice, privatization of liquor stores and legislation that would prevent public school teachers from being able to strike.

Another issue Metcalfe addressed was immigration. He specifically mentioned two anti-immigration measures: one bill would crack down on “sanctuary cities” by holding cities liable for damages from crimes committed by illegal aliens and another would require employers to forfeit their professional licenses if they knowingly hire illegal aliens.

“I would love to put them in jail for an extended period of time with substantial fines, but we’re prohibited by the government from doing that,” Metcalfe said.

Metcalfe emphasized government accountability as well.

“It’s so important to hold elected officials accountable while they’re in office,” he said.

He encouraged people to vote for good leaders, and to make sure those leaders are doing what they’re supposed to be doing.

The awards dinner also featured speaker Katy Abram, policy analyst for Americans for Prosperity.

“Don’t be armchair activists,” Abram said.

Abram encouraged the audience to “get involved in one way or another, whether that’s working at the polls, helping out on a campaign,” or engaging in social media activism. Sparring with the left on Twitter or Facebook, she said, “is activism; that’s doing something.”

Abram added, “Stick to your word and deed as opposed to the leftists, show them really who you are and what you believe in — know who you are — and you will be able to change a multitude of people’s decisions when it comes to walking into that polling place November of 2012.”

Western Pa. conservative calls for action on illegal immigration

BY BORYS KRAWCZENIUK (STAFF WRITER)

Published: October 29, 2011

SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. - Pushing government toward conservative principles requires day-to-day monitoring of public officials rather than waiting until their next election and can only happen if ordinary citizens are active, one of the state's leading conservative Republican voices said Friday.

"We'll only be able to it all with the help of people like you," state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12, Butler County, told about 100 people gathered for the annual fall dinner of the Lackawanna County Republican Party at the Ramada Inn.

Mr. Metcalfe, a representative since 1998, praised Gov. Tom Corbett for producing the first state budget that he could vote for, one that sharply reduced spending. He also ran through a lengthy list of conservative ideas that he believes must pass for the nation to regain its liberty, he said.

They include privatizing state liquor stores, requiring state or federal identification cards to vote, passing a right-to-work law that forbids forcing workers to pay union dues, prevailing wage laws that artificially prop up wages, school choice and tough anti-illegal immigration laws, He spoke at length about illegal immigration, saying tough laws in other states are pushing illegal immigrants into Pennsylvania.

"Tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians out of work, but there's work here for illegal aliens because they'll do it for an undercut price," he said.

Mr. Metcalfe recalled encountering two teenagers in the Capitol who spoke English well but were illegal immigrants along with their parents.

"And it's sad that their parents put them in such a situation that they grew up in a foreign nation when they're citizens of another nation," Mr. Metcalfe said. "And somebody has to pay the consequences for their parents' criminal acts. They crossed our border knowing it was a crime ... They existed in our community, in our country ... by violating one law after another. There is no good illegal alien. They each violate (laws) to exist here."

Mr. Metcalfe urged the audience to get out and work for Republican candidates in the upcoming local election because the successful ones will become the candidates for future state and federal elections. Next year, he said, Republicans must ensure defeat for President Barack Obama and Sen. Bob Casey.

"Next year, we've got to take Obama off the political stage," he said. "And we need to send Casey somewhere else he's not going to do damage."

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@ timesshamrock.com

Groups against voter I.D. bill make their case

Written by  Mary Wilson

About 20 people gathered for a rally against the state House bill that would require voters to show photo identification at the polls.

Representing older voters, black voters, and voters with disabilities, the speakers said the measure would put an unnecessary barrier on people who are unlikely to have state-issued photo I.D.

The bill’s sponsor, Butler County Republican Representative Daryl Metcalfe, stood a few paces away from the press conference, watching and taking interviews.  He said the people who organized the conference were “aiding and abetting” voter fraud by challenging his legislation.  He referred to 2008 instances of voter registration fraud in Philadelphia.  

Metcalfe’s bill requires that people show state-issued photo I.D. before they vote – but not before they register to vote.  Karen Buck, who runs the SeniorLAW Center in Philadelphia, said one has nothing to do with the other.   

“Voter registration and voter impersonation at the polls: the fraud is very different and distinct,” said Buck.  “And the only type of voter fraud that this unnecessary legislation would prevent is someone going to the polls and pretending they are you.”

Supporters of voter I.D., including the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Carol Aichele, argue that photo I.D. is required for so many things these days, it’s only common sense to require it at the ballot box.

“You get a library card, you show photo ID,” said Metcalfe.  “You go get your new eye glasses, like I did the other day, you show photo ID.  You drive your car, you show photo ID.”

He continued, “You go out into the woods to harvest a deer during whitetail season, you have to have a photo ID to show that you are who you say you are when the game commission officer challenges you for that tag that’s on your back.”

Tim Stevens was among the unconvinced.  He spoke on behalf of the Black Political Empowerment Project.  He said regardless of what other services require, the state shouldn’t be finding obstacles to prevent its residents from voting.

“Voting is a right.  A right for every U.S. citizen.  This is not just a prerogative type of an issue.  This is a right,” said Stevens.  “And the United State of America, including Pennsylvania, should be finding ways to encourage people to vote.”

It would cost the state $4.3 million to issue photo I.D. for registered voters who don’t already have it.  About 82 percent of Pennsylvania adults are registered to vote.

Metcalfe said whatever the price tag is, it’s worth it.

“There’s an associated cost with good government.  Taxpayers support paying for their government.  They don’t support paying for inefficiency and waste and fraud in their government, which is what we’re trying to combat.”

Mary Young 

10-21-11

Metcalfe pushes for Right to Work
By Joe Napsha
Friday, October 7, 2011

ERIE -- Pennsylvania's workers and its economy would be in better shape if employees are not forced to join a union or pay dues at a unionized company or government agency, supporters of Right to Work legislation claimed Thursday.

"This could be an economic stimulus that would not cost us anything," Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, told a receptive audience of about 60 business representatives at a Manufacturers & Business

Association forum here.

Metcalfe claimed the 22 states that have the Right to Work legislation --- primarily in the South and West --- lead Pennsylvania and other states in economic growth, higher net jobs, lower taxes and growth of workers covered by private- or employment-based health insurance.

Claiming that the legislation is not anti-union, Metcalfe said that it is really about giving workers their basic right to choose whether they want to belong to a union.

"You are forced to pay (dues). You are forced, by default, to be a union member," Metcalfe said.

Right to Work legislation, however, should be called "union busting" because it is aimed at "conquering and dividing the work force," said Todd Clary, coordinator of United Steelworkers' Pennsylvania team that responds to plant closings and layoffs.

Pennsylvania is one of the stronger states in terms of union representation, with about 830,000 union workers -- equal to 15.9 percent of the work last year and down from 16.2 percent in 2009, when 844,000 belonged to unions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The lowest percentage of union membership is in Southern states, where right-to-work laws have been enacted. North Carolina has the lowest union membership in the nation at 3.2 percent, with Arkansas and Georgia at 4 percent, and Mississippi at 4.5 percent.

Metcalfe's position was supported by the others at the forum yesterday -- Toni Theis, assistant state director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses; Jennifer Stefano of Philadelphia, policy director for labor and energy for the Americans for Prosperity-Pennsylvania and co-chair of one of the state's largest Tea Party groups; and Simon Campbell of Pennsbury, president of Stop Teacher Strikes.

Metcalfe is trying to push his legislation through a Republican-controlled House and Senate, with a Republican governor possibly willing to sign it.

About 70 to 80 legislators support House Bill 50 -- short of 102 necessary for passage in the House, said Metcalfe.

Metcalfe is the prime sponsor of an "umbrella" bill that would eliminate requirements of all workers in Pennsylvania joining a union or pay dues as a condition of employment.

Three other bills sponsored by other Republican legislators take "incremental steps," Metcalfe said

The measures would permit teachers and other school employees -- as well as state, local and county employees -- to opt out of a union. One bill would eliminate requirements that non-union workers in a unionized workplace pay a "fair share" of union dues to cover the cost of collective bargaining and representing them in disputes with employers. Unions would not have to represent those workers in a dispute.

"We have quite a mountain to climb," Metcalfe said. "We need the governor to be a leader on it and not just sign it."

Corbett is not leading the effort because "there are a lot of major issues in the forefront this fall," and there doesn't appear to be sufficient support, said his spokesman Kevin Harley.

Political observer Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, said there is no indication that Corbett would push for passage.

"He's got so much on his plate -- such as the Marcellus shale tax -- and a limited time to do it. It's a big thing to do," Madonna said.

Voting changes raising concern

New laws could deter 5 million in 2012, center says

Monday, October 03, 2011

By Michael Cooper, The New York Times

Since Republicans won control of many statehouses last November, more than a dozen states have passed laws requiring voters to show photo identification at polls, cutting back early voting periods or imposing new restrictions on voter registration drives.

With a presidential campaign swinging into high gear, the question being asked is how much of an impact all of these new laws will have on the 2012 race.

State officials, political parties and voting experts have all said that the impact could be sizable. Now, a new study to be released today by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law has tried to tally just how many voters stand to be affected.

The center, which has studied the new laws and opposed some of them in court and other venues, analyzed 19 laws that passed and two executive orders that were issued in 14 states this year, and concluded that they "could make it significantly harder for more than 5 million eligible voters to cast ballots in 2012."

Republicans, who have passed almost all of the new election laws, say they are necessary to prevent voter fraud, and question why photo identification should be routinely required at airports but not at polling sites. Democrats counter that the new laws are a solution in search of a problem, since voter fraud is rare. They worry that the laws will discourage, or even block, eligible voters -- especially poor voters, young voters and African-American voters, who tend to vote for Democrats.

The Justice Department must review the new laws in several states to make sure that they do not run afoul of the Voting Rights Act. The Supreme Court upheld Indiana's voter identification law in 2008, saying that while it found no evidence of the fraud the law was intended to combat, it also found no evidence that the new requirements were a burden on voters.

In Pennsylvania, the administration of Republican Gov. Tom Corbett has endorsed a bill mandating voter photo IDs that was sponsored by state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, and approved by the House in the spring. The Senate has yet to act on the measure.

"This year there's been a significant wave of new laws in states across the country that have the effect of cracking down on voting rights," said Michael Waldman, the executive director of the Brennan Center, who noted that 5 million votes would have made a difference in both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. "It is the most significant rollback in voting rights in decades."

Just how much of an impact the new laws will have is a matter of some dispute. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., who held a hearing on the new laws last month, said they "will make it harder for millions of disabled, young, minority, rural, elderly, homeless and low income Americans to vote." Republicans note that states like Georgia and Indiana moved to require photo identification from voters and that turnout there improved.

Some of the new laws have been introduced by Republicans for years, but passed only this year after the party made so many gains at the state level.

Five states passed laws this year scaling back programs allowing voters to cast their ballots before Election Day, the Brennan Center found. Ohio passed a law eliminating early voting on Sundays, and Florida eliminated it on the Sunday before Election Day -- days when some African-American churches organized "souls to the polls" drives for members of their congregations. Maine voted to stop allowing people to register to vote on Election Day -- a practice that had been credited with enrolling some 60,000 new voters in 2008. Voters in Maine and Ohio are now seeking to overturn the new laws with referendums.

The biggest impact, the Brennan Center said, will be from laws requiring people to show government-issued photo identification to vote. This year, 34 states introduced legislation to require it -- a flurry of activity that Jennie Bowser, a senior fellow at the National Conference of State Legislatures, called "pretty unusual." Before this year, only two states, Indiana and Georgia, had "strict" photo identification requirements for voters, according to conference. This year, five more states -- Wisconsin, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas -- passed laws to join their ranks.

The Brennan Center estimates that 11 percent of potential voters do not have state-issued photo identification. By that measure, it finds that the new laws would affect 3.2 million voters in the states where the change is scheduled to take effect before the 2012 elections.

Capitolwire: Bill would change regulatory definition of 'small business.'

By Kevin Zwick
Staff Reporter
Capitolwire

HARRISBURG (Sept. 27) – Perhaps a guided-missile and space vehicle manufacturing company or a crude oil and natural gas extraction company aren’t two things that come to mind when one thinks about “small businesses.”

But according to federal regulations, they are just two of many businesses that receive special regulatory treatment from the federal Small Business Administration’s Small Business Size Regulations.

Bradford County Republican Rep. Tina Pickett sponsored House Bill 1349, seeking to add “small businesses” to the existing list of stakeholders on economic impact statements, she said.

The bill was reported out of the House State Government Committee on Tuesday, which amends the Regulatory Review Act by requiring state agencies to consider the impact of proposed regulations on small businesses.

But, just what constitutes a small business irked Democratic members during Tuesday’s off-the-floor meeting. They questioned whether larger firms could create smaller divisions to benefit from the regulatory flexibility.

“I think the key there is that we’re not going to impact, will not allow for the regulations” to adversely impact health, safety, environment or welfare, said Chairman Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler. “The bottom line is, no regulation should be promulgated that isn’t backed up by an associated statute.”

Metcalfe said the bill "goes a long way to providing very common sense regulatory review on how to reign back in some of these excessive regulations."

Under the federal small business standards, oil and gas related firms with 500 or less employees are considered a small business.

Included among the federal standards are:

• Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas Extraction mining company with 500 employees or less;

• Drilling Oil and Gas Wells company that mining activities support company with 500 employees or less;

• Natural Gas Distribution utility with 500 employees or less;

“The number of employees or annual receipts indicates the maximum allowed for a concern and its affiliates to be considered small,” according to the federal standards document.

For instance, a Heavy Construction and Civil Engineering firm that specializes in Oil and Gas Pipeline construction is considered a small business as long as its revenue does not exceed $28.5 million, according to the federal standards.

Pickett’s legislation requires “a regulatory flexibility analysis” for small businesses be conducted by an agency proposing new or change to existing regulations. This flexibility would allow less stringent compliance or reporting requirements; alternative schedules or deadlines for compliance, simplification or consolidation of compliance; alternative performance standards; and an exemption for all or part of the proposed regulation.

The legislation also says the regulatory flexibility analysis should be consistent with health, safety, environmental and economic welfare.

In addition to their other concerns, Democrats complained that the bill was model legislation provided by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a national conservative think tank.

“I believe this was model legislation being advanced by ALEC in many states, and that’s probably why you’ve seen it adopted in 18 states,” Metcalfe said, responding to Democratic concerns in a brief interview after the meeting. “And I think a lot of those successes were based on work that people had done at ALEC.”

Metcalfe said ALEC is the more conservative of the three national legislative organizations, the National Conference of State Legislators and the Council of State Governments.

Several Democrats said a hearing should be held on the changes proposed in Pickett's bill. Rep. Florindo Fabrizio, D-Erie, motioned that the “bill be tabled until a hearing is held.” His motion, along with several Democratic amendments, failed on party lines.

Metcalfe said the legislation had passed both chambers before and that now a public hearing was not necessary.

“This issue has been fully vetted. I think it would be a waste of tax dollars to turn the lights to try to hold a hearing just to answer questions that are really being asked just to stymie our efforts,” Metcalfe said.

Metcalfe backs Ariz. law, governor
Article published September 20, 2011

HARRISBURG — State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, said Monday he filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court regarding an immigration lawsuit.

The suit asks the court to review the Ninth Circuit Court ruling in favor of the Obama administration’s Department of Justice federal lawsuit that struck down several key provisions of Arizona’s illegal immigrant apprehension and deportation law.

This brief supports Arizona and Gov. Jan Brewer.

 
The amicus brief highlights the importance of maintaining a balance of power between the federal and state governments,

 
It points out the failure of the federal government to uphold Article 4, Section 4 of the Constitution which affirms that “the United States ..... shall protect each of them against Invasion.”

