Aug. 28, 2015

During my childhood, the community blessed my family and me during a difficult time. I was touched by how many extended kindness without any hesitation or expectation of anything in return. It was an experience I have carried with me as a reminder of the inherent goodness of people.

That overwhelming community support I received motivated me to run for the position of state representative. I hope to impact lives in the positive ways that so many influenced mine.

It is a privilege to be elected to serve you, and I recognize the many opportunities that exist to make Lancaster proud each day. I work to remain connected with all residents of the 100th District and their opinions on the issues and also to share information about what is happening in Harrisburg through my weekly emails, Facebook posts, newsletters, website updates, town hall meetings and tweets. Lately, there has been a lot to discuss regarding the action in Harrisburg.

I am committed to keeping our state government working. To enable government to continue serving all Commonwealth residents, we passed a budget that contained no new taxes and presented it to the governor by the June 30 deadline. However, he chose to enact a full veto, thus crippling Pennsylvanians; funds to vital human services that we so desperately need stopped.

Last week House and Senate Republicans made a serious move to get government working again and resume funding rape crisis centers, children’s advocacy centers and publicly-owned nursing homes, to name just a few. We tried to bring an end to the state budget impasse by offering to increase education funding to even more historic levels, by raising the basic education line item by $400 million over last year. This honored the governor’s top priority.

To generate sufficient funding for that increase, we asked the governor to agree to reforms for both the state liquor system and the public pension systems, measures he previously vetoed. Reforms to the liquor system alone through privatization would generate more than $200 million in recurring yearly revenue, with pension savings estimated at more than $12 billion over the long term.

Another issue that I know weighs on you is property taxes. Until we control the taxes associated with owning a home, homeowners—especially seniors—will continue to be pushed out of their homes. The security that should come with owning a home doesn’t currently exist because Commonwealth residents know they never truly own their homes; they can be evicted when they cannot pay ever-rising property taxes.

Residents of the 100th District deserve better, and I know we can do better by working together. I hope you will join me and share your thoughts on the topics. I invite you to a town hall meeting at the Providence Township Municipal Office in the meeting room, 200 Mt. Airy Road, New Providence, on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 6:30 p.m.

I also look forward to providing you with an update on the budget negotiation process and answer the hard question: why isn’t there a signed budget? It’s an answer you deserve to hear.

As we work to achieve results on the issues that matter to you, please know that the residents of Lancaster County are my greatest concern. I am forever indebted to this community, and I hope that in some small way, representing 100th District residents on Capitol Hill shows my appreciation for blessings I will never forget.

Representative Bryan Cutler
100th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Alison Evans
717.260.6206
aevans@pahousegop.com
RepCutler.com / Facebook.com/RepBryanCutler
Twitter.com/RepBryanCutler
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