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state rep aaron bernstine

June 28, 2017

House Passes Bernstine Bill to Protect Mental Health Patients from Abuse

HARRISBURG – The House of Representatives today unanimously approved legislation, authored by Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence), which would ensure Pennsylvanians receiving mental health care have legal protection from those seeking to do them harm. “Mental health issues can impact anyone, at any time, and without this safeguard on our books, we would be failing to protect a lot of our citizens from potential abuse and neglect. That’s unacceptable.” House Bill 835 would update the Mental Health Procedures Act to state that persons in treatment for mental health issues have a right to be free from abuse, neglect and exploitation. Currently,…

June 14, 2017

Bernstine, Solomon Bill Would Prepare PA Students to Enter Workforce

HARRISBURG – In a bipartisan effort to prepare Pennsylvania’s youth for the 21st century workforce, state Reps. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) and Jared Solomon (D-Philadelphia) introduced legislation which would allow high school students to obtain real-world work experience while still in school. House Bill 1522 would establish a pilot grant program which would encourage schools and local businesses to collaborate to provide work-based learning opportunities for high school students. “As we work to prepare students for the 21st century workforce, this legislation would allow job creators to help transform our education system. When I came to Harrisburg, I wanted to develop…

June 9, 2017

Bernstine Backs Pension Reform to Better Protect Taxpayers

HARRISBURG – Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives’ bipartisan vote to reform Pennsylvania’s two public pension systems, which have a combined unfunded liability of more than $62.7 billion: “While this legislation won’t make all our pension problems disappear, it represents a meaningful step that will reduce our massive unfunded liability by more than $5 billion. Most importantly, it shifts financial risk away from our hard-working taxpayers.  Every dollar we add to our pension debt threatens the quality of our schools and the paychecks of our taxpayers, and we need to stop adding to…

May 16, 2017

Bernstine, Court Agree to Send Information to District Attorney Office

ELLWOOD CITY – In response to parking tickets that were issued at a legislative press conference on Thursday, May 11, state Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-New Beaver) and Ellwood City Mayor Anthony Court have jointly agreed to send documentation of the event to the Lawrence County District Attorney office, Bernstine announced today. Bernstine held a press conference in front of a private residence on Wampum Avenue to announce his legislation to better regulate municipal electric costs. Many attendees of the event, including Bernstine himself, received parking tickets from the Ellwood City Police Department. “Because I firmly believe that the tickets were…

May 12, 2017

VIDEO: Bernstine Presents Proposed Bill At Electric Press Conference

Yesterday, Republican State Representative, Aaron Bernstine, joined forces with Democratic State Representative, Pam Snyder, to promote change in the unregulated electric utility usage – a practice that occurs not only in Ellwood City, but in over 30 municipalities across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. “This is an example of Republicans and Democrats coming together to do the right thing,” Bernstine stated. At the press conference, held outside a residential property on Wampum Avenue in Ellwood City, Bernstine publicly released information regarding his proposed legislation to regulate municipal owned electric companies. The legislation will discontinue the use of electric departments profits to…

May 10, 2017

Rep. Aaron Bernstine Endorses Mayoral Candidates

Today, State Representative Aaron Bernstine formally endorsed incumbent