Protect Working Families
|
Real Healthcare Reform
|
Help Seniors
|
Education Reform
|
A Friend to Businesses
|
Serve Those Serving Us
|
Right to Work
|
Protecting Farmers
|
Right to Self-Protection
|
Our Constitutions
|
|
| |
Veterans
As an Iraq War veteran, I understand the problems and concerns military members and families have prior, during, and after deployment.
I believe Pennsylvania should ensure their sons and daughters going into harms way are given the support they need in every facet of their lives.
Bottom line, we must serve those who selflessly serve us.
Minimally, I will advocate the following for our veterans
Keeping the Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance Centers Open
With roughly 10% of Pennsylvanians being veterans and the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq it is horrific that our state is turning their back on those who selflessly served us.
I will continue to fight to reopen the Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance Centers that our state government shut down on 1 November 2009.
Go Top
Increased Communication
As I travel around our district I am disappointed to hear stories from military members and civilians deployed for the Global War on Terror who reached out to our current State Representative but who did not hear back.
As your State Representative I will continually communicate with Chester County Veterans Affairs, military services, and military organizations to ensure I am kept abreast as much as possible with military members deploying or returning.
Being available to assist military members and their family is the least a public servant can do.
Go Top
Better Disability Benefits
Military members disabled in the course of duty deserve benefits to appropriately meet their needs.
Disabled Veterans Real Estate Tax Exemption Program
I will advocate for the lowering of the required disability percentage from 100% to 75%. This is a more appropriate way to treat our wounded warriors.
(Click here to go to the official site)
Special Housing Adaptation
The Veterans Administration has a terrific program to help offset cost for adapting the house of a military member to meet any special needs deriving from a service related disability.
Since there is an eligibility criteria based on type and severity of a disability I will advocate from the study on the number of military members denied access to this program and appropriate specifics to determine if follow-on legislation must be sponsored to support our defenders of freedom.
(Click here to go to the official site)
Free Fishing Licenses for Disabled Veterans
It is my opinion that we should encourage disabled veterans to enjoy Pennsylvanias parks and waterways. One way to accomplish this is to lower the disability percentage from the 100% requirement in existence currently to 25%.
(Click here to go to the official site)
Go Top
Appropriate Healthcare
We have many military reservists who come home without receiving a final physical from a veteran’s hospital. Realistically, the Veteran Administration (VA) can only attempt to communicate by phone and mail so many times. Ultimately, the military member must drive this to completion.
However, military members living in rural areas may find themselves without the means to travel to a VA. I am going to advocate that before discharge from active duty a local hospital is identified for them in order that they receive the proper final physical and required follow-up treatment.
Go Top
Property / School Tax Relief
While state and local governments exempt military members serving out of Pennsylvania from taxes, county / school taxes are not.
Earning about 75% less than I made as a civilian, it would have been a welcomed relief to have county taxes exempted too. While I believe the state should not interfere with how counties conduct business I will work to encourage them to provide this much needed relief.
Go Top
Enhanced Education opportunity
All honorably discharged military members should receive education benefits to make them more employable in the civilian sector.
I will advocate for providing financial assistance not covered by the current G.I. Bill at any of Pennsylvania's universities and colleges.
Go Top
Voting Protection
In 2004, Governor Ed Rendell and many State Representatives and State Senators actively worked to disenfranchise absentee ballots from military members serving overseas.
To make matters worse, news stations across the nation tell stories of missing absentee ballots from overseas.
With nearly 2 million Americans giving their lives for our republic their voice must be heard.
I will advocate for legislation that will utilize Internet-based technologies to allow for requesting and tracking of absentee ballots from the date requested to when the county voter service office receives the ballot.
Go Top
|
|
|
|