For Immediate Release
March 26, 2008
Contact:  Lisa Landis
Legislative Director
717-787-6709
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A Conversation with Senator Brubaker

Legislative package to benefit fire, emergency volunteers

A new legislative package will address retention and recruitment issues facing Pennsylvania's volunteer fire and emergency service organizations.

I was proud to cosponsor this three-bill package, which offers tax credits in three areas:

• A $500 tax credit for active members of volunteer firefighting and emergency medical service organizations
• A tuition reimbursement credit of 50 percent for each course credit taken by volunteer firefighters and emergency services personnel at community colleges, state-owned universities, or state-related universities, paid directly to the institution
• A $1,000 tax credit against an employer's personal income tax for each volunteer fire and emergency services member they employ, not to exceed $5,000 per employer in a specific tax year

While legislation has been enacted in recent years in four key areas – emergency responder grants, death benefits, local services tax and revised procurement practices – many important initiatives remain unfinished. Our firefighters and EMS companies are estimated to provide billions of dollars in services to their communities, and these types of initiatives are very important to ensure our volunteers stay active. I wholeheartedly support the efforts of our volunteer organizations and individuals who unselfishly donate their time and efforts and look forward to working on legislation that acknowledges their work in the future.

DEP awards Growing Greener grants

In early March, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) invested in more than 120 projects through the Growing Greener program.

Since 1999, watershed grants have been approved through Growing Greener, and in 2005, Pennsylvania voters approved the $625 million Growing Greener II initiative to restore waterways, provide clean water, protect open space and help prevent floods. In this round of grants, I was pleased to see Lancaster County again benefitting from Growing Greener funds, particularly in Columbia.

The Borough received $325,000 to implement a variety of stormwater best management practices, including porous asphalt and concrete surfaces, vegetated swales and rain gardens at the new Riverfront Park. A swale is a broad land drainage depression where the vegetation helps slow stormwater and thus flooding, and also helps reduce sediments and nutrients, which is very important to the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Riverfront Park is an important part of the community's revitalization efforts as well and I commend Columbia for its commitment to the environment.

The deadline for applications for the next round of Growing Greener grants through the Department is May 16, 2008; priorities include watershed management and mineral resources management. More information and the application package are available online at www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: Growing Greener.

VisitPA.com promotes travel and tourism

As the weather gets warmer, many of us start thinking about vacations, and visitPA.com can be a valuable resource to use in your planning.

VisitPA.com is the official tourism web site of the Commonwealth, providing links to themed road trips, such as History and Heritage or Nature and Outdoors, plenty of things to do and local events across the state, places to stay, and even available discounts. You can also hear the firsthand experiences of people who have already "been there and done that."

The state's 15 Welcome Centers also offer brochures, maps, advice and free reservation services, or you can order travel publications such as the quarterly Pennsylvania Pursuits magazine.  The Pennsylvania Travel Guide e-book is also a great source of ideas for your upcoming trip.

Pennsylvania is a whole treasure chest of opportunities just waiting to be explored – and visitPA.com can help you uncover all of this and more.