Metcalfe of Cranberry Township and his group, State Legislators for Legal Immigration, view illegal immigrants as an invasion of the states.

Bills would tighten Pennsylvania's immigration enforcement

HARRISBURG -- It's illegal and immoral to take resources from state taxpayers and give them to people without proper documentation, a national Tea Party leader says.

H. John Stahl, a former Pennsylvania legislator from Berks County and founding member of the Tea Party Immigration Coalition, is pushing for legislation in Pennsylvania and other states to ensure that illegal aliens don't get taxpayer-paid benefits such as welfare, take jobs from Pennsylvanians or have an opportunity to commit crimes.

"There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that lends itself to the taxpayers being taxed for the benefit of illegal aliens," Stahl told the House State Government Committee last week.

A package of bills pending before the committee would require proof of citizenship to obtain public benefits; penalize employers who hire illegal aliens; require employers to use the federal E-Verify systems, in which applicants are checked against 455 million records; and let state and local police enforce immigration laws.

The "misguided proposals" would "harm and even criminalize" immigrants and communities, said Pamela Linares, of Community Insight, once an immigrant and now a legal resident.

"Instead of targeting immigrants, Pennsylvania's Legislature should work toward finding solutions to our broken federal immigration system," Linares testified.

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, the committee chairman, said members will meet after the House returns to session the last week of this month and debate which bills they want to make a priority or amend.

During the first half of 2011, 1,592 bills dealing with immigration were introduced in the 50 states -- up 16 percent over the first half of 2010, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver. As of June 30, more than 150 bills had passed in 40 states. Eighteen states now have the E-Verify system for employers that Pennsylvania is considering.

"Pennsylvanians don't want to spend $1.4 billion a year on people who shouldn't be in the state in the first place," Metcalfe said.

Metcalfe based his figure on information provided to the committee by the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Jack Martin, special projects director for that group, testified that Pennsylvania's illegal alien population is about 140,000. The $1.4 billion annual cost is from K-12 schooling for children of immigrants, English language instruction, and free or reduced-price school meals. Other costs include law enforcement, incarceration and general government expenses for transportation and safety.

Pennsylvania faces many challenges, but the "inflow of hardworking immigrants isn't one of them," said Daniel Griswold, director of the Cato Institute's center for trade policy studies.

Pennsylvania ranks 30th among the states with foreign-born residents. In 2009, about 5.5 percent of residents were immigrants, compared with 12.5 percent nationally, he said. Pennsylvania ranks 40th among the states with illegal immigrants at 1.3 percent of the population, compared with 4 percent nationwide, said Griswold, citing figures from the Pew Hispanic Center.

But states such as Pennsylvania have no choice but to enact legislation minimizing adverse effects of the federal government's lack of enforcement, said Michael Bekesha, an attorney at Judicial Watch in Washington.

"Although Americans overwhelmingly want the rule of law enforced, the federal government continues to look for ways to avoid enforcing the law," Bekesha testified.

Kay Hollabaugh said she employs "hardworking and polite" people to pick fruit at her family's Adams County fruit farm. Many domestic applicants won't take the jobs, she said. "I have grown very resentful of the attitude that immigrant laborers have no place in our country," Hollabaugh said.

If broad legislation becomes law, there's little chance her business can survive, she said. "We do not reduce wages" or tolerate "adverse working conditions," she said.

Hollabaugh contends the E-Verify system is flawed and will create nothing but headaches for small businesses.

Said Hollabaugh, "If we are required to use E-Verify system and if our workers are found to be illegal, where is the work force that is ready to step to the plate to harvest our fruits and vegetables?"

Metcalfe: Obama “Treasonous” on Immigration

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe is throwing some fire at Barack Obama today, criticizing the President’s recent executive order calling for a review of deportation orders.

“This deplorable act of treasonous deceit circumvents the balance of power established by our Founding Fathers in Article 4, Section 4 of the United States Constitution, established to protect all 50 states against invasion,” said Metcalfe. “Halting the deportation process to individually review each and every deportation case is a premeditated executive action to obstruct all deportations in favor of blanket amnesty.

”

The executive order instructs the Department of Homeland Security to individually review more than 300,000 illegal alien deportation cases with the aim of shifting agency resources from “low-priority” illegal aliens to those of higher risk. These low priority aliens include individuals who have been in the country since childhood, pregnant or nursing women, minors and elderly adults. The initiative also encourages leniency on illegal immigrants pursuing an education.

Metcalfe’s comments come on behalf of his conservative organization the State Legislators for Legal Immigration. Legislators from 41 states are members of this group created to demand full cooperation among governments to eliminate all economic attractions and incentives that entice illegal aliens to enter America.

According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 31% of Americans favor some sort of amnesty policy for immigrants that are already in the country. Metcalfe obviously finds himself in the other 61% who view stricter border security as the priority.

'Draconian' Budget Heads To Corbett

A state budget that supporters defended as a product of hard choices in bad economic times but critics warned would devastate education and human services was sent to Republican Gov. Tom Corbett on Wednesday without a single Democratic vote.

The 109-92 vote forwarded the budget to the governor in time for him and Republican leaders to fulfill their goal of having the first on-time budget in nine years. The new fiscal year starts at midnight Thursday, and it was unclear when Corbett might sign it.

During a lively floor debate, even basic facts were disputed by members of the two parties, including the total spending figure, whether it contains new taxes and the size of the revenue surplus.

Republicans called it a $27.2 billion plan with no increased taxes, while Democrats put the total at $27.7 billion and called a higher hospital "assessment" a tax increase.

Two Philadelphia Republicans voted with the Democrats. The budget passed the Senate a day earlier on a strict party-line vote.

Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, said the budget eliminated wasteful spending, did not add to the state's debt load and contained none of the legislatively directed grants known as "walking around money."

"This is a historic budget in that it is fiscally responsible, prioritized and on time," Turzai said.

Many more Democrats than Republicans spoke during several hours of floor debate, and many predicted deep cuts in education spending will translate into higher local property taxes, fewer teachers, larger class sizes and higher college tuition rates.

"Our voices have been stifled, our constituents have been disenfranchised and debate has not been allowed to take place," said Rep. Dan Frankel of Allegheny County, the Democratic caucus chairman. "This is a prime example of what a budget looks like when Republicans are the deciders."

Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Adolph, R-Delaware, told members the bill restored $30 million for public schools and $300 million for higher education above what the House had previously approved, as well as more funding for such programs as breast cancer and domestic violence and for critical care hospitals.

Other Republicans praised the budget for a spending reduction of about 3 percent from the current year.

"We'd like to be happy-go-lucky, handing out money here and there and yonder," said Rep. Scott Petri, R-Bucks. "This budget surgically goes line by line by line to try to ensure that services can be delivered at more efficient dollars."

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, said he would be voting for the budget for the first time in 13 years.

"It is in line with what so many taxpayers have expressed that they would like to see state government do, and that is protect them from excessive spending," he said.

Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Luzerne, said schools have already begun laying off employees in response to the budget bill.

Republicans "own these cuts," Mundy said. "We could do much better than this. We should do much better than this for our families, our vulnerable citizens."

The budget spends about $200 million of the current year's surplus, revenues that have outpaced projections by some $700 million, Budget Secretary Charles Zogby said.

Democrats said they were getting conflicting answers about the surplus and argued the money should be used to decrease reductions in education and human services.

"This budget says, 'Hooray for me and the heck with you,'" said Rep. Bud George, D-Clearfield. "It says, 'The rich get richer and the poor get babies.' Today our economy is called the Great Recession, but I call this pending plan the great recession of compassion, of common sense and of kindness."

Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware, failed in his efforts to increase funding for the Department of Environmental Protection, saying "draconian cuts put the health and safety of Pennsylvanians at risk."

Also Wednesday, the Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill that would give the Corbett administration more power to change policies in a range of human services and welfare programs.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, said the 23-page amendment would allow more flexibility as the administration works to reduce costs and increase efficiency, in an effort to achieve spending cuts in the budget bill.

Democrats and advocates for the poor warned that the amendment, which they'd barely seen before Republicans brought it up for a vote, would allow the imposition of new regulations without public input. They said the state could then increase co-pays, eliminate eligibility, curtail services and deny public assistance to a person convicted of a felony drug offense who refuses to take a drug test.

There is traditionally a crush of lawmaking in the days before the General Assembly takes a break from Harrisburg for the summer.

But midway through the final week of the fiscal year, the Legislature has not given final approval to bills that would impose new regulations for abortion clinics, limit school property tax increases or prevent the city of Harrisburg from seeking bankruptcy protection.

The House on Wednesday also sent Corbett a bill establishing PennWATCH, a public website that will provide detailed information on state finances.

Imposition of a fee or tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction was apparently put off until fall, at least, after Corbett said Tuesday he would veto anything that passes before his hand-picked commission reports back to him next month with recommendations.

"We face the potential for environmental catastrophe, and yet we are passing a budget this week, and once again we are passing by an opportunity to do the right thing and tax this industry," said Rep. Steve Santarsiero, D-Bucks. "Something the overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians support."

School vouchers, a priority of Corbett's, were declared dead for the time being, as lawmakers will soon depart Harrisburg for their customary two-month summer break.

Associated Press writer Marc Levy contributed to this report.

Analysis: Pennsylvania budget plan is lean and on time

Published: Wednesday, June 29, 2011, 11:51 PM     Updated: Thursday, June 30, 2011, 12:50 AM

By CHARLES THOMPSON, The Patriot-News The Patriot-News

Pennsylvania soon will have a state budget that cuts spending more deeply than most folks have seen in a generation.

Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to sign a $27.15 billion budget today that includes no tax increases or new taxes. The new fiscal year begins Friday.

The 2011-12 budget cuts spending by 4.1 percent. It dramatically reduces aid for schools, colleges, economic development and welfare programs. It contains about $300 million in tax cuts and credits for business interests.

It is the first budget to spend less than the prior year since 2002 and for only the third time in four decades, according to House Republicans.

Is the austere budget a one-year blip prompted by lagging tax revenue and looming deficits? Or is such lean spending a sign of the new normal with Republicans controlling the governor’s office and the Legislature?

State lawmakers offered perspectives on whether the plan reflects one year’s needs or is a sign of things to come.

"This is a small step in the right direction," said Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, a leader of the fiscal conservatives. "But we have far more to do to actually protect taxpayers of this state from the excesses of the past."

Other Republicans cited the hundreds of millions of dollars in obligations hanging over the state as a reason to go slowly with any spending growth. Those obligations include pension costs, money owed to the federal government for jobless benefits and a past transfer of $800 million from a medical malpractice fund that is subject to a court challenge.

"Until we get some of that at least reasonably under control, I think there’s going to have to be an air of caution and restraint," said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Dillsburg. "We don’t want to end up like some of these other states that just have to completely eliminate everything to pay the bills. That’s not good for anybody, either."

Others, however, expressed hope that spending in some areas could move back toward prior levels in the years to come.

"I assume if we get reasonable growth then some of these lines, particularly education, will grow again," said Sen. Jake Corman, the Centre County Republican who is a leading advocate for funding for Penn State and other universities.

"I wouldn’t think restoration to what they were getting previously is automatic by any stretch," said Corman, whose district includes Perry County. "It just all depends on what the revenues allow us to do."

Still, Republicans were cognizant of the pain the budget cuts will bring.

"This isn’t a budget to be proud of, other than getting it done on time and no new taxes," said Rep. Rick Geist, R-Altoona.

Budget Secretary Charles Zogby said Corbett isn’t driven by spending ideology as much as he wants to make sure spending matches revenues. State government got out of that habit during Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration, Zogby said.

"It’s about fiscal discipline. Gov. Corbett doesn’t take any pleasure out of the fact that he’s had to do all this cutting," Zogby said. "But this is a problem that he was left with. ... This is a legacy from the prior administration that he’s been handed."

Critics of the budget had a different view.

They considered it unnecessarily harsh, given the availability of $700 million in unanticipated revenue and the prospect of more in 2011-12. The GOP budget used only $200 million of that to restore some of Corbett’s cuts.

State tax collections are bouncing back nationally toward pre-recession levels, said Lucy Dadayan, a senior policy analyst at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government’s Fiscal Studies Program.

In the first quarter of 2011, state tax revenues nationwide grew for the fifth straight quarter, though they are slightly trailing the peak year of 2008, she said.

Sen. Vince Hughes, D-Philadelphia, said Democrats are concerned that the Republican governor and his legislative allies might be more focused on reducing spending than meeting basic needs.

"It’s not been proven to us that this is a direction that is focused on meeting the real needs of real Pennsylvania citizens. They had an opportunity to express that in this budget and they chose not to," Hughes said.

Critics talked about the loss of adultBasic, a state-subsidized health insurance program for the working poor, and cutbacks in the Homeowner Emergency Mortgage Assistance program that helped families avoid foreclosure.

They also voiced concern about deep cuts in education that are causing schools to lay off thousands of teachers, eliminate programs and close schools. And they might result in fewer course offerings and larger class sizes at public universities.

"It certainly is going to leave a mark in that there are going to be people fall through the cracks," said Tony Ross, president of the United Way of Pennsylvania. "The money may go away, but the people’s needs will not."

Rep. Glen Grell, R-Hampden Twp., had a different way of looking at it, and he believes his view will be shared by the majority of Pennsylvanians.

"For a welcome change, the Pennsylvania taxpayer is a priority this year," he said. "The years of overspending are being reversed in this budget."

Staff writer Jan Murphy contributed to this story.

© 2011 PennLive.com. All rights reserved.

Budget passes House, on its way to governor

By Brad Bumsted
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

HARRISBURG -- A $27.15 billion state budget that cuts funding for higher education, K-12 schools and environmental and economic development programs passed the House Wednesday night and is on its way to Gov. Tom Corbett's desk.

Closing a $4.2 billion deficit was Corbett's top priority upon taking office in January.

That deficit stemmed from the loss of federal stimulus money and what Corbett said was years of overspending.

The budget, approved 109-92, meets Corbett's goals of erasing the deficit while not raising taxes and, according to Republican lawmakers, without spending more than Corbett's cap of $27.3 billion. It cuts spending by $1.2 billion, or 4.2 percent, from last year.

"Today, we're doing what some said couldn't be done," said Rep. Stephen Bloom, R-Cumberland County.

"I'm ashamed of it all and it didn't have to be this way," said House Minority Leader Frank Dermody, D-Oakmont, arguing against it.

Corbett, who negotiated the budget with Republican legislative leaders, is expected to sign it by Friday's deadline, which is set in state law and implied in the state constitution. It would end an eight-year run of late budgets under former Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell.

"We are sending a signal to the business community and to taxpayers that years of overspending are being ended in this budget," said Rep. Glen Grell, R-Cumberland County.

But Democrats attacked the budget as a document that passes on costs and higher taxes to local governments. Rep. Camille "Bud" George, D-Clearfield County, called it "a cynical document of despair."

"This is a pass-the-buck budget," said Rep. Mark Longietti, D-Mercer County.

It will hurt the chronically ill, handicapped, elderly and children, said House Appropriations Chairman Joe Markosek, D-Monroeville. He decried "horrendous cuts to education."

Democrats contended it will lead to higher school property taxes -- and increased tuition for students. The State System of Higher Education, which oversees 14 state-owned universities, would see an 18 percent cut in state funding. The state-related universities -- Pitt, Penn State, Temple and Lincoln -- face 19 percent cuts.

House Appropriations Chairman Bill Adolph, R-Delaware County, made light of the Democrats' arguments. "The sky is falling, the world is ending and yes, the world of uncontrollable spending is coming to an end," Adolph said.

Separate legislation is pending to let voters decide whether to raise property taxes above inflation -- with likely exceptions being for school special education and pension costs.

