State Rep. John Perzel is happy that a House of Representatives committee overwhelmingly approved his bill to eliminate property taxes for senior citizens, but full passage remains uncertain.
On July 3, the House Finance Committee passed by a vote of 27-1 a measure that would eliminate property taxes for homeowners age 65 and older with annual incomes of $40,000 or less.
Now, Perzel (R-172nd dist.) hopes the legislation receives a vote from the full House.
However, lawmakers are in a summer break and won’t return until mid-September. Then, they’ll break again before the election. And, while the House might return for a lame-duck post-election session in November, the Senate has no plans to come back to Harrisburg.
"It’s getting late," Perzel said last week in a meeting with reporters at his district office at 7518 Frankford Ave. in Mayfair.
The legislation would help an estimated 600,000 senior homeowners across the state. The annual $1 billion cost of the program would be funded by revenue generated from slot machines.
The measure, in amendment form, overwhelming passed the full House earlier this year.
Perzel argues that substantial across-the-board property tax relief for all Pennsylvania homeowners is an unrealistic goal, given the state’s money constraints.
While there is some progress on property taxes, Perzel has seen no action on the other two items atop his agenda.
The veteran legislator backs a package of bills that would eliminate parole for violent offenders; eliminate early release for offenders convicted of a violent crime involving a gun; require that mandatory sentences for gun offenses be served consecutively, not concurrently, with sentences for other crimes; and require an inmate to receive five votes, not two, from the nine-member parole board before being released.
That set of bills was introduced in late spring, so it’s no surprise that there is no progress.
Perzel continues to push a bill that would allow for the hiring of up to 10,000 police officers across Pennsylvania. The cost would be shared by the state and municipalities.
Last year, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the bill. However, the legislation sits in the House Appropriations Committee. The committee chairman, Rep. Dwight Evans (D-203rd dist.), opposes the measure. So does Gov. Ed Rendell.
Perzel hopes for action on the Commonwealth Officers Act in September.
Meanwhile, he is pleased that the recently passed state budget includes more money for policing. He’s also glad that Pennsylvania State Police patrols of Philadelphia highways are allowing more city police officers to patrol neighborhoods.
More officers on the streets, he believes, will lead to a decrease in crime.
"Police make the difference," he said.
Perzel voted for the budget, which passed on July 4. It sailed through the House by a vote of 170-32 and the Senate by a count of 49-1. All local legislators supported it.
The $28.3 billion budget represents a $1 billion spending increase, or less than 4 percent, from a year ago. That’s just under the rate of inflation. The legislature’s spending was reduced by 1 percent, and there were no tax increases.
Public education will get an increase of $274 million, or about 5.5 percent, from last year. Perzel maintains that the 2001 state takeover of the School District of Philadelphia was a success, pointing to higher standardized test scores six years in a row.
Charter schools will receive $65 million more than in the last fiscal year. Most of that money will come to Philadelphia, since the city has the bulk of the state’s charter schools.
Perzel likes charter schools because some parents remain hesitant to send their children to traditional public schools in the city.
"They’re competition to the Philadelphia public schools," he said.
Now that the legislature is on break, Perzel is on the campaign trail. He faces Democrat Rich Costello in November.
Contending that he always "runs scared," the 58-year-old Perzel is meeting voters at their doors.
Constituents are worried about their jobs, high gasoline prices and nuisance neighbors. They tell Perzel that they’re tired of neighbors failing to curb their dogs, pick up trash and cut high grass.
"I get that every single day," he said.
As for the presidential race, Perzel said residents seem to favor Republican John McCain over Democrat Barack Obama.
Statewide, polling shows Obama doing well in urban areas and portions of Montgomery County. McCain’s strength is among Catholics and whites, including conservative male Democrats.
"Obama’s not winning this neighborhood," Perzel said.
Perzel was speaker until 2006, when Republicans were buried statewide. Rendell crushed Lynn Swann by almost 850,000 votes. Bob Casey Jr. ousted Sen. Rick Santorum by more than 700,000 votes. Republicans lost four congressional seats and their majority in the state House.
A good showing by McCain in Pennsylvania should help Republican legislative candidates and could propel Perzel back to the speaker’s post. He laughed at a recent prediction from state Rep. Mark Cohen (D-202nd dist.) that Democrats, who maintain a 102-101 edge in the House, would win 114-118 seats.
"They haven’t had 114 since Watergate," he said.
Perzel believes voters appreciate McCain’s war service and want to hear him talk about what he will do as president.
As for Obama, Perzel acknowledges that he is a good speaker, but he argues that his health-care proposal is too costly and will result in inferior coverage. He also blames Democrats for including illegal immigrants when they calculate how many Americans lack health insurance. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com