(Editor\u2019s note: The following is the fourth part in a series offering Daily Herald readers a closer look at Republican State Representative Jerry Stern.)<\/p>\n
Local state Representative Jerry Stern is not bashful when it comes to where he stands on tax initiatives in Pennsylvania. He said simply, \u201cno new taxes.\u201d
\nThe phrase used by Stern could reflect his strong conservative roots as he echoed the words once uttered by a former president during a campaign many years ago.
\nStern took issue with some of Governor Ed Rendell\u2019s initiatives to boost the state coffers by adding additional taxes to cigarettes. Stern said the governor is looking for an additional 25 cents per pack on cigarettes. The legislator does not think this is a good idea.
\n\u201cAfter you tax to a certain degree, you\u2019ll see people travel out of state to buy their cigarettes or use the Internet.\u201d said Stern. He explained retailers are also expressing concerns as they\u2019ve seen an increase in theft.
\n\u201cYou are defeating the purpose when you spend hundreds of millions of dollars on tobacco settlement money to try to get people to cut back or quit smoking and then consider using cigarettes as a source of new revenue through new taxes,\u201d Stern told The Daily Herald during an extensive interview conducted last week at his Tipton office.
\nStern also expressed his viewpoints on The new tougher DUI laws that are now in effect in the commonwealth. Although he supports the lowering of the blood alcohol limit from .10 to .08 as is now the case, he did not support the reason behind the most recent legislation passing and being signed into law by the governor.
\n\u201cI\u2019m a purist. I believe in the 10th amendment, state\u2019s rights,\u201d said Stern.
\nDue to a federal mandate, states were required to amend their drunk driving laws or risk losing federal highway money. Stern explained there has been legislation proposed for years regarding lower blood alcohol limits to .08 and he generally has supported the idea. He felt it was a good piece of legislation but in concluding his remarks on the subject once again emphasized his belief in the Constitution and its state\u2019s rights amendment.
\nStern also briefly mentioned during his time with The Daily Herald last week, the state senate taking up new prescription drug legislation level. Stern\u2019s prediction came true earlier this week when the senate took up the issue on Tuesday and the governor signed it into law on Wednesday. Below are some details on the legislation provided through the Associated Press.
\nAs of Jan. 1, the number of low-income senior citizens who qualify for low-cost prescription drugs through the state\u2019s Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly programs is expected to increase from 600,000 to about 1 million under the bill.
\nBecause many of those people have other forms of drug coverage, only about 224,000 are currently are enrolled in the programs. About 100,000 more are expected to sign up under the new law.
\nHere\u2019s a look at the major changes:
\n\u2022The income limits for participants in PACE, which has no deductible, will increase from $14,000 to $14,500 for individuals, and from $17,200 to $17,700 for married couples;
\n\u2022Income limits for PACENET, a related program for seniors with higher incomes, will change from $17,000 to $23,500 for individuals, and from $20,200 to $31,500 for couples. Also, the $500-a-year deductible that participants must pay to receive the benefit will be changed to $40 per month; and
\n\u2022To help finance the increased benefits, the PACE copayment amount will increase from $6 to $9 per prescription for name-brand drugs, but the $6 copayment for generic drugs will remain unchanged. PACENET participants\u2019 higher copayment \u2014 $8 and $15, respectively \u2014 also will not change. Neither program charges a premium.
\nHighlights of PACE\/PACENET expansion
\nAs of Jan. 1, the number of low-income senior citizens who qualify for low-cost prescription drugs through the state\u2019s Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly programs is expected to increase from 600,000 to about 1 million under the bill that Gov. Ed Rendell signed Wednesday.
\nBecause many of those people have other forms of drug coverage, only about 224,000 are currently are enrolled in the programs. About 100,000 more are expected to sign up under the new law.
\nHere\u2019s a look at the major changes:
\n\u2022The income limits for participants in PACE, which has no deductible, will increase from $14,000 to $14,500 for individuals, and from $17,200 to $17,700 for married couples;
\n\u2022Income limits for PACENET, a related program for seniors with higher incomes, will change from $17,000 to $23,500 for individuals, and from $20,200 to $31,500 for couples. Also, the $500-a-year deductible that participants must pay to receive the benefit will be changed to $40 per month; and
\n\u2022To help finance the increased benefits, the PACE copayment amount will increase from $6 to $9 per prescription for name-brand drugs, but the $6 copayment for generic drugs will remain unchanged. PACENET participants\u2019 higher copayment \u2014 $8 and $15, respectively \u2014 also will not change. Neither program charges a premium.
\nThe Daily Herald series on 80 District State Representative Jerry Stern will conclude tomorrow.
\n(The Associated Press contributed to portions of this article.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(Editor\u2019s note: The following is the fourth part in a series offering Daily Herald readers a closer look at Republican State Representative Jerry Stern.) Local state Representative Jerry Stern is not bashful when it comes to where he stands on tax initiatives in Pennsylvania. He said simply, \u201cno new taxes.\u201d The phrase used by Stern […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news-in-the-tyrone-pennsylvania-area"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45320\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}