Later Wednesday night the House by a 99-98 margin approved an amendment from Rep. Seth Grove, R-York County, to tighten existing language in state law covering referenda. "It is designed to prevent property tax increases," said House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Bradford Woods.

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, told his colleagues a vote for this budget was "a vote to protect taxpayers."

Read more: Budget passes House, on its way to governor - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_744554.html#ixzz1QlMCBxFt

Capitolwire: House sends $27.149 billion budget to Gov. Corbett's desk.

By Kevin Zwick
Staff Reporter
Capitolwire

HARRISBURG (June 29) – After hours of debate and attempts by House Democrats to amend the budget, the Republican-controlled state House of Representatives voted Wednesday mostly on party lines, 109-92, to send the $27.149 billion budget bill to the governor’s desk.

The budget bill, negotiated by Gov. Tom Corbett and Republican leaders in both chambers, is set to pass by the state’s constitutional deadline after eight straight years of deadline-missing state spending plans.

Republicans said it was a 4-percent decrease, the biggest state spending cut in at least 40 years. Some budget analaysts believe even if the spending cut turns out to be closer to 3 percent, it may be the biggest reduction since 1929. State records could not be found to verify budget reductions further back than 1970.

House Republicans said it was a "no-tax-hike budget." House Appropriations Committee Minority Chairman Joe Markosek, D-Allegheny, noted it hiked a hospital tax, used by hospitals to draw down federal funding, by $50 million.

GOP lawmakers responded that most of the hospitals would get far more from the tax than they would pay through the levy.

The state welfare code and fiscal code are yet to pass both chambers and be sent to the governor for his signature.

During the nearly six hours of highly partisan debate, Republicans argued that the $27.149 billion budget represents a “tightening of the belt,” while Democrats said the budget demonstrates “misplaced priorities.”

"I heard the word devastation, I heard the word draconian, painful, the sky is falling, the world is ending and yet, the world of uncontrollable spending is finally over,' Majority Appropriations Chairman Bill Adolph, R-Delaware, said.

"Our schools will remain open, and they will be held accountable. Our hospitals will give our citizens of Pennsylvania the best possible medical care that this world has ever seen. And also, those vulnerable citizens, those vulnerable citizens that need our services will receive because this general assembly has seen fit to take care of those who need it the most,” he said.

......Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, said there was “an excessive appetite” spending under former Gov. Ed Rendell’s reign.

This budget “protects taxpayers from excessive spending,” Metcalfe said........

Voter identity bill nears final vote in state House

June 22, 2011

By the Associated Press

HARRISBURG — A Republican proposal to make Pennsylvania voters produce government-issued photo identification at the polls moved a step from a final vote Tuesday in the state House with the defeat of a succession of proposed Democratic amendments.

Majority Republicans used sheer numbers and parliamentary maneuvers to turn aside proposed exemptions for victims of domestic violence or people with mental and physical disabilities, to have voting information printed in Spanish, or to provide additional information to voters about the change in law.

It was the second straight day the House’s floor action was dominated by the voter ID bill.

Democrats have argued there is no evidence the state has a significant problem with voting fraud, and warned the bill would needlessly impose a new barrier to voters.

The prime sponsor, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, argued for a clean bill that would closely mirror an Indiana law that has been upheld on appeal. If the measure passes the House, it will be sent to the Senate, where members of the GOP majority have expressed an interest in it.

GOP House members call for a 2011-12 state budget that holds fast to $27.3 billion spending limit

JAN MURPHY, The Patriot-News The Patriot-News
June 17, 2011

Nearly two dozen GOP legislators signed on to a letter to taxpayers opposing any 20-11-12 state budget that exceeds the $27.3 billion spending limit in Gov. Tom Corbett's budget proposal and in the budget that passed the state House last month.

Among those signing the letter are Reps. Stephen Bloom, R-North Middleton Twp.; Scott Perry, R-Dillsburg; and Rob Kauffman, R-Chambersburg. I

The letter states they are taking this stance to protect taxpayers from "the dangers of excessive government spending" and "to further enable Pennsylvania's economic recovery and future job creation."

The question remains as to whether this stand by 23 House Republicans creates a potential wrinkle in the House's ability to pass a budget where Republicans hold a 112-91 seat majority.

A House Republican leadership source said House GOP leaders don't see it as an issue and that the caucus' negotiators "understand their concerns and are working towards meeting them."

Whether or not it's a complication may center around how the tobacco settlement funds are treated and whether those dollars are a revenue source outside the general fund budget or are moved into the general fund as both Corbett and House Republicans propose.

Senators from both parties have advocated keeping the tobacco funds out of the general fund budget to pay for health-related programs but using some of the state's $540 million surplus to backfill the hole that would create in the governor and House budget to keep spending at the $27.3 billion level. The surplus dollars could then be directed toward partially restore some of the funding cuts to education and hospitals, along with other programs important to lawmakers.

"I know that there are some members in both chambers that would like to spend less than the governor proposed and some would like to spend more than the governor proposed," said Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware County. "We're going through a process to find out the right combination that gets us to 102 votes in the House, 26 in the Senate and the governor's signature."

Both he and House leadership sources say budget talks are progressing and they anticipate completing a budget by June 30. But all admit a lot of work remains to be done.

Pileggi said he anticipates the Senate will vote on a budget bill next week.

The letter:

Dear Pennsylvania Taxpayers:

House Republican Leadership deserves credit for crafting and advancing to the state Senate a fiscally-responsible state budget (House Bill 1485) with reduced spending compared to last year’s budget and no tax increases. These proposed spending reductions are the first step in the right direction to continuing the decrease in state government spending.

In the interest of protecting YOU the taxpayer from the dangers of excessive government spending, and to further enable Pennsylvania’s economic recovery and future job creation, we the undersigned fiscally conservative members of the House Republican Caucus are opposed to any future or amended budget legislation that exceeds the $27.3 billion spending limit established by both Governor Tom Corbett’s original budget proposal and House Bill 1485.

We will continue our work to advance fiscally conservative policies that hold our state government accountable and to protect taxpayers’ rights to financial security.

For fiscally responsible government,

• Representative Daryl D. Metcalfe
• Representative Kerry A. Benninghoff
• Representative Tom Creighton
• Representative Scott E. Hutchinson
• Representative Curt Schroder
• Representative Ryan Aument
• Representative Stephen Bloom
• Representative Jim Cox
• Representative Bryan Cutler
• Representative George Dunbar
• Representative Joe Emrick
• Representative Seth Grove
• Representative Rob Kauffman
• Representative Tim Krieger
• Representative David Maloney
• Representative Scott Perry
• Representative Kathy Rapp
• Representative Brad Roae
• Representative Todd Rock
• Representative Justin Simmons
• Representative Will Tallman
• Representative Dan Moul
• Representative Matt Gabler

John Baer: Members leaving Council should duck out of voting on tax issue

By John Baer
Philadelphia Daily News

Daily News Political Columnist 06-22-11

A SHORT POLITICAL quiz: What's worse than City Council?

If you said, "Nothing," you're right.

What, you're thinking, not even the Legislature?

Nope, not even.

That's because with Council set to vote this week on higher property taxes and parking fees to pour still more money into questionably run city schools, it could take a lesson from the Legislature.

For the last few sessions, the Legislature has ended lame-duck lawmaking, the practice of permitting defeated or retiring members to vote on important issues.

Because the Legislature never implements a real reform by law or rule, this sensible step was taken voluntarily. Still, it's the right thing to do, and leaders deserve credit for doing it.

As Butler County GOP state Rep. Daryl "The Daryl" Metcalfe once eloquently put it, "Whether it is a federal or state legislature, a lame-duck session is a time of potential malicious mischief against the citizens," and retiring or defeated lawmakers "may be the deciding votes for policies that the people oppose."

Same goes for Council.

Six members are leaving (all, in some way, related to DROP greed) but are voting on issues with potential long-term impact on the city, schools and politics.

Republican Frank Rizzo Jr. lost at the polls. Republican Jack Kelly and Democrats Anna Verna, Frank DiCicco, Donna Reed Miller and Joan Krajewski are retiring.

Their collective take from the Deferred Retirement Option Plan is $2 million, so higher taxes and parking fees won't much hurt them.

Don't let them vote. (Soda-lovers!) Let's see what happens.

Especially since approving more money for schools could be a long-term deal. State law says any money the city adds must continue in future years. So the $53 million facing Council approval Thursday could be ongoing spending as long as the law's in place or unless the city gets a waiver.

Philly Democratic state Rep. Mike McGeehan just won House approval to remove the keep-paying requirement. But Senate passage is needed, and you know how the Legislature feels about "Philadelphia problems."

So should lame-duck Council members vote on a bill to add money to schools that maybe commits the city to extended payments for years to come?

I'm thinking no. Same goes for redrawing Council districts, another vote facing this same unaccountable crowd soon.

And, in a broader sense, since these ducks no longer are subject to voters, doesn't their participation in the process make the process more susceptible than usual to favoritism, deal-making, etc.?

Suppose one or more of their votes became critical. Might one or more extract some legacy project or perk for their years of service?

Conversely, what if one or more is looking for another job? Might one or more use his/her last months in office to push for some favor for whatever entity might represent future employment or income?

They made the decision to leave (in Rizzo's case, constituents made it for him); maybe they should leave now. Maybe when one opts out or is tossed out, one loses the power to affect decisions.

Just a thought. As long as Council maintains a pattern of catering to itself, unions and special interests instead of city residents, it at least should do so with some accountability instead of with a cadre of quackers.

Send email to baerj@phillynews.com.

Proposals would outlaw teacher strikes in Pa.

Published: Saturday, June 11, 2011; Last Updated: Sat. Jun 11, 2011, 6:09am

The beginning of the long, hot summer also marks the inevitable beginning of long, hot labor disputes between many school districts and unionized teachers. Just as inevitably, some of those impending disputes will result in strikes that disrupt the new school year.

Unlike 37 other states, including strongly pro-union neighbors New York and New Jersey, Pennsylvania still allows teachers to strike.

Two new bills, introduced by Republican Reps. Daryl Metcalfe of Butler County and Todd Rock of Franklin County, would outlaw teachers strikes and establish a system to lead to fair settlements.

The unions oppose the bills, claiming that they would tilt the field in favor of school boards.

"Teachers don't like strikes any more than the rest of the community. Our members would always prefer to be working than on a picket line," said Wythe Keever of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the largest state teachers union.

Regardless of what teachers supposedly prefer, the law provides them with powerful incentives to strike when they don't get what they prefer in negotiations. They are allowed to strike with impunity, assuming no risk and paying no price for hitting the bricks.

State education law requires 180 days of instruction and imposes no financial penalties on unions or teachers who strike. Teachers get paid for a full year regardless of whether they strike, thus making it an easy option.

The bills would outlaw strikes and lockouts and create incentives for compromise rather than intransigence.

Bargaining, by law, would have to start Sept. 30 of the year prior to contract expiration, and written proposals would have to be submitted by Oct. 30. Failure to achieve a settlement by the following Jan. 15 would result in mandated mediation, followed by a public fact-finding report on Feb. 15.

That would be followed by mandatory but non-binding arbitration beginning April 15, when both sides' total proposals would be made public.

The bills should pass. Metcalfe also proposes a constitutional amendment barring strikes, but the key issue is the practical one of achieving fair settlements.

That is just part of what can be done to hold down costs, achieve fair settlements and eliminate strikes. The time has come.

— Associated Press, (Scranton) Times-Tribune

HARRISBURG -- When the Bethel Park teachers union went on strike for six weeks last fall, Denise Dillon decided she had had enough.

She pulled her son out of Bethel Park High School in January and enrolled him in a cyber school for the rest of his junior year. She said he will spend his senior year at the cyber school, too, because she is worried that, with the labor contract still unsettled, teachers will strike again in the fall.

"I don't want my son in a school that is going on strike," she said.

A group of Republican lawmakers is working to ensure families like hers no longer have to worry about teacher strikes throwing a wrench in the school year.

Reps. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, and Todd Rock, R-Franklin, have introduced a package of bills that would outlaw teacher strikes and hold contract negotiators publicly accountable for their proposed labor agreements.

Mr. Rock's legislation includes hefty financial penalties for teachers who violate the proposed no-strike law.

Striking teachers would lose two days of pay for each day of an illegal strike, and those who incite the strike would be fined $5,000 under the legislation. Meanwhile, their unions would forfeit dues check-off privileges for a year.

Mr. Rock's bill also would require union leaders and school officials to "face the music" during town hall meetings every six weeks if there is no agreement in place by June 30 of each year.

Mr. Metcalfe's proposal goes a step further by seeking a constitutional amendment outlawing strikes. That measure requires separate votes in two legislative sessions plus a public referendum.

Voter ID bill doesn't discriminate

By DARYL METCALFE
Contributing writer 

The Erie Times-News editorial titled "We don't need expensive voter ID law" presented the same consistently disproved and worn-out liberal arguments that have failed to derail legislative efforts in states, such as Indiana and Georgia, to dramatically improve the security and integrity of the election process (Erie Times-News, May 13).

With the 2012 primaries rapidly approaching, now is the time to provide the whole truth regarding my Pennsylvania Voter Identification Protection Act (House Bill 934).

Massive or diminutive, every illegally counted vote cancels out the vote of a legitimate voter.

Expert nonpartisan testimony presented to the House State Government Committee earlier this spring confirmed that requiring valid photo ID at the polls, as provided for by House Bill 934, can prevent the four most widely documented types of voter fraud: impersonation at the polls, fictitious registrations, double-voting and voting by illegal aliens.

These conclusions coincide with the bipartisan findings of the 2005 Commission on Federal Elections headed by President Jimmy Carter and Secretary of State James Baker:

"The electoral system cannot inspire public confidence if no safeguards exist to deter fraud or to confirm the identity of voters. Photo IDs currently are needed to board a plane, enter federal buildings, and cash a check. Voting is equally important."

Numerous academic studies have also proven that requiring voter photo identification has had absolutely no disenfranchising impact on voter turnout for minority, poor or elderly voters. In fact, in Indiana and Georgia, where showing valid photo ID at the polls is now law, voter turnout has dramatically increased to record levels, especially among minorities and Democrats.

Clearly, House Bill 934 is essential to guaranteeing the integrity and security of our state's election process, in which all registered voters can be fully confident that their votes cannot be canceled out by the forces of corruption.

The Pennsylvania Voter Identification Protection Act is a much-needed and overdue piece of legislation that will restore the integrity in every Pennsylvanians' right to vote.

The ACLU vs. Daryl Metcalfe

By Keegan Gibson, Managing Editor

A bill requiring Pennsylvania voters to show photo ID is one step closer to becoming law.

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe’s Pennsylvania Voter Identification Protection Act, HB 934, passed the House State Government Committee and will advance to the House floor for consideration. The civil rights advocates at the PA chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) were quick to criticize the measure, saying it would lead to disenfranchisement.

“Passage of House Bill 934 is essential to preserving the sacred freedom of voting from the ever-present forces of corruption seeking to override the will of the people,” said Metcalfe (R-Butler).  “Currently in Pennsylvania it is impossible to board a commercial airplane, cash a paycheck, operate a motor vehicle or even purchase season passes to a neighborhood swimming pool or amusement park without displaying a valid photo ID.   Guaranteeing the integrity of our state’s election process in which all registered voters can be fully confident that only eligible voters have the privilege of casting a vote, that every vote counts equally and, most importantly, not be canceled out by fraudulent votes deserves no less than equal protection under the law.”  Read more....

Metcalfe's moment

By Brad Bumsted TRIBUNE REVIEW

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Immigration report: No rush across border to give birth

By Alan Gomez, USA TODAY

Republican lawmakers in Congress and in more than a dozen state legislatures are trying to alter the interpretation of the 14th Amendment so that the children of illegal immigrants born in the USA are no longer granted citizenship.

