Penn Vet leads the nation in their monitoring and intervention abilities.  A collaboration between Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Life Technologies, led to the launch of a DNA-based detection kit that tests for salmonella in poultry eggs. The kit provides accurate results in about 27 hours, compared to the 10 days it took for a traditional laboratory test to provide results.  This enabled Pennsylvania’s major egg producers to meet the US Food and Drug Administration’s stringent testing standards.  

Pennsylvania’s voluntary avian-flu surveillance program is one of the nation’s largest. In this video, Dean Hendricks describes an incident in 2004 when an avian flu outbreak threatened many of the Mid-Atlantic States.  Pennsylvania was able to stop the outbreak in less time and at a much lower cost compared to neighboring states.

Dr. Brinster’s research, which began with the isolation of mammalian cells, has had implications in cancer treatment and spawned the entire field of stem cell research.  Penn President Amy Gutmannsaid:

Ralph Brinster is a trailblazer in the field of reproductive biology and genetics whose work has had inestimable influence in science and medicine. His early findings helped usher in the era of transgenic research and represent foundational aspects of techniques used in genetic engineering, in vitro fertilization and cloning.

Many fundamental studies that started in animals have ended up affecting humans as well. Due to the deep understanding of biology that veterinarians utilize across species, they are able to elevate the quality of life and care for everyone.

Animals, as well as humans, suffer from common conditions such as kidney disease, arthritis, cancer, West Nile virus and Lyme disease. Watch and listen as Dean Joan Hendricks discusses the role of Penn Vet as a global leader in linking animal science to human welfare.

Hanna also applauded the positive economic impact that the Marcellus Shale has had already in the creation of jobs. The Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center produced an early report on the impact of the region which showed that 30 percent of businesses in Bradford County alone attributed increased sales to the development of natural gas. Businesses across the region have reported higher rates of activity in hotels, construction, transportation, eating and drinking places, wholesale trade and financial services. In 2009, it is estimated that the Marcellus Shale added 23,385 jobs and $1.9 billion to the economy of Pennsylvania. 

To make up for the school’s lost revenue, Cox proposed an increase in the sales and earned income taxes. Both right around a 1 percent, the increases also have several caveats. Clothing purchases under $50 would not be taxed and food items on the WIC list, essentially a list of foods considered nutritious and necessary, would also not be taxed. Cox believes that this will increase will still provide enough revenue to schools, as well as lessen the burden on property owners who are forced out of their home due to high and ever-increasing school property taxes.

Speaking in support of the legislation were the Pennsylvania State Grange and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. The State Grange agreed wholeheartedly with Cox’s belief that property taxes are unfair, especially to farm owners; the Grange went as far as to call them “cumbersome, burdensome and costly.” The Farm Bureau went on to explain that farmers are particularly hurt by property taxes because often, they are “land rich and cash poor” which makes their property taxes high despite their lower revenues.

In opposition to the bill were the Pennsylvania Retailers Association, a representative from theNational Federation of Independent Businesses, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and thePennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. Retailers and NFIB opposed the legislation on the grounds that the taxation would slow consumers and that compliance to this complicated bill would cost businesses time and money. The bill also would place a tax on legal services, which the PA Bar Association opposed, saying that legal services are more often than not an essential service.

However, the harshest critic of the legislation was the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. Michael Wood, research director of the Center, questioned nearly all of the merits of the bill. He pointed out that while property taxes are unpopular; eliminating them at the state level was meddling into local issues and applying a one-size-fits-all approach to the many different and diverse municipalities of Pennsylvania. He called it bad policy that depends wholly on risky and unknown factors, especially since there is no funding formula in place for how schools will be allocated money without their property taxes.

Despite these criticisms, Cox remained confident through the hearing that with amendments and continued education on his bill that he would garner the support of the majority of the House.

The Marcellus Compact comprises six bills which are intended to strengthen the recently enacted law. The House D’s number one priority is HB 2412 which would restore zoning control to local municipalities and Hanna reports that this is an issue of concern on both sides of the political aisle. “Act 13 strips [from municipalities] their ability to regulate Marcellus drilling and other activities,” Hanna said. 

Representative Hanna’s bill, HB 2413, proposes to impose a higher impact fee that would begin when the well starts producing gas and would remain in effect for the well’s entire producing life. The remainder of the bills in the compact would address environmental safeguards; add new protections for water supplies; addresses concerns over the rights of doctors and patients over medical disclosures; and the establishment of Marcellus Shale Job Creation Tax Credit.

Given the current Republican majorities in both chambers, it is not likely that these amendments will see a vote any time soon.  House Republican Spokesman, Steve Miskin was quoted as saying “There’s def­i­nitely no rea­son right now to take up any of this legisla­tion. [Act 13] just became law and hasn’t even worked its full way through.” 

While he applauds the Senate for minimizing cuts to higher education and county human services, Hanna warns us not to become complacent with the levels that were passed by his Senate colleagues. Those appropriated amounts are still cuts from prior year spending and Hanna wants to see that the $300 million still left on the table is allocated to restore as much funding as possible.  One area he cited was higher education, in the light of the drastic cuts made in last year’s budget.

As the House begins to work on budget legislation, Hanna wants to really focus on basic education and county human services. “We will work vigorously with our friends on the other side of the aisle to try and see if we can direct additional funds […]. We need to add additional dollars, the $300 million still on the table, to minimize the impact of these cuts.”  With the House and Senate Republicans looking to cap spending at $27.6 billion and Governor Corbett describing Pennsylvania’s $27.1 billion budget as a shrinking pizza, next week should make for some interesting floor debate.  You may want to reserve your ticket now.

He pointed to Allegheny County, where one in three bus lines may have to shut down because they no longer have the funds to operate. Yet, there are many people who rely on those lines to get to work in Pittsburgh.

Infrastructure investments wouldn’t just help those who are already employed get to work, the manufacturing and construction sectors of our economy would see the return on this investment. In addition, other sectors of the economy would immediately benefit, according to Hughes.  “When those workers are paid, they have money to spend in their local communities in taxes, restaurants and stores.”

Another area where infrastructure investments would spur economic activity would be through rehabbing our aging public schools, according to Hughes.  Many school buildings in the state are over 70 years old and require repairs and renovations.  Those investments will create additional jobs in the manufacturing industry as HVAC and other building materials would be in demand.

The Triadvocate is a publication of Triad Strategies, LLC, a bipartisan lobbying, public affairs, strategic communications, grassroots advocacy, issue management consulting firm located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh