William O'Boyle: Wolf, Casey, Cartwright praise Biden's spending plan; Toomey, Meuser opposed

Apr. 4—Gov. Tom Wolf joined President Joe Biden in Pittsburgh this week and issued a statement on the president's announcement of his American Jobs Plan, which focuses on many of the same priorities that the governor has been calling for throughout his administration:

"I'm grateful that President Biden recognizes that our nation's infrastructure, from our highways and bridges, to housing, broadband and more, demands immediate attention," Wolf said. "These issues are critical to our public safety, our quality of life, our environment and our economy. This bold and necessary proposal will help move our commonwealth and our nation forward toward a brighter, stronger future.

"Our infrastructure is a critical component to our economic recovery. As businesses recover and our workforce grows, they depend on our vast transportation network. Infrastructure projects are also job creators, further spurring economic growth.

"Ensuring reliable broadband internet access is increasingly important for all Americans. From education and work to healthcare and social connection, this access is the key to bridging the digital divide.

"Broadband access is only truly successful if those who are living, working and learning are in stable structures. Ensuring strong and stable housing, commercial buildings and schools is critical for safety and energy efficiency.

"I share the president's priorities, which would build on my administration's previous Restore PA plan and current Back to Work PA plan, and I look forward to working with the Biden Administration in its efforts to make this plan a reality.

"Earlier this year I urged Congress to prioritize many of these same critical infrastructure needs for our commonwealth and I'm pleased that President Biden shares these priorities for the entire nation. I again urge Congress to make this comprehensive plan a priority so that we all can work together to help this country build back better."

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, said the infrastructure plan will bring money to Northeastern PA to repair and reconstruct crumbing roadways, clean up abandoned mine lands, and increase broadband accessibility in rural communities.

"I have been calling for an infrastructure bill since I first got to Congress more than eight years ago, and President Biden's American Jobs Plan is a framework for investing in all of America's infrastructure in every part of the nation," Cartwright said. "The framework prioritizes upgrades to our roads and transit systems, delivers high-speed broadband to our rural communities, revitalizes U.S. manufacturing and more — all long overdue efforts to put millions of Americans to work in good-paying jobs and put us back on competitive footing with China."

Cartwright said he is especially thrilled to see a multi-billion dollar investment in reclaiming abandoned mine lands — money that he said will go a long way toward cleaning up the 300-plus abandoned mine sites in Northeastern Pennsylvania and create new economic growth opportunities.

"Whether they drive on crumbling roads, send their kids to school in aging buildings, or struggle to get on the internet, Americans of all political stripes know from their lived experience that we need to update our infrastructure," Cartwright said.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, said president Biden laid out a plan to rebuild our infrastructure, create jobs and grow incomes for hardworking families.

"His plan also includes the bold investment that I have called for in home and community-based services, which will allow seniors and individuals with disabilities to receive care in the setting of their choice, lift up the care-giving workforce and make permanent funding from my bill in the American Rescue Plan," Casey said. "This is what 'building back better' is all about. In addition to laying out a detailed plan to upgrade our roads and bridges, President Biden has put forth commonsense ideas for how to finance these investments. Congress should quickly move forward on this legislation."

Toomey sees higher taxes

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, said, "We can and should do more to rebuild our nation's physical infrastructure. I am happy to work with anyone who wants to make responsible progress. That means funding these improvements through a negotiated combination of user fees and reductions in wasteful, outdated, and duplicative government spending.

"Pre-pandemic, the federal government was spending around an eye-popping $4.5 trillion annually. We added $4 trillion in additional spending in response to the pandemic and recession last year. This year, the Biden administration wants to do even more total spending, despite the fact that the economic recovery is well underway.

"However, rather than offsetting this enormous spending binge responsibly, the Biden administration is pushing a massive tax increase by undoing large portions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. That 2017 tax reform helped create the best American economy of my lifetime. We should be trying to get back to that economy, not making American workers and businesses less competitive globally."

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, said President Biden and Congressional Democrats want to spend another $2.3 trillion, whereby only $157 billion of the bill would go towards roads, bridges, highways, and airports.

"The rest is focused on Green New Deal initiatives and other provisions that have nothing to do with infrastructure and revitalization,": Meuser said. "Such Green New Deal initiatives will subsidize wishful projects and place unmanageable burdens on our coal and natural gas industries, which are already highly regulated and important to Pennsylvania."

Meuser said to pay for it, "the Biden-Democrat plan" intends to raise $2 trillion in taxes, which he said "obviously depresses economic growth and job creation."

Meuser said, "This tax scheme would amount to the largest set of tax hikes in a generation, threatening our continued economic recovery. I certainly hope that President Biden and the Democrats are willing to reach a bipartisan compromise that is in the economic and quality of life interests of all Americans. Infrastructure is a core function of government, there is no reason we cannot have a bipartisan solution."

Mullery bill would require road

repairs after underground work

Under legislation introduced this week by state Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, public utilities and municipal authorities would be required to repair and restore roadways to the same or better condition as when they started underground work.

"Every day, Pennsylvania drivers are traveling on roads that remain unpaved or in desperate need of repairs, which can cause serious and dangerous damage to their vehicles," Mullery said. "If a public utility or municipal authority conducts underground work under roadways, they should have the responsibility to repair the road when the underground work is complete."

Mullery said currently there are no established criteria regarding repaving or repairing road surfaces and once underground work is completed, roads often remain unpaved or in disrepair for extended periods of time.

"Under my bill, Pennsylvania neighborhoods and drivers would avoid any unnecessary costs for road repair work and preventable damage to their vehicles," he said.

To help alleviate the problem, Mullery's legislation would create the Utility Fair Share Roadway Repair Act and require contractors to restore a roadway to the same or better condition as when the work started. Any work would have to meet the satisfaction of either the secretary of Transportation or the municipal public works director, depending if the work was completed on a state or municipal road.

Mullery's bill, H.B. 1076, is awaiting committee assignment for further consideration.

County GOP establishes

Solano scholarship fund

In memory of the late Patrick Solano, the Republican Party of Luzerne County has decided to create a scholarship fund.

"One of the many wonderful things about Pat was his talent for finding new candidates and for encouraging people to run for office,: said Justin Behrens, county GOP chairman. "It didn't matter if you were interested in running for school board, County Council, or U.S. Congress, Pat always encouraged good Republicans to get involved and to work hard to make a change. It is because of this that the Republican Party of Luzerne County has decided to place together this scholarship in honor and in the memory of Pat Solano."

Qualifications: Behrens said applicants must be a resident of Luzerne County and a registered Republican, as well as a first-time candidate for any office in the current election cycle (2021 Municipal Election).

If anyone would like to receive an application, they are asked to email gopluzerne@gmail.com .

Applications are due by 5 p.m. on April 30, and the winner will be announced at the GOP Spring Dinner on May 8.

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