When announcing a plan for state legislation, a group led by Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe claimed "hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens are crossing U.S. borders to give birth and exploit their child" to obtain citizenship.

Critics of those legislative efforts are pointing to a new report by the Pew Hispanic Center that found a vast majority of illegal immigrants who had children in the USA in 2010 had entered the country several years earlier.

The report found that 350,000 babies were born in the U.S. between March 2009 and March 2010 to at least one illegal immigrant parent. Of those parents, 91% arrived before 2008.

It's real concrete data that I think destroys this notion that immigrant women are crossing the border illegally and having babies," said Angela Kelley of the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank.

Metcalfe, who founded State Legislators for Legal Immigration, said that despite the report's findings, birthright citizenship remains a huge lure for foreigners as they consider sneaking into the country.

He said many immigrants come to the United States for jobs and public benefits. But he said he has spoken with people along the Southwest border who tell him about pregnant women making the dangerous crossing to give birth in the United States.

"Whether its thousands or tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands that are born here, it's still a major incentive," he said. "I think it's beyond being deniable."

Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, which supports a process for some illegal immigrants to become citizens, said the notion of having a child to obtain citizenship is a myth.

He said a baby born in the United States to illegal immigrant parents must wait until they're 21 to sponsor their parents for citizenship, and the parents would then have to return to their home country for 10 years before qualifying. He said it's highly unlikely that parents would rush a pregnant woman to the United States on the hope that they could become citizens three decades down the road.

Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican who is sponsoring a federal bill to revise the 14th Amendment, said that even if the number of people crossing over to immediately have a child is small, it's still a problem.

"Do the open-borders people think that's all right? It isn't a big enough deal that we should fix it?" he said. "It's wrong to reward people for bad behavior."

Arizona bill challenges automatic citizenship

By Associated Press
Friday, January 28, 2011

Legislators set sights on 'anchor babies'

To view video, click here

Judy Woodruff: Battles Brew Over the 14th Amendment

While members of Congress took turns reading the Constitution out loud on the House floor Thursday -- a move initiated by the new Republican majority -- there's a serious battle just getting underway over one section of the document that has provided the legal underpinnings of our country for over 200 years. That part is the 14th Amendment, which among other things, guarantees citizenship to anyone born or naturalized on U.S. soil.

A coalition of state legislators has unveiled a plan to change the way the amendment is applied, so that babies born to undocumented aliens receive a different type of birth certificate than children born to parents who are already citizens. Driven by opposition to the growing presence of illegal immigrants in the United States - a number estimated at around 11 million - the group, calling itself State Legislators for Legal Immigration, unveiled a plan to challenge the way the 14th Amendment is being interpreted.

Its founder, Pennsylvania State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, told reporters at a news conference Wednesday that in his view, under the amendment, "the primary requirements for U.S. citizenship are dependent on total allegiance to America, not mere physical geography." Seizing on language in the amendment that states,"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof," Metcalfe and the others assert that undocumented immigrants are outside the jurisdiction of U.S. laws.

The Pew Hispanic Center recently estimated that there are 4 million U.S.-born, citizen children of illegal immigrants currently in the country.

Metcalfe and his allies want Congress to pass a law "clarifying" the 14th Amendment so that it can no longer be "misapplied," in their view. They also advocate states taking action of their own to change birth certificates, according to the legal residence of a baby's parents......  Read more...

Political Battle on Illegal Immigration Shifts to States

Published: December 31, 2010

Legislative leaders in at least half a dozen states say they will propose bills similar to a controversial law to fight illegal immigration that was adopted by Arizona last spring, even though a federal court has suspended central provisions of that statute.

 

The efforts, led by Republicans, are part of a wave of state measures coming this year aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration.

 

Legislators have also announced measures to limit access to public colleges and other benefits for illegal immigrants and to punish employers who hire them.

 

Next week, at least five states plan to begin an unusual coordinated effort to cancel automatic United States citizenship for children born in this country to illegal immigrant parents.

 

Opponents say that effort would be unconstitutional, arguing that the power to grant citizenship resides with the federal government, not with the states. Still, the chances of passing many of these measures appear better than at any time since 2006, when many states, frustrated with inaction in Washington, began proposing initiatives to curb illegal immigration.

 

Republicans gained more than 690 seats in state legislatures nationwide in the November midterms, winning their strongest representation at the state level in more than 80 years.

 

Few people expect movement on immigration issues when Congress reconvenes next week in a divided Washington. Republicans, who will control the House of Representatives, do not support an overhaul of immigration laws that President Obama has promised to continue to push. State lawmakers say it has fallen to them to act.

 

“The federal government’s failure to enforce our border has functionally turned every state into a border state,” said Randy Terrill, a Republican representative in Oklahoma who has led the drive for anti-illegal immigration laws there. “This is federalism in action,” he said. “The states are stepping in and filling the void left by the federal government.”

 

But the proposals have already drawn opposition from some business groups. And they are forcing strategic soul-searching within the Republican Party nationwide, with a rising populist base on one side demanding tough immigration measures, and, on the other side, traditional Republican supporters in business and a fast-growing Latino electorate strongly opposing those measures.

 

In Utah, a state dominated by Republicans, leaders from business, law enforcement, several churches and the Latino community sought to bridge the divide by joining together in November in a compact urging moderation on immigration issues.

 

Some of the more contentious measures may not go into effect immediately, including Arizona-style bills and those intended to eliminate birthright citizenship for American-born children of illegal immigrants. Latino and immigrant advocate legal organizations are gearing up for a host of court challenges.

 

Among the states expected to introduce bills similar to Arizona’s are Georgia, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

 

The Arizona law authorized the state and local police to ask about the immigration status of anyone they detained for other reasons, if they had a “reasonable suspicion” that the person was an illegal immigrant.

Acting on a lawsuit filed by the Obama administration, a federal judge stayed central provisions of the law. In November, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard arguments on an appeal of that stay by Arizona.

 

“States will push ahead regardless of the Ninth Circuit,” said Kris Kobach, a law professor and politician from Kansas who helped many states devise immigration laws — including Arizona’s. “A lot of people recognize that the district judge’s decision is very much open to dispute.”

 

In Oklahoma, where Republicans won big majorities in both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s office, Mr. Terrill said he would introduce a bill he called “Arizona plus.” In addition to the terms of Arizona’s law, it would allow for the seizure of vehicles and property used to transport or harbor illegal immigrants.

 

In Georgia, an all-Republican commission of legislators plans to propose measures to enhance enforcement of tough laws already on the books. Georgia will also consider a bill to bar illegal immigrant students from all public universities.

 

The newly elected governor, Nathan Deal, a Republican, is expected to sign those bills. But the Georgia Farm Bureau, which represents the state’s powerful growers, voted to oppose any measures that would affect immigrant farm workers, most of whom do not have legal status.

 

In Kansas, Republicans won big majorities in both legislative houses and Sam Brownback, who just retired as a United States senator, was elected governor. Mr. Kobach, the law professor, was elected secretary of state after a campaign in which he vowed to pass a law requiring proof of citizenship for voters.

 

But the Kansas Chamber of Commerce has voiced its opposition, and Mr. Brownback has said he will focus on reducing unemployment.

 

The newest initiative is a joint effort among lawmakers from states including Arizona, Oklahoma, Missouri and Pennsylvania to pass laws based on a single model that would deny American citizenship to children born in those states to illegal immigrants. The legislators were to announce the campaign in Washington on Wednesday.

 

A leader of that effort is Daryl Metcalfe, a Republican state representative from Pennsylvania. At a recent news conference, Mr. Metcalfe said his goal was to eliminate “an anchor baby status, in which an illegal alien invader comes into our country and has a child on our soil that is granted citizenship automatically.”

 

The campaign is certain to run into legal obstacles. Courts have interpreted the 14th Amendment as guaranteeing birthright citizenship. Even among those who seek its repeal, debate has hinged on whether that would require a constitutional amendment, an act of Congress or a decision by the Supreme Court.

 

Some Republicans argue that the party is risking losing its appeal to Latino voters, the fastest-growing minority voter bloc.

 

“The Republican Party is divided between those who see that Hispanics are an essential constituency going forward, and those who don’t see that,” said Tamar Jacoby, a Republican who is the president of ImmigrationWorks USA, a business coalition that supports legalization for illegal immigrants.

 

Latino and immigrant advocate groups are resigned to being on the defensive for the next two years. “These laws are creating resentment within the Latino community that is going to last for decades,” said Tony Yapias, director of Proyecto Latino de Utah in Salt Lake City, an immigrant advocacy group.

 

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State House OKs save-now, pay-later pension bill

By Brad Bumsted
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
TTuesday, November 16, 2010

 

HARRISBURG -- House approval of a union-backed pension bill yesterday represented a "slap in the face of the taxpayers," one lawmaker said.

 

The bill, approved by a 165-31 vote, goes to Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, who urged its passage.

 

....The bill was approved while Democrats still control the chamber, and lawmakers defeated in the Nov. 2 election voted. Republicans will take control of the House in January.

 

"A favorable vote for this in a lame-duck session is a real slap in face of the taxpayers of Pennsylvania," said Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, an opponent who said the bill's enactment would thwart more substantive reform. "The unions are advocating for this, thinking this will keep their defined-benefit plan in place."

 

Read more...

 

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Fighting 'Abuse' of the 14th Amendment

Pennsylvania lawmaker joins call for re-examination of birthright clause in Constitution -/p>

On the Record with Greta Van Susteren - aired 10-20-10

   

   

View the video by clicking here....

  

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Lawmakers in 14 States Craft Bill to Deny Citizenship to 'Anchor Babies'

Published October 19, 2010| Associated Press

PHOENIX -- Lawmakers in at least 14 states announced Tuesday they are working on legislation to deny U.S. citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants, although they weren't specific about how they plan to do it.

Arizona Sen. Russell Pearce said he and the lawmakers have a working draft of their model legislation and have consulted constitutional scholars to change the 14th Amendment and deny automatic citizenship.

"This is a battle of epic proportions," Pearce said Tuesday during a news conference at the Arizona Capitol. "We've allowed the hijacking of the 14th Amendment."

 

Pearce declined to say how the legislation will differ from similar measures that have been introduced in each two-year congressional session since 2005. None of them made it out of committee.

 

He and another Arizona lawmaker did argue that wording in the amendment that guarantees citizenship to people born in the U.S. who are "subject to the jurisdiction" of this country does not apply to the children of illegal immigrants because such families don't owe sole allegiance to the U.S.

 

....Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, the founder of a national group of legislators critical of illegal immigration, said the 14th Amendment "greatly incentives foreign invaders to violate our border and our laws." He had a news conference Tuesday in Harrisburg, Pa., on the multistate endeavor.

 

The effort could run afoul of the language in the 14th Amendment and lead to a court battle over the constitutionality of the law. But Metcalfe said providing birthright citizenship to children of illegal immigrants is an "ongoing distortion and twisting" of the amendment.

 

Metcalfe's office said lawmakers in at least 12 other states besides Arizona and Pennsylvania said they were making their own announcements about working on the citizenship legislation. Those other states: Alabama, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.  Read more.....

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Policy Changes; Pittsburgh Police Can't Question Immigration Status

Updated: 6:35 pm EDT July 27, 2010

 

PITTSBURGH -- A new law in Arizona gives police broad sweeping powers to question a person’s immigration status, but it's a question Pittsburgh police are not allowed to ask.

 

Channel 11 News reporter Rick Earle talked to several Pittsburgh police officers, who expressed concern about the new regulation. The officers didn't want to go on camera, but they said they believe the new policy will limit their ability to do their job.

And they have the support of state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, who's introduced legislation similar to Arizona's.

“The policies that are being put in place to discourage local law enforcement from doing their job, from enforcing the law, enforcing federal law, that already exists,” said Metcalfe. “Illegal aliens are here illegally. That's why they're called illegal aliens.”

Metcalfe also said what's even more disturbing about the new Pittsburgh policy is the time limit officers have to hold illegal immigrants. If federal authorities don't pick them up in four hours, police must release them.

“They have a known criminal in their hands, somebody who's broken federal law, invaded our company and now they are going to release them to possibly do additional crimes against their fellow citizens,” said Metcalfe. “That's not right.”

Metcalfe said he believes there are 140,000 illegal immigrants in Pennsylvania, costing taxpayers more than $700 million every year. He also contends that the federal government has failed to enforce immigration law. But others argue that local police don't have the resources and expertise to do it. And the American Civil Liberties Union said it will ultimately hamper police.

View video...

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Is Republican Leadership Herding Cats?

Most Republicans don't follow leaders' budget vote

JULY 1, 2010 | by JIM PANYARD

 

A funny thing happened in the House Republican caucus on the way to the passage of the state's $28 billion General Fund budget Wednesday. All the Republican leadership voted for the bill, while 80 percent of the rank-and-file members did not.

 

The controversial measure, relying on more than $1 billion in unsecured funding, passed by a vote of 117-84. One hundred one of 104 Democrats voted for the measure, along with 16 Republicans, including all seven members of the House Republican leadership. Leaders are elected by the members of the caucus.

 

Eighty-two rank-and-file Republicans voted against the measure.

 

...Less delicate in his remarks was state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), who said, "I think the leadership sat down in their behind closed doors meetings and they said they didn't like the negative PR from the late budget last year. They decided they needed to minimize the public relations impact from not getting the budget passed on time.

 

"I think many of us were blindsided when (appropriations chair Bill) Adolph stood on the floor and announced his support of the budget last night.  We weren't aware of the agreement they had made with the Democrat leadership to support the budget," Mr. Metcalfe said.

 

In the caucus meeting before the final vote, Mr. Metcalfe said leadership, "...took us up to caucus and our leadership explained the decision to support the budget.  They said it gave them a seat at the table for the negotiations.

 

"I think the voters have to hold every rank-and-file member accountable for election of a leader who goes against the majority opinion of the caucus," Mr. Metcalfe said.

 

"I think ultimately we have to see some or all or these leaders challenged.  Ideally it would be nice to replace all the leaders who make such irresponsible decisions," Mr. Metcalfe added. Read more....

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Associated Press

Dems pull Pa. House vote on natural gas tax

By MARK SCOLFORO , 06.16.10, 08:12 AM EDT

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Democrats abruptly yanked a bill to tax natural gas extraction and tobacco products from the Pennsylvania House floor Tuesday after a spirited debate that exposed internal divisions over what would constitute an integral piece of the state budget puzzle.

 

The setback for House Democratic leaders concerned their proposal to raise $142 million from Marcellus shale natural gas drilling and use 80 percent of it for the state's general fund.

 

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, said voters want to see taxes cut, not increased.

 

"Any increase in the tax burden hurts every taxpayer, because it increases the appetite of the monster in Harrisburg that keeps devouring tax dollars," Metcalfe said.    Read more....

 

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Metcalfe finishes 3rd in Republican lt. governor race

By Jim Smith
Eagle Staff Writer

Published: May 19, 2010

 

For state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of Cranberry Township, Tuesday's primary outcome in the race for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor was kind of like kissing his sister.

He didn't win. But, as he saw it, he didn't exactly lose either.

"You always run to win. That didn't happen," Metcalfe said. "But we ran a strong race and we had a good showing.
"I think my candidacy showed that a lot of people across the state share my message of reducing taxes, cutting spending and protecting constitutional freedoms."

Metcalfe, a six-term lawmaker in the House of Representatives' 12th District who is known for his bare-knuckles-in-your-face conservatism, finished third among nine candidates vying for the GOP nod for the state's No. 2 post.

Not bad, he figured, for someone who only entered the race two months ago, and ran with a bare-bones campaign budget.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, according to unofficial results, Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley emerged as the nominee.

The endorsed candidate of the Republican State Committee, Cawley got 209,241 votes, or 26 percent of the votes.

Chet Beiler of Lancaster County, a businessman and a former GOP nominee for auditor general, came in second with 163,750 votes, 21 percent.

Metcalfe was next with 101,335 votes, 13 percent.

Steve Johnson of York County, a businessman, was fourth with 83,613 votes, or 11 percent.

The fifth through ninth place finishers and their share of the vote were:
* State Rep. John Kennedy of Cumberland County, 9 percent.
* Jean Pepper of Erie, a financial adviser and a former GOP nominee for state treasurer, 8 percent.
* Stephen Urban, a Luzerne County commissioner, 4 percent.
* Russ Diamond of Lebanon County, a political activist and entrepreneur, 4 percent.
* Billy McCue of Washington County, a church business manager, 4 percent.

Much of Metcalfe's support came from staunch social and fiscal conservatives, said Terry Madonna, a political analyst and pollster at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.

"His votes came from people that knew him as a critic of Harrisburg," Madonna said. "Metcalfe's vote total proves it's good to be viewed as anti-establishment this election year."

Art Rauschenberger, chairman of the Butler County Republican Committee, credited the Tea Party movement for Metcalfe's showing.

"They helped put up a lot of his signs and they worked hard for him," Rauschenberger said. "At Tea Party gatherings, they were saying, 'He's the one.'"

But Metcalfe conceded he did not have a monopoly of the Tea Party vote. Some of that vote was splintered among other candidates, such as Beiler, Kennedy and Diamond.

It appeared geography also played a role in the race.

While it was not surprising that Metcalfe won Butler County, the margin of victory was eye popping. He received 14,079 votes, or nearly 70 percent of all ballots.

His closest challenger in Butler was Cawley, who got 2,300 votes.

Meanwhile, Metcalfe showed his strength in Western Pennsylvania at large. He was the top vote-getter in counties surrounding Butler, including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Clarion, Lawrence, Mercer and Venango.

In all but one of those, Allegheny, he got more votes than Cawley and Beiler combined.

While much less known in the central and eastern portions of Pennsylvania, Metcalfe nevertheless did relatively well in some traditionally conservative counties, including Bedford, Franklin, Fulton and Potter. Metcalfe ran simultaneous campaigns for lieutenant governor and for re-election for his House seat. He was unopposed for the latter and in November faces Democrat Zack Byrnes.

But now, Metcalfe is happy to put campaigning aside and get back to work.

"The budget debate is next," he said. "It's time to stop the excessive spending and cut taxes. That's one campaign promise that needs to be kept."

 

 

Tuesday's election set stage for hard-fought fall campaigns

Published: May 20, 2010

 

….From the Butler County vantage point, the coming election would be even more interesting had state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe been successful in his bid for the Republican lieutenant governor nomination.

Metcalfe finished third in the field of nine candidates for the GOP nod. He has nothing to be ashamed of in that result.

After the contest was decided, he made a good assessment of the contest, saying, "I think my candidacy showed that a lot of people across the state share my message of reducing taxes, cutting spending and protecting constitutional freedoms."

The 12th District legislator, who will be on the November ballot in an attempt to win re-election to his House seat, showed, by way of his vote numbers, that, in his six terms in Harrisburg his work has been noticed in Western Pennsylvania. He was the top vote-getter Tuesday not only in this county, but also in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Clarion, Lawrence, Mercer and Venango counties.....

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Daryl Metcalfe interview on FOX's "Strategy Room" on Tuesday, May 11, discussing the illegal alien invasion.

 

 

Daryl Metcalfe on FOX's "Neil Cavuto" on Monday, May 10, discussing the illegal alien invasion.

 

 

Daryl Metcalfe on FOX's "Fox and Friends" on Saturday, May 8, discussing the illegal alien invasion.

 

 

 

Daryl Metcalfe announces legislation to address the illegal alien invasion.

 

 

 

Recognized by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s “No. 1 Conservative” and a multiple-time, highest-ranking lawmaker on the Pennsylvania Liberty Index, Metcalfe’s uncompromising record of protecting taxpayers and family values, includes:

  

►   Signing the Americans for Tax Reform pledge and never voting for a tax increase during more than 11 years in office.

►   Spearheading the successful repeal of the unconstitutional 2005 state government pay raise.

►   Working to reduce the waste, inefficiency and cost of welfare.

►   Preserving Second Amendment liberty and organizing Pennsylvania’s Annual Right to Keep and Bear Arms Rally.

►   Standing up for state’s rights and founding a national coalition of state legislators dedicated to ending America’s illegal alien invasion.

►   Fighting to stop state tax dollars from going to Planned Parenthood, the world’s largest abortion provider.

►   Defending marriage between one man and one woman.

►   Restoring parental control over a child’s education.

►   Outlawing teacher strikes and compulsory unionism.

 

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Lt. gov. candidate says he'd hold governor accountable

By: JO CIAVAGLIA

Bucks County Courier Times

 

Last week, state House Rep. Daryl Metcalfe introduced House Bill 2479, described as an Arizona-style immigration law that would give police new, wide-reaching power to enforce immigration laws.

 

GOP lieutenant governor candidate Daryl Metcalfe is running on a simple platform: the governor should do what the Butler County state lawmaker believes Pennsylvania residents want - or else.

 

And, what Metcalfe, 47, believes Pennsylvanians want is the person running the state to protect their pocketbooks and personal freedoms.

 

If the next governor doesn't, Metcalfe promises he'll "publicly expose" him and, if necessary, launch a challenge in the next primary.

 

"It's very sad we expect politicians to lie. I will be there to hold him accountable," Metcalfe told about 50 people at a campaign stop at the American Legion Post in Yardley Tuesday. "We get our liberties from God, not the government."

 

Metcalf, who calls himself "the" leading conservative state House lawmaker, has served in the state legislature since 1998. He is an opponent of labor unions and teacher strikes, who is against gay marriage and abortion.

 

Last week the Cranberry Township resident introduced House Bill 2479, described as an Arizona-style immigration law that would give state and local police new, wide-reaching power to enforce immigration laws.

 

The bill would provide state and local law enforcement with full authority to arrest illegal aliens for any public offense which would warrant removal from the United States, as well require law enforcement officers to attempt to verify the immigration status of suspected illegal aliens.

 

A whopping nine Republicans are competing in Tuesday's primary for the job as the state's second in command, a position that pays $146,926 this year with full state benefits, including state police protection, but requires few job duties, unless the governor cannot lead.

 

Bucks County Commissioner James Cawley is the endorsed GOP candidate for lieutenant governor.

In his stump speech, Metcalfe talked about the corruption in Harrisburg, much of it he blamed on union power, saying he has spent his tenure fighting labor unions, particularly the teacher unions. He portrayed himself as a political outsider reviled by the old-boy network.

 

On other political issues, Metcalfe told the crowd:

 

Teacher strikes/unions

 

Pennsylvania "needs to be the 38th" state to outlaw teacher strikes, calling teachers unions an "archaic system." He talked about the money that unions lavish on legislators to buy influence. He warned of the major tax increases that will be necessary to cover unfunded pension liabilities the legislature adopted in 2001 for the Public School Employee Retirement System and the State Employee Retirement System, which covers state employees including lawmakers.

 

Illegal immigration

 

"We have an invasion occurring," he said, adding that illegal aliens are committing crimes because the nation hasn't secured the border. He says laws that cut off benefits and access to employment will lead to "self deportation."

 

Gun laws

 

Again, described himself as "the" strongest advocate of the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution in the state legislature. "It is the foundation for all other rights," he said.

 

Term limits

 

He opposes them. "We have term limits, if people would vote," he said.

Metcalfe is also running a simultaneous re-election campaign to keep his state House seat.

May 12, 2010 03:03 AM

 

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Other states taking cue from Arizona law

Legislators call feds 'AWOL' on 'invaders'

May 10, 2010

By Chuck Neubauer

A controversial law passed in Arizona giving state and local police the right to arrest anyone reasonably suspected of being an illegal immigrant is catching on nationwide, with lawmakers and others in several states considering similar legislation.

 

Concerned about the federal government's failure to secure the nation's borders, legislators and political candidates from Georgia to Colorado have introduced bills to beef up local immigration enforcement, have promised to do so or said they would support such legislation if offered.

 

"With the federal government currently AWOL in fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities to protect American lives, property and jobs against the clear and present dangers of illegal-alien invaders, state lawmakers … are left with no choice but to take individual action to address this critical economic and national security epidemic," said Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe.

 

Mr. Metcalfe, a Republican who introduced legislation last week modeled on the Arizona law, said his bill would give "every illegal alien residing in Pennsylvania two options: Leave immediately or go to jail."

His bill would, among other things, give state and local law enforcement officials full authority to apprehend Pennsylvania's estimated 140,000 illegal immigrants and require law enforcement officers to attempt to verify the immigration status of suspected illegal immigrants. It also would make it a criminal offense for illegal immigrants to fail to register as foreigners or to have proof that they did.

 

South Carolina state Rep. Eric Bedingfield, a Republican, has sponsored a bill in that state allowing the verification of a person's immigration status and providing for the "warrantless arrest of persons suspected of being present in the United States unlawfully."

 

Mr. Bedingfield's bill also would target illegal immigrants who fail to complete or carry legal registration documents and would criminalize "hiring and picking up workers at different locations while impeding traffic."

He said his constituents are concerned about illegal immigration and that he had received numerous communications from constituents asking when South Carolina would take the additional step as lawmakers did in Arizona. The bill, he said, has 20 to 30 co-sponsors and is pending in the House, but it might be difficult to get it to the Senate floor before the end of the session June 1.

 

In Oklahoma, state Rep. Randy Terrill said he and some other lawmakers still hope to pass a bill similar to Arizona's new law this session and "go beyond it." Mr. Terrill, a longtime advocate for tougher immigration laws, said his group also would like the legislation to include tougher penalties for illegal immigrants caught with firearms.

 

Mr. Terrill, a Republican, said Oklahoma used to have the toughest laws against illegal immigrants but that Arizona is now No. 1.

 

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The Metcalfe proposal: The time has come

Friday, May 7, 2010

 

Pennsylvania shares the problems that the federal government's failure to enforce immigration laws creates for states that border Mexico. Thus, it's fitting that Pennsylvania share Arizona's solution for those problems.

 

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, deserves praise for introducing a reasonable, practical bill -- modeled on Arizona's new anti-illegal-aliens measure -- that deserves to become law. It would give state and local police authority to detain anyone who can't prove legal residency when stopped for another, "primary" offense, such as a traffic violation.

 

Despite that provision, politically motivated opponents are squawking about "racial profiling!" -- and Democrat Gov. Ed Rendell is threatening a veto. But state Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Carrick, stood with Rep. Metcalfe as he announced the bill, so this isn't simply a party-line issue.

 

State taxpayers of all political persuasions no doubt would like to stop spending what the Federation for American Immigration Reform pegs at $728 million annually to educate, incarcerate and provide medical care for an estimated 144,000 illegals.

 

Arizona's law has immense public support. Hopefully, so will Metcalfe's bill, helping to convince Harrisburg to do what's right for Americans in Pennsylvania.

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Leave or go to jail, Metcalfe tells illegals

By Brad Bumsted
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Last updated: 6:20 am

HARRISBURG -- Take the handcuffs off police and put them on illegal aliens in Pennsylvania, who cost taxpayers $728 million a year for education, health care and incarceration, advocates for tougher laws said Tuesday.

 

Republican Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of Cranberry says it's time to give illegal aliens living in Pennsylvania two choices: Leave or go to jail. He patterned a bill introduced yesterday after a controversial Arizona law enacted last month by that state's governor, Jan Brewer.

 

But Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, said if Metcalfe's proposal is "a mirror image of Arizona's, I'd veto it." Rendell leaves office in January, and the bill would start anew in Pennsylvania's year-round Legislature.

Rendell didn't elaborate, but critics of the Arizona bill claim it encourages "racial profiling," which Metcalfe denies.

 

Since 2005, the number of bills filed and laws enacted by state governments on immigration problems has increased, said Ann Morse, an official who handles immigration issues for the National Conference of State Legislatures. Law enforcement issues are among the top three topics addressed, she said.

 

In 2009, 48 states enacted 222 laws and 131 resolutions on immigration issues. In the first quarter of 2010, they introduced 1,180 bills and resolutions.

 

Since the Arizona bill became law, South Carolina introduced a similar measure, according to NCSL. Thirty states' legislative sessions are over. Some states are watching results of four lawsuits filed over Arizona's law, Morse said.

 

Each Pennsylvania household pays about $150 a year for education, incarceration and health care costs of illegal aliens, according to a study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR. That tab totals $728 million annually in Pennsylvania to cover costs of an estimated 144,000 illegal aliens, the study says.

 

Dan Stein, president of the nonprofit that claims 250,000 supporters nationwide, attended the news conference where Metcalfe announced his bill. Stein said it is the federal government's role to enforce immigration laws, but it doesn't do so. States are acting because "year after year, the federal government has failed in its mission: to enforce these laws."

 

The Metcalfe bill aims to provide state and local law enforcement officers the authority to round up illegal aliens -- those who can't offer proof of legal residency -- when stopped for a primary offense, such as a traffic violation.

 

Under the bill, it would be a crime for an illegal alien to apply for work. Someone who smuggles or transports illegal aliens also would be committing a crime.

 

The goal is "attrition through enforcement," Metcalfe said.  Read more.......

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Pro-gun stars shine at Capitol rally

By John Baer
Philadelphia Daily News

Daily News Political Columnist

Posted on Wed, Apr. 28, 2010

 

 

REPUBLICAN state Rep. (and lieutenant governor candidate) Daryl Metcalfe from faraway Butler County yesterday offered up a little reminder of the diversity driving Pennsylvania politics.

 

Metcalfe, arguably the state's most pro-gun lawmaker, hosted his fifth Right to Keep and Bear Arms Rally at the Capitol with several hundred gun fans and, as advertised, its "biggest-ever lock-and-loaded lineup."

 

Speakers included NRA executive vice president Wayne La-Pierre, Gun Owners of America director Larry Pratt and former Texas lawmaker and national right-to-carry advocate Suzanna Hupp.

 

The annual gig is a direct response "to that gun-grabbing liberal Ed Rendell coming up from Philadelphia," Metcalfe said.

 

The rally's far from subtle. It once featured a suggestion that gun-control supporter Rep. Angel Cruz, D-Phila., be hanged from the "tree of liberty."

 

Cruz, Rendell and others push for controls such as restricting gun sales to one a month per buyer. There was no lynching suggestion yesterday, but plenty of evidence of Pennsylvania's love affair with firearms.

 

Metcalfe called for "celebrating" Ed's last year in office and drew cheers and loud applause with:

"We have defeated that man every step of the way."

 

Attendees said it's important to visually remind the Legislature of same.

 

"It's a good cause," said Harry Gromo, 69, a retired Beaver County steelworker holding a sign: "Gun control means using both hands."  He said he came because "every day there's something new" threatening gun rights.

 

The current targets are Philly and other municipalities enacting local gun laws.

 

A bill sponsored by Metcalfe requires locals to foot court costs, attorney fees and "actual damages" in successful challenges to local gun controls.

 

The control-advocacy group CeaseFirePa says 37 municipalities have resolutions or ordinances requiring reporting lost or stolen guns.

 

Rallygoers Garin Moore, 50, unemployed, and Connie Miller, 51, a floral designer, both of Tower City, in Schuylkill County, said local laws don't work.  "Only the law-abiding cooperate," said Miller. "Don't fear what a person carries in their hand," Moore said. "Fear what they carry in their heart."

 

There's also a push for a tough Castle Doctrine (as in a man's home is his castle) protecting gun owners from civil liability if they use lethal force in self-defense at home, work, in a vehicle or (for some reason) at state parks.

 

Republican candidates for governor, Attorney General Tom Corbett and Berks County Rep. Sam Rohrer, were introduced and stood with rally speakers, along with dozens of lawmakers from both parties.

 

Few issues are as divisive. While far from exclusively partisan, more Democrats tend to support controls; more Republicans oppose them.

 

Philly's Democratic candidate for governor, state Sen. Tony Williams, for example, is running statewide TV ads calling for local gun laws.

 

In contrast, Metcalfe says that if he's lieutenant governor and the governor does anything resembling retreat from the Second Amendment, Metcalfe will run against him in the next primary.

 

But then, Williams represents Philly, and Metcalfe represents Butler County.

 

For comparison purposes, the tourism section of Butler County's Web site features the fact that three local bridges are closed through Oct. 15 and touts "The Barns of Butler County," a self-guided driving tour of 16 barns "tucked among our rolling hills."

 

Metcalfe, 47, is as conservative as it gets. He opposes routine resolutions honoring Muslims (because they "do not recognize Jesus Christ as God") and domestic-violence awareness (because language related to men suggests "a homosexual agenda").

 

But he has the last ballot position in a field of nine unknown Republicans for lieutenant governor and could - based on name ID among hard-core GOP voters, especially in western Pennsylvania - prevail in the May 18 primary.

 

And that could be interesting.

 

"Once I get elected lieutenant governor," he says, "both parties will move to abolish the office . . . I will not be a silent sidekick."

 

In fact, he'd be a double-barreled booster - for gun rights and the political right.

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Gun owners back state bills in Pennsylvania, denounce municipal laws

By Brad Bumsted
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Harrisburg: Hundreds of gun advocates at an annual rally organized by [State Rep. Daryl] Metcalfe yesterday touted state legislation to expand the use of self-defense beyond homes and to "slap down" municipal gun ordinances.

A former Texas legislator whose parents died in the 1991 shooting in Luby's Cafeteria told Pennsylvania gun enthusiasts Tuesday they can "make a difference" in pushing for laws that make it easier to legally use a firearm to defend one's family.

 

After the shooting in Killeen, Texas, that killed 23 people, Suzanna Gratia Hupp found herself "mad as hell" at the Texas Legislature for making it illegal to carry a handgun. Her gun was "100 yards away," locked in her car, when George Jo Hennard moved through the cafeteria executing people before taking his own life.

 

Hupp ran for the Legislature and pushed for enactment of a 1995 law allowing Texans to carry a handgun with a concealed weapons license, similar to the Pennsylvania law that has licensed about a half-million gun owners.

 

Her story "illustrates when the government restricts the right to bear arms, law-abiding citizens lose and criminals win," said state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry.

 

Read more....

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State road funding hits pothole
Failure to toll interstate leaves $470 million deficit

By Jared Stonesifer
Eagle Staff Writer 

Published: April 24, 2010

Gov. Ed Rendell is convening a special session of the Legislature in early May to brainstorm ways to make up a $470 million deficit in the state's transportation budget.
 
The funding shortfall will severely hamper the ability of the state's Department of Transportation to proceed with road and bridge repairs across the state if legislators can't find extra sources of revenue.

The deficit exists because Rendell banked on that money coming from a proposal to toll Interstate 80, a proposal that was rejected by the federal government. With the plan scrapped, Rendell and state legislators now must find ways to come up with the much-needed revenue to fund transportation projects.
 
Several lawmakers have thrown around their own ideas already, including implementing a tax on gasoline, enacting a tax on natural gas being pumped out of the Marcellus shale formation or significantly raising the fee motorists pay to register their vehicles.
 
Local legislators agree an election year is no time to raise constituents' taxes. One local lawmaker, however, said he has the perfect plan to plug the transportation budget deficit.
 
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, has previously suggested cutting the state's spending on welfare to help fix other financial maladies like the annual budget deficit. The program is a prime target for Metcalfe, who said Rendell annually pumps more than $4 billion into the system.

That kind of spending is irresponsible, Metcalfe said, and could solve many financial woes if it were cut by a mere 10 percent.

"Reducing welfare by just 10 percent, anyone can look at their budget and find those kinds of reductions," he said. "As an individual, family or business that kind of cut is well within each. If we do that and direct to that money to other places, it could easily take care of the money missing as well as additional needs for the state."

Metcalfe, who's also currently campaigning for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, said he opposes any measure that "reaches deeper into peoples' pockets," especially any new tax increases.
 
He also lambasted Rendell for banking on money he knew might not be there in relying on the I-80 toll project for transportation funding. He said he's aware the governor most likely won't take the welfare proposal seriously, but added any lawmaker with his constituents' interests in mind will listen to his plan.

"I think Rendell might not take it seriously but he's a lame duck governor anyway," Metcalfe said. "If the Legislature has any integrity it will take a look at that proposal very seriously."

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State Rep. Metcalfe speaks to Plum GOP

By Tom Yerace
VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Last updated: 7:01 am

PLUM — Being from the same part of the state would not hurt a Tom Corbett-Daryl Metcalfe ticket in the state's upcoming gubernatorial race, according to Metcalfe.

 

"I don't think geography matters as much to the voters as the candidates themselves," said Metcalfe, a Cranberry Republican who represents the 12th District in the state House.

Metcalfe, a candidate for lieutenant governor, made the observation during an appearance Monday before the Plum Republican Committee.

 

Corbett, a Shaler Township resident who is the state's attorney general, has been endorsed for governor by the state Republican Party. The party endorsed Jim Cawley, a Bucks County commissioner, for lieutenant governor.

 

Metcalfe thinks he would bring "strengths" to the Republican ticket that Corbett doesn't have since Corbett has not served in the Legislature. Metcalfe has served in the House for 12 years.

Metcalfe said he and Corbett have both signed a no-tax pledge.

 

"The party's choice, the young man from the east (Cawley), has already voted for a tax increase which, to me, goes against a fundamental Republican principle," Metcalfe said.

 

If Metcalfe defeats the eight other Republican candidates for the lieutenant governor's nomination and goes on with Corbett to win in November, he promised the new governor would get more than a second-in-command. He will get a watchdog looking over his shoulder.

 

"I would hold the governor accountable," Metcalfe said. He added that if Corbett does not do what he promises, "I will take the next governor to task, publicly."

 

Metcalfe claimed he has done that with governors of both parties, recalling that he challenged former Republican Gov. Tom Ridge for his support of the state financing sports stadiums.

On other matters, Metcalfe said:

 

• The state's financial picture is completely out of kilter. He said right now, revenues are projected to be at least $500 million less than last year but yet Gov. Rendell has pushed through an almost $2 billion increase in the state budget. He said the Legislature is trying to find new revenue sources, such as privatizing the state liquor store system, as well as looking for ways to cut expenditures.

 

• Two areas where he thinks expenditures could be reduced are in welfare benefits and dealing with illegal aliens. He said the state's welfare rolls have increased by more than 600,000 people and the state spends $700 million a year on illegal aliens with things such as medical assistance.

 

Metcalfe said he is studying the possibility of introducing a bill similar to one introduced in Arizona. That bill would allow local police to charge anyone found to be in the country illegal with criminal trespassing.

 

• The only way the looming crisis with public employee pensions can be addressed is with a governor and state Legislature willing to take on the public employee unions.

 

"We have to move to a defined contribution plan," Metcalfe said, adding that is what most private sector employees have.

 

Brian Rasel, a member of the Plum and Allegheny County committees and the Plum Young Republicans, liked what he heard.

 

"I think finally somebody is speaking sensibly," Rasel said. "I didn't disagree with anything he said."

 

As for supporting Metcalfe's candidacy, Rasel said, "Absolutely.

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Charges against Perzel put Metcalfe in spotlight

Saturday, November 21, 2009

By Tracie Mauriello, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau

John Perzel, R-Philadelphia, was removed from the position of ranking Republican in accordance with House rules preventing lawmakers from top committee posts if they've been charged with a crime.

Taking the place of Mr. Perzel is Rep. Chris Ross, R-Chester.

 

That move opened up a spot on the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, whose Republican leader had been Mr. Ross.

 

Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, was tapped for that spot.

 

The committee considers legislation dealing with the relationships among local, state and federal government bodies.

 

Last session, Intergovernmental Affairs considered legislation dealing with Real ID, a federal act mandating nationwide standards for state driver's licenses and identification cards.

 

Mr. Metcalfe said he plans to use his position on the committee to advance his opposition to gay marriage, socialized medicine and benefits for illegal immigrants.

 

"The work of this committee presents a prime opportunity to uphold and defend the foundational documents of the American way of life and to affirm, protect and advance our God-given -- not government-given -- personal liberties," Mr. Metcalfe said.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09325/1015245-454.stm#ixzz0Xj602dSA

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Metcalfe stands fast against ads

Veterans, others call for his resignation

By STEPHANIE REX - Eagle Staff Writer

Published: October 28, 2009

CRANBERRY TWP — State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, is on the offense after radio ads calling for his resignation started running in the Pittsburgh market last week.

The ads, which started running Thursday, are a reaction to statements he made that offended a coalition of veterans and national security organizations after he sent an e-mail calling members of the group traitors.
 
The coalition, calling itself Operation Free, says it strives to raise awareness about the link between climate change and national security. The group, based in Washington, D.C., promotes clean energy and warns against consequences of global warming on the nation's security.
 
The group's "Veterans for American Power" bus tour stopped in Philadelphia on Oct. 21, and Operation Free members sent e-mails to every state lawmaker urging them to attend. That's when Metcalfe replied with an e-mail, sent to other state legislators, calling members of the group "traitors" and "Benedict Arnolds."

"I believe that any veteran lending their name to promote the leftist propaganda of global warming and climate change, in an effort to control more of the wealth created in our economy, all in the name of national security, is a traitor to the oath he or she took to defend the Constitution of our great nation," the e-mail said.
 
In a radio advertisement paid for by Vote Vets, a narrator begins with, "Traitors — that's what Rep. Daryl Metcalfe called decorated Iraq and Afghanistan veterans."

The ad ends with, "Tell Metcalfe to resign because attacking America's patriots is the most unpatriotic thing you can do."

Metcalfe said he has received supportive phone calls from constituents and veterans in the region.

"As I dug into it, Vote Vets was revealed to be a front group for Moveon.org, the George Soros group advocating for leftist attacks on our country for the last several years," Metcalfe said. "They support John Murtha, who accused our Marines of killing people in cold blood. I stand with the vast super majority with veterans in defense of the U.S. Constitution."

Metcalfe said he is being attacked by the group because he has exposed their ulterior motives.

"The sponsors of this ad are attacking me because my comments have exposed that Operation Free's radical leftist agenda has absolutely nothing to do with America's national security, energy independence or protecting our environment, but is a direct attack on our Constitution," said Metcalfe, a U.S. Army veteran whose service record between 1980-84 includes defending the West German border during the height of the Cold War, according to a news release.

Metcalfe said he will not resign and stands by his original comments.

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Ads call for Metcalfe's resignation
Tuesday, October 27, 2009

By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG -- There's never a dull moment with state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, the outspoken conservative from Cranberry.

 

Just a few days after he caused an uproar by calling some Iraq and Afghanistan veterans "traitors" for warning about climate change, radio ads are being run on Pittsburgh stations, urging listeners to call his office and demand that he resign from the Legislature.

 

But the Republican flame-thrower said he won't quit and blamed the harsh radio attacks on groups such as Operation Free, VoteVets.org and liberal billionaire George Soros, all of whom, Mr. Metcalfe claimed, have a "radical leftist" political agenda.

 

Mr. Metcalfe, a military veteran himself, contended that any veteran who lends their name "to promote the leftist propaganda of global warming and climate change, in an effort to control more of the wealth created in our economy ... is a traitor to the oath he or she took to defend the Constitution of our great nation!"

 

The new radio ad, running on KDKA and other stations, opens with a narrator saying sternly, "Traitors -- that's what state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe called decorated Iraq and Afghanistan veterans."

The ad also has Pittsburgh veteran Chuck Tyler saying, "Rep. Metcalfe, a lot of my friends never made it home from Iraq. Dishonoring us dishonors their memory. We deserve better and so does Pennsylvania."

 

Mr. Tyler also says, "I'm not a traitor, sir. I'm just an American doing what's right for my country."

Then the narrator urges listeners to call Mr. Metcalfe, giving his Cranberry office phone, "and tell him to resign. Attacking America's patriots is the most unpatriotic thing you can do."

 

The narrator says the ad is "a message from Operation Free, paid for by Vote Vets Action Fund."

 

Mr. Metcalfe fired back yesterday in his usual feisty manner, claiming he's being assailed "because my comments have exposed that Operation Free's radical leftist agenda has absolutely nothing to do with America's national security (or) energy independence."

 

He said he is a U.S. Army veteran "whose honorable service record between 1980-84 includes defending the West German border during the height of the Cold War."

 

He accused Vote Vets of supporting "a far-left group of state and national politicians, including U.S. Congressman John Murtha."

 

In his statement, Mr. Metcalfe said he "stands by my original comments" about Operation Free.

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Metcalfe defends harsh talk about vets on climate

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

By Dennis B. Roddy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a Republican firebrand from Cranberry known for controversial remarks, yesterday refused to back down on comments in which he suggested a group of veterans were "traitors" for promoting a message about climate change.

 

"As a veteran, I believe that any veteran lending their name, to promote the leftist propaganda of global warming and climate change, in an effort to control more of the wealth created in our economy, through cap and tax type policies, all in the name of national security, is a traitor to the oath he or she took to defend the Constitution of our great nation!" Mr. Metcalfe said in his e-mail response.

 

"Remember Benedict Arnold before giving credibility to a veteran who uses their service as a means to promote a leftist agenda. Drill Baby Drill!!!"

 

Rep. Metcalfe, who served in the U.S. Army from 1980-84, defended the remarks, saying "if the type of policies that an individual promotes undermines the Constitution and the law of the land in our country, then they are not patriots." He said cap-and-trade proposals on carbon emissions interfere with the rights of businesses and states and violate Constitutional principles. "It looks like, from their violent reaction from their statement, they haven't disputed that it's leftist propaganda," he said of the veterans group.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09294/1007086-454.stm#ixzz0VXuH3kTQ

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Rendell says he will veto latest budget

Democrats, GOP back compromise but governor says it fails education

Saturday, September 12, 2009

By Tom Barnes and Torsten Ove, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

HARRISBURG -- A $27.9 billion "compromise" budget drafted by legislative leaders received a huge jolt yesterday when Gov. Ed Rendell vowed to veto it, claiming it overestimates certain tax revenues and reduces spending for important programs he supports.

House Republicans, who rarely agree with Democrat Rendell, also opposed the $27.9 billion plan.

"There is plenty of economic pain and suffering to go around in this budget, including the job-killing Capital Stock and Franchise Tax and a 25-cent per pack increase in the cigarette tax," complained Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry. He also didn't like the plan's use of the entire $755 million Rainy Day Fund to help erase last year's budget deficit.

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House OKs bill for municipal pensions

Saturday, September 12, 2009

By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau

HARRISBURG -- The state House voted yesterday to approve legislation creating new procedures to aid underfunded municipal pensions across Pennsylvania but that gives the city of Pittsburgh a two-year window to improve the level of funding in its ailing pension plan.

 

But Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, opposed the bill, saying higher sales taxes for Philadelphia and higher parking taxes for Pittsburgh are "the wrong approach for this state. It will hurt economic activity."

 

Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Bradford Woods, said Pittsburgh officials have been "irresponsible" over the last 20 years by not adequately funding the city's pension plan, and questioned whether that will change if they are given another two years to act.

 

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Taxpayer rally targets special-interest groups

By Lauren Boyer
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

HARRISBURG -- Special-interest groups clamoring for a share of taxpayers' dollars are like pigs at a trough, Republican Rep. Daryl Metcalfe said Tuesday.

 

"The taxpayers who are providing the feed in this trough have had enough," said Metcalfe of Cranberry, surrounded by dozens of taxpayers gathered for a rally to protest a potential state income-tax increase.

 

Metcalfe, watchdog groups Americans for Tax Reform, the National Taxpayers Union, and Heritage Foundation and the pro-business Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association frequently place Gov. Ed Rendell in their sights.  Read more..

 

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Threat to "God-Given" Right" Spurs Gun Owners' Rally In Harrisburg

By Brad Bumsted, STATE CAPITOL REPORTER
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Last updated: 8:43 am

HARRISBURG — About 1,000 gun owners rallied Tuesday to protect what some called a "God-given" right to bear arms as elected leaders reacted to the slayings of three Pittsburgh police officers with calls for gun control.

 

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, the rally's organizer, said he intends to introduce a bill that would require cities to pay legal costs for people who file lawsuits challenging ordinances that attempt to pre-empt state gun laws.

 

A state law prohibits local gun restrictions, but some cities have tried anyway. Philadelphia enacted gun ordinances last year that were overturned in state court.

 

Metcalfe said his bill is meant to "rein in lawless acts by elected officials." Cities would have to reimburse actual damages, reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs, he said.

 

At least a dozen House Democrats from Western Pennsylvania joined about 30 Republican lawmakers to show their support.

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Republicans challenge Rendell to cut spending

By Debra Erdley
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, January 31, 2009

Gov. Ed Rendell's proposal to lay off up to 2,000 state workers in response to a projected $2.3 billion budget deficit is a ruse to buy support for new taxes, a Republican lawmaker charged Friday.

Instead, said state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, the state could shift $1 billion from welfare spending and take nearly $1 billion from discretionary programs that fund lawmakers' pet projects to help erase the shortfall. He cited an audit that detailed waste and fraud in the Department of Public Welfare.

"You can cut 10 percent by taking $1 billion through changes from inefficiencies, fraud and waste," Metcalfe said. "There's some serious waste going on. Cutting 10 percent is not an unreasonable number during an economic downturn." .......

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Rep. Metcalfe to seek House speaker's post

Republican says he'll fight pay raise

Saturday, January 03, 2009

By Tracie Mauriello, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau

 

Mr. Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, yesterday announced his candidacy for the job that is all but certain to go to Keith McCall, D-Carbon, who is the unanimous nominee of his party, which holds a five-seat majority.

 Mr. Metcalfe is mounting a challenge.

 "Today, I end this fiscally irresponsible coronation process by declaring my candidacy for speaker," Mr. Metcalfe said.

 He criticized Mr. McCall for supporting increases in welfare spending, a 2003 income-tax increase and the controversial 2005 legislative pay raise.

 "I have never voted for a tax increase and I voted against and led the fight in the state House to repeal the 2005 state government pay raise in its entirety," Mr. Metcalfe said. "For this session, the members' choice [for speaker] will be between candidates with two dramatically different voting records that accurately forecast the actions of future leadership."

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Lawmakers say they'll give up pay increase

By Brad Bumsted
STATE CAPITOL REPORTER
Thursday, December 4, 2008

 ...But Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, called the decision by House Democratic leaders to forgo the raises "a sham." He said they should move legislation to repeal the automatic increase for members of the Legislature.

"True leadership requires sacrifice," Metcalfe said. "Returning a few thousand dollars to the commonwealth, which will still factor into their state pensions, would not be defined as a significant sacrifice by the majority of Pennsylvania taxpayers."

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Representative Daryl Metcalfe Interviewed By Radio Host Roger Hedgecock On Illegal Immigration

  September 10, 2008 - State Representative Daryl Metcalfe was 
  interviewed by radio talk show host Roger Hedgecock regarding Metcalfe's
  "State Legislators for Legal Immigration".  As the founder and leader of this
  group to combat illegal immigration, Representative Metcalfe is recognized
  nationally as leader in the illegal immigration fight.

  Roger Hedgecock, a frequent guest host for the nationally syndicated Rush
  Limbaugh Show, featured Representative Metcalfe and other prominent 
  national leaders on this issue.  The podcast of this broadcast can be
  downloaded by clicking here. (Please click the 5:00 PM segment for
  September 10th, 2008.)

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Representative Metcalfe Guest Hosts on
              WHP 580 Radio



August 12, 2008 - State Representative Daryl Metcalfe guest-hosted the Bob Durgin Show on WHP-580 AM in Harrisburg.  Addressing radio listeners in the Harrisburg - Philadelphia area,  Representative Metcalfe covered the 3 PM to 6 PM broadcast with good discussions of the pressing issues of the day. Guests included:

Dr. Lee Edwards of the Heritage Foundation discussed the history of the conservative movement.  Dr. Edwards has published more than 15 books about the leading individuals and institutions of American conservatism, including biographies of Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater and a history of The Heritage Foundation.

Mr. Ira Mehlman, National Media Director of of the Federation of American Immigration Reform (FAIR).  Mr. Mehlman discussed the illegal immigration problems facing this nation.  Ira joined FAIR in 1986 with experience as a journalist, professor of journalism, special assistant to Gov. Richard Lamm (Colorado), and press secretary of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. His columns have appeared in National Review, LA Times, NY Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, and more.

Mr. Kim Stolfer, Chairman, Firearm Owners Against Crime.  Mr. Stolfer discussed current efforts to deprive Pennsylvania citizens of their 2nd Amendment rights. 

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Last, best turnpike offers solicited

By Brad Bumsted and Jim Ritchie TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, May 13, 2008

 ……Foreign bidders' involvement concerns Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a Cranberry Republican who typically favors privatizing state government functions but opposes a turnpike lease.

 "I don't trust this administration and this governor to have the long-term interests of taxpayers in mind," Metcalfe said. The turnpike "is the foundation of our infrastructure, paid for over decades by taxpayers and drivers of Pennsylvania." He added that he doesn't want to turn it over to "a foreign entity to profit." ……

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Metcalfe introduces Pa. voter ID bill

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

By Tom Barnes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

HARRISBURG -- Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Indiana's law requiring voters to present photo identification, state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe wants to enact the same kind of law in Pennsylvania.

The Cranberry Republican has introduced House Bill 2519, which would require anyone wishing to vote to show one of several forms of photo ID when arriving at a polling place: a valid driver's license issued by PennDOT; a valid state or federal government employee ID; a valid employee ID card issued by an employer; a valid U.S. passport, student ID or armed forces ID; a voter ID card issued by a county registration commission.

Currently in Pennsylvania, only first-time voters have to present a photo ID. Some critics said a photo ID shouldn't be required because some people, especially retired senior citizens who don't drive, may not have a photo ID and thus would be deprived of the right to vote.

But Mr. Metcalfe said his bill is needed "in order to bar corrupt politicians, special interests and any other integrity-deficient individuals from executing unfair, criminal influence at the ballot box." He said requiring a photo ID would prevent illegal aliens, among others, from voting......

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Firearm owners rally in Harrisburg for rights

By Brad Bumsted Tuesday, April 8, 2008

….When a gun is lost or stolen "the victim should not get punished," said Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America.

 

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, told gun owners to carry a message to the 75 House members who voted for the [Levdansky gun] amendment. It's time to "educate those folks," said Metcalfe, who was backed by about 40 lawmakers of both parties at the rally.

 

"A truly safe and liberty-advancing society is an armed society," Metcalfe said....

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Legislators react to Rendell budget

By Tom Yera
Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Local Democratic and Republican state legislators may not agree on what's good and bad in Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed budget, but they agree on one thing: when it's approved, the governor may not recognize it.

"[The governor] basically wants to give a bonus to taxpayers who don't pay as much into the personal income, and it's on the backs of the hard working men and women of Pennsylvania who do pay more in," said state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry. "If they want to give money back to anyone in the state, they ought to decrease the (personal income tax), which they raised a few years ago, to give money back to all the hard working men and women of Pennsylvania."

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Rendell, GOP still at odds over energy, health, taxes 

Thursday, January 10, 2008
By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau 

HARRISBURG -- Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell and Republican legislators clashed yesterday on what legislative priorities should be pursued this spring, which might not bode well for progress. 

House Republicans issued a call for a reduction in the state income tax when the Legislature adopts a new budget in June. Mr. Rendell was non-committal until the projected year-end surplus can be determined. 

Tom Quigley, R-Montgomery, along with Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, is proposing a two-step drop in the PIT: first to 2.93 percent this July, then to 2.8 percent in July 2009. The proposal, House Bill 1092, would require either the use of considerably more of the budget surplus or spending cuts in other areas.

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Why gun control has no shot

Governor's effort to pass new restrictions runs into organized and effective opposition, as usual 

Sunday, November 25, 2007
By Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

In his unusual House Judiciary Committee appearance last week, Mr. Rendell unsuccessfully urged approval of bills that would limit handgun purchases to one a month; permit local gun ordinances tougher than state law; and require that lost or stolen guns be reported to police within 24 hours. Such proposals have failed to win support for years, last year losing by 2-to-1 margins on the floor of the full House during a special legislative session on guns and violence 

A leading opponent of such measures, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, questioned the governor's timing. He noted that House Democrats had suffered negative publicity recently over the attorney general's investigation of their payment of bonuses to staff members. Because the governor's committee appearance was so unusual, he won news media attention for several days on the gun control issue. 

"Many of us suspect that the governor and Democratic leadership were really looking for an issue to take front page headlines away from the bonus pay investigation," Mr. Metcalfe said. "If the governor were serious about addressing violent crime, there's many things we can do using the laws that are on the books." 

Mr. Metcalfe and activists on the pro-gun side criticize proposals like the ones rejected by the Judiciary Committee as intrusive measures that would miss their target.

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Bill Aims to Help States Catch Criminal Aliens
By Kevin Mooney
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
October 25, 2007

(CNSNews.com) - Rape, kidnapping, drug smuggling, assault, burglary, murder and fraud convictions have been imposed on illegal aliens found to be residing throughout Pennsylvania in both rural and urban settings over the past few years, a new report shows.

The state is now experiencing an "invasion" of illegal immigration interconnected with heightened criminal activity and rising costs imposed on taxpayers, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a Republican state representative from the 12th district in Butler County, told Cybercast News Service. In cooperation with other Republican lawmakers, Metcalfe recently issued a report entitled "Invasion PA."

"When you look at the cost to our education system, our health care system and incarceration costs, you are looking at hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on illegal aliens that could otherwise be spent to improve the lives of our citizens and reduce taxes," he said.

"We are seeing a wide range of crimes being committed by people who should not be on our soil," Metcalfe added.

The report was put together to promote pending state legislation that would "shut off the economic faucet that attracts illegals into Pennsylvania" and provide local law enforcement with additional tools, Metcalfe said.

One of the policy changes Metcalfe has called for is greater participation in the 287g program. As Cybercast News Service previously reported, the program allows for state law enforcement officials to be trained in federal immigration law.

Over 3,000 "illegal alien invaders" have been involved in criminal activity, according to the report. But the actual number of incidents is probably much higher, Metcalfe pointed out, since a number of crimes go unreported.

The human trafficking operations now at work in Philadelphia are particularly disconcerting, Metcalfe said. The city has been identified as an emerging gateway for this type of criminal activity by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the report states.

The nexus between illegal immigration and organized crime has caught the attention of some lawmakers on Capitol Hill who now favor increased federal-state cooperation where criminal aliens are concerned.

To this end, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has introduced the Clear Act (HR 3494), which would give local officials the authority to apprehend and detain criminal aliens, so they can be turned over to federal agents in an expedited fashion. Blackburn's bill would also allow for local law enforcement to have access to federal crime-tracking databases.

"We have narrowly drawn the legislation so that it just addresses the criminal aliens and absconders," she said. "We are talking about individuals who are known lawbreakers. The Clear Act would close off existing loopholes so that it becomes more difficult for a criminal alien to remain in the country."

The Clear Act would also help local officials who encounter illegal aliens involved with gang activity and drug trafficking operations, Blackburn explained. "The databases can be a real help because there are repeat offenders who use aliases and this information can be compiled and shared with local officials," she suggested.

But not everyone is keen on the idea of giving state agents greater latitude in the realm of immigration law.

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), a Hispanic civil rights group, is ardently opposed to the Clear Act. Once state and local police officers become identified with the enforcement of federal immigration law, their relationship will sour with the Latino community, NCLR has argued on its Web site.

"We have grave concerns that are shared by local law enforcement across the country," Lisa Navarrete, an NCLR spokeswoman said.

"The involvement of state and local officials with immigration law takes away from their primary job, which is to ensure public safety. We believe it [the Clear Act] compromises public safety because the police are being asked to do something they are not trained to do," she said.

The Clear Act has the advantage of "attacking the lowest hanging fruit" in the form of criminal aliens, Steve Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), told Cybercast News Service in an interview.

Although House Democratic leadership is inclined to sidestep the issue for now, some of the more conservative Democratic members have expressed support, Camarota observed. For this reason alone the Clear Act is likely to resurface in the not too distant future, even if it does not get a fair hearing in the current congressional session, he added.

       

A modern-day Paul Revere

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Posted: May 24, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

The compromise immigration bill brokered by Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl that would grant amnesty to millions of people now living in our country illegally has left most Americans feeling powerless. However, there is one bright light in the blackness presently covering the immigration abyss.

For those of you who think there are no longer any patriots among American office holders, I offer Daryl Metcalfe, a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, as Exhibit 1.

What does a lowly state representative from Butler County have to do with you? He is a modern-day Paul Revere and just may be the last great hope for those of us who want our borders secured and our immigration laws enforced.

Instead of a borrowed horse, Metcalfe and his small but dedicated staff ride the phone lines and the Internet into the night in the effort to warn state representatives in all 50 states of the impending danger and urge them to join the effort to protect the American people against this foreign invasion that is undermining our national security and draining our resources. The legislators who have joined him have pledged to get the job done at the state and local level by cutting off all economic incentives to these invaders. Presently, lawmakers from 25 state legislatures have signed on as pioneer members of State Legislators for Legal Immigration

It's not only a time-consuming task, but there is absolutely no economic incentive for Metcalfe. Imagine that! Metcalfe is an Army veteran who spent two years defending the border between East and West Germany during the Cold War, and he is appalled that the federal government will not defend our borders against invaders armed with little more than the clothes on their backs. To say we cannot defend our borders is disingenuous at the very least.

Through the efforts of Rep. Metcalfe and others, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed a joint concurrent resolution calling on President George W. Bush and the United States Congress to secure our borders and protect American citizens from the dangers of unlawful invasion and illegal immigration. Late last year, it was sent to members of the Pennsylvania delegation in Washington and to the White House. What was the result? It was completely ignored!

Metcalfe and his legislative colleagues then redoubled their efforts. In March, they introduced the National Security Begins at Home package, which contains five new bills designed to shut off employment access and other economic faucets that have been luring illegal aliens to their state.

While the president and members of Congress missed the message voters were trying to send in the 2006 election, state legislators got that message loud and clear. In 2007, 1,169 illegal-immigration reform bills and resolutions have been introduced in the 50 states, more than double the number for all of last year. Fifty-seven of those reform measures already have been enacted.

Metcalfe's counterpart in the Arizona Legislature is Rep. Russell Pearce, a charter member of State Legislators for Legal Immigration. The actions of Sen. Kyl left him perplexed and caused dozens of Republicans in his state to change their party affiliation in disgust.

Ironically, any meaningful reform legislation Pearce could get through his state legislature would be vetoed by Democrat Gov. Janet Napolitano. Therefore, he has worked tirelessly to get a series of reform measures on the ballot, which have been overwhelmingly approved by voters. More are in progress.

Kyl was re-elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 as a staunch conservative and a strong advocate for border security and true immigration reform. During that campaign, Kyl was asked for his definition of amnesty. It was this: "Any bill that allows those who enter this country illegally to remain in the U.S." The bill Kyl just brokered would do just that.

Want to know why Kyl and his comrades have named their new visa for illegals the "Z" visa? "It's as far away from the 'A' word as they can get," Pearce quipped. "I call it 'zamnesty.'"

It's no secret why the president went after Kyl to broker a compromise, but why did Kyl acquiesce? Was he promised a Supreme Court nomination should another vacancy occur? What about the attorney general's post? We will have to wait and see.

Yes, there are many things that can turn the heads of powerful U.S. senators but state representatives are much closer to voters and much more likely to feel your pain. State Legislator for Legal Immigration has identified the problems and offered real solutions. It represents a 21st century Declaration of Independence. Go to statelegislatorsforlegalimmigration.com to see if your state legislators have signed on.

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Lawmakers' proposal takes aim at illegal immigrants

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

By Tracie Mauriello, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

HARRISBURG - Take away jobs and public assistance and illegal immigrants will go back where they came from.  That's what four House members are hoping as they introduce a package of bills aimed at protecting Pennsylvania from what they called "an illegal immigrant invasion."

Illegal immigrants sap public resources, disrespect laws, drain tax dollars and engage in violent crime, said the foursome led by state Rep. Darryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry.

Mr. Metcalfe and Reps. Mark Mustio, R-Moon; Tom Creighton, R-Lancaster County and Scott Perry, R-York County, explained their bills during a press conference today.

The bills would:

• Require employers to verify Social Security numbers of job applicants or risk losing business licenses or permits.

• Call for an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice authorizing state police to enforce federal immigration and customs laws.

• Require law enforcement officers to report citizenship status of people they arrest.

• Revoke professional licenses of nursing home administrators, landscape architects and others who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.

• Eliminate public benefits for illegal aliens, except in medical emergencies.

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Representative Daryl Metcalfe Presents House Resolution Honoring President Reagan to President's son, Michael Reagan

 

Representative Daryl Metcalfe presents Michael Reagan with an official copy of the PA House Resolution declaring February 6, 2007 as Ronald Reagan Day in Pennsylvania.  The presentation was made during the first annual Center for Vision and Values Ronald Reagan Lecture Series at Grove City College.

For five consecutive years, Representative Daryl Metcalfe has passed his resolution honoring America's 40th President, and promoting Ronald Reagan's legacy of liberty and freedom.

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GOP rips Rendell's tax plan

Budget proposal raises sales tax, adds levies
February 8, 2007

 

Butler County Republicans have ripped Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed budget that calls for a boost in the state sales tax and adds new levies on tobacco and oil companies.

These GOP legislators vowed to fight the governor's $27.3 billion spending plan.  "The governor has once again proposed increased spending and increased debt that would result in higher taxes," said state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th.

 

...Rendell is seeking a new gross-profits tax of more than 6 percent on oil companies' windfall profits. The new revenue would help finance struggling mass transit agencies across Pennsylvania.  "This is an old tactic to drum up support by going after businesses that happen to show a profit," Metcalfe said. "But nobody believes that the tax won't be passed on to the consumer at the gas pump."

 

....Metcalfe said the Republican caucus in the House is unified in its opposition to Rendell's budget.  "The only good thing about the governor's proposal is that it's only a proposal," he said, "and not a budget until the General Assembly says it's a budget."

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Republicans find Rendell's budget too taxing

Governor's plan would increase sales, tobacco and business levies

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

,,,,Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, called the plan "the same old story from Gov. Rendell, higher taxes and higher spending." He said the oil company profits tax "is another shell game by the governor. Taxpayers will ultimately bear the costs in higher gasoline prices at the pump."...

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Pension Reforms Pushed

 

January 23, 2007

….State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, (stated that) pension limits have to be put on new state workers. He is concerned with the increasing number of workers who have qualified for expanded benefits in the past five years.

"We have piecemeal legislation allowing new groups into this expansion … we can't continue in this direction," he said.  He wants any expansion of benefits to be frozen.
 
He said the pension increase was originally an attempt to even out the difference in pension plans between judges and legislators.  “At the time many of legislators were wanting to catch up with the courts," said Metcalfe.

 
He said judges in the state qualify for 4 percent of their salary per year of service.
"So a judge who works for 25 years would have a 100 percent (of their salary) pension," said Metcalfe.

He said it would have been better to bring the courts pensions down to the legislature levels, but pensions cannot be reduced once promised.

 
Metcalfe said what is needed are sweeping changes to the government's retirement system, and he suggested something more in line with what the private sector provides.

But such reform would be a mammoth undertaking, he said. After all, it would affect state, school, county and municipal workers.

 
"Hopefully, this pending potential for financial disaster will be enough to wake up some of my colleagues (in the Legislature). The message is there: If you don't address these problems there could be a real disaster," said Metcalfe.

 

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GOING PRIVATE

Rendell weighs selling the turnpike, but should the state hand over infrastructure?

Monday, December 18, 2006

BY CHARLES THOMPSON

Of The Patriot-News

 

...The leader of privatization efforts nationally is Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who made headlines last summer for completing a $3.8 billion lease deal with a European-Australian partnership for the Indiana Toll Road.

 

Other opponents are concerned that most of the highway lease deals in North America have been led by overseas consortiums, as was the Indiana deal.

 

"I don't think it's wise to let foreign-based firms have operational control over any type of public infrastructure like this," said state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler. Metcalfe said he'd be more likely to support a privatization deal if it had American investors.

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November 19, 2006

Transit report, tax hike blasted

A state transportation report released last week recommends tax increases to improve the state's deteriorating roads, bridges and mass-transit systems, but it is not popular with officials in Butler County.......
 

"I will be opposing any tax increase," said state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th. "There's plenty of money in the general fund budget. Pennsylvania state government taxes us at an excessive rate already. The key to dealing with infrastructure costs is for our state government to set proper priorities. That's what every family has to do."
 

Metcalfe complained the state spends too much on "museums, parties, grants, pork barrel type projects" plus professional sports stadiums for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
 

"People in Butler County shouldn't have to pay for other peoples' mass transit," he said.
Metcalfe said raising taxes is counter productive.
 

"It will continue to drive young people and jobs out of Pennsylvania," he said. "The only way we're going to restore Pennsylvania's economy is reduce the tax rates."

 

"I think it's very telling this report was released a week after the election," Metcalfe said.

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Daryl Metcalfe and Hazelton Mayor Lou Barletta Address Immigration Reform Rally

On October 11th, State Representative Daryl Metcalfe and Hazelton Mayor Lou Barletta addressed an Immigration Reform Rally at the Greentree Radisson Hotel near Pittsburgh. State Representative Metcalfe is leading the fight against the illegal Immigration problem and has proposed a viable set of solutions  These include solutions to secure our border and turn off the "economic faucets" so that current illegal aliens  will leave on their own. This last summer, State Representative Metcalfe spearheaded House Republican Committee meetings on Illegal Immigration.

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Gun License for Domestic Violence Victims 'Dangerous,' Group Says
By Kate Monaghan
CNSNews.com Correspondent
October 06, 2006

(CNSNews.com) - Legislation pending in Pennsylvania seeks to provide victims of domestic violence with a temporary emergency license to carry a firearm "to make sure that they're able to defend themselves," according to State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, sponsor of the bill.

However, a spokeswoman for a state domestic violence coalition called the measure "dangerous, absolutely dangerous."

Metcalfe (R-Butler) told Cybercast News Service that not only would this measure aid domestic violence victims in protecting themselves, but overall, it would decrease violence.

"Giving that person [the victim] the ability to protect themselves is going to ultimately be a great help to preventing violence," he said.

"Under House Bill 2946, any individual who can demonstrate evidence of imminent danger to themselves or a member of their family would be entitled to a temporary emergency license to carry a firearm after passing a computerized background check of criminal history, juvenile delinquency and mental health records," Metcalfe noted.

"The temporary license would be good for 90 days to allow sufficient time to apply for a regular license to carry a firearm and undergo the potential 45-day waiting period under current state law," Metcalfe's office said in a press release.

According to Metcalfe, this legislation would also protect witnesses to crimes.

"[For] the emergency carry permit, I think the majority of people applying for it would be people that would be applying for it because they have sought out protection from abuse or that they potentially may be a witness to a crime in which the criminal is out on bail making threats against that potential witness," said Metcalfe.

"My legislation is based on one very simple concept: Lives are saved when law-abiding citizens are provided with every means necessary to defend themselves against violent criminals," Metcalfe added.

Read more at: 
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200610/NAT20061006a.html

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A judicial rolling

Sunday, October 1, 2006

 

The July 2005 judicial pay raise upheld by the state Supreme Court -- while the justices struck down the pay-jacking for lawmakers and top state officials -- contains a money bomb.

If it explodes, state judges will be showered with another flurry of dollars. They'd get a second raise, tied to a proposed salary bump for federal judges.

Under the pay-jacking law, the salaries of Common Pleas Court judges first increased from $135,293 to $149,132. The second raise would take them to $173,738. Supreme Court Chief Justice Ralph Cappy's salary would skyrocket to $206,000.

Lawmakers are lining up behind state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, to right this wrong.

Mr. Metcalfe would roll back judicial salaries to pre-July 2005 levels each time a seat is filled by a new judge or a judge wins re-election or retention. The high court ruled that once increased, a judge's salary may not be reduced during his term of office.

But Metcalfe's measure should not be necessary. Not only was the pay-jacking unconstitutional, setting the salaries of state officeholders is a duty of the Legislature. It does not have the constitutional authority to strip itself of that obligation by tying pay to federal scales.

Were fealty to the law the standard, the Supreme Court's record would earn it a pay cut.

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Firearms owners go on the offensive

By Michael Vitez

Wed, Sep. 27, 2006

Inquirer Staff Writer

The gun owners fired back yesterday.

About 300 of them from around Pennsylvania roamed the Capitol encouraging legislators to oppose any new laws limiting the right to own and bear arms.

They were steadfast: crime is Philadelphia's problem, caused by Philadelphians, and any new laws to restrict the sale of guns won't solve it.

The only solution, they said, is to crack down on criminals, enforce existing laws, and end what one gun supporter called "Philadelphia's catch and release program."

.......Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R., Butler) issued a statement opposing some of the main proposals being considered by the House Committee of the Whole, including limiting gun sales to one a month, and a ban on semiautomatic firearms. Metcalfe said guns were not the problem.

"This cultural problem is the breakdown of the family and the subsequent absence of positive parental influences and supervision in children's lives," he said. "... Absent fathers, financial hardship and lack of meaningful parental influence and availability in children's lives are a disastrous formula for social unrest and violence." .........

 

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Judge pay irks state lawmakers

By Debra Erdley and Brad Bumsted
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Pennsylvania lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are moving to blunt the impact of a recent state Supreme Court pay raise ruling amid mounting speculation that state judges could claim two big pay raises this year.

 

The Supreme Court on Sept. 14 reinstated 11 to 15 percent raises for about 1,100 judges, saying the legislature had no authority to repeal the increases given sitting judges. The ruling also left open the possibility that state judges could get a second raise, because the legislation called for linking state judges' salaries to those in the federal court system, where a 16.5 percent pay raise is pending.

 

The state pay increase law takes the salary of a Common Pleas court judge from $135,293 to $149,132. If the federal raise is added on top of that, the salary for that judge would go to $173,738 -- a $38,445 jump. The salary of Ralph Cappy, the chief justice of the state Supreme Court, would go to about $206,000.

 

Lawmakers, who buckled to public outcry last November when they repealed their own raises as well as the judges', were irate.

On Monday, state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, introduced a bill to reduce judicial pay to July 2005 levels -- the $135,293 level for common pleas judges -- every time a judge begins a new term. Nine Democrats were among Metcalfe's 32 initial cosponsors. Republican and Democratic senators also are supporting the bill.

 

"If this congressional pay raise (for federal judges) goes through and determines compensation of our judges, they will be the highest (paid) in the nation," said Matthew Brouilette, of the Commonwealth Foundation.

 

Cappy initially sought to link state judicial pay to federal scales, arguing that would eliminate politics.

 

Now, the Sept. 14 Supreme Court decision, from which Cappy abstained, has thrust the issue back into the political arena.

 

"Inflating their own wallets at the expense of the Pennsylvania taxpayers and the integrity of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which they have sworn an oath to uphold and defend, is nothing short of tyranny," Metcalfe said............

 

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Lawmaker tries new tack to roll back judge raises

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

By Tom Barnes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

HARRISBURG -- State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, isn't giving up the fight to cancel pay raises for judges.

Despite a state Supreme Court ruling last week reinstating the raises for 1,045 state judges, Mr. Metcalfe said today he is seeking co-sponsors for a new bill aimed at repealing the judges' raises, although he admits it will take up to 10 years to do it.

He said his bill would return the salary of each member of the judicial branch to the level it was at on July 1, 2005 -- before Act 44, the pay raise, was enacted on July 7, 2005.

Judges would keep their current higher salaries, as permitted by last week's court decision. However, once a judge was re-elected or retained in a 10-year retention election, that judge's salary would revert to where it was on July 1, 2005.

Mr. Metcalfe said the Legislature isn't allowed to reduce a judge's salary in mid-term, but he contended his new bill doesn't do that.

For example, he said, Supreme Court Justice Thomas Saylor faces a retention election in November 2007. If he wins, his salary would revert to what is was on July 1, 2005, prior to the pay-raise bill being approved.

The pay-raise bill covered all three branches of government, legislators, judges and some members of the executive branch. The raises for all three branches were canceled in November 2005. The Supreme Court last week restored raises for only the judges.

It isn't known yet if the Legislature would vote on Mr. Metcalfe's bill before it adjourns Nov. 30.

 

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September 15, 2006

State Supreme Court restores judicial raises

Ruling angers some legislators

HARRISBURG — ..... State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, said the court's decision is unconstitutional. His immediate reaction to the news was "outrage."

"We as legislators are allowed to reduce the salaries of judges if it's a broad-based reduction," Metcalfe said. "This was across-the-board. I voted against the original pay raise and led the repeal effort.

"What the judges have done here is a violation of the constitution."

He said the court's decision was a "clear example of a lack of integrity of the courts where they believe they're above and beyond the reach of the people."

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Friday, September 8, 2006

 

   

 

Representative Metcalfe Takes Lead In Fighting Illegal

 Immigration in Comcast Network Debate

 

On September 6, State Representative Metcalfe soundly defeated those advocating on behalf of illegal immigrants on the live call in program "It's Your Call" on Comcast's CN8 network.  The program, with a viewing area that reaches from Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and continuing through Maine, was marked with lively debate and a "live" online viewer poll.

 

Urging that the U.S. secure its borders and turn off the economic faucets that benefit illegal immigrants, Representative Metcalfe presented a plan to solve this huge economic and security threat to our country.  While other debate panelists opposed state and local efforts to curb the flow of illegal immigrants, Representative Metcalfe urged that state and local communities do take steps to address this problem. 

 

The "live" online poll taken during the program overwhelmingly showed that the viewing audience agreed with Representative Metcalfe.

        

State Representative Metcalfe stated that the federal and state government has been AWOL in the fight to enforce our immigration laws.  He also slammed Senator Arlen Specter and Senate candidate Bob Casey for supporting an amnesty program for those already here illegally.

 

State Representative Metcalfe has introduced a series of bills in the PA House to address these issues.

 

 

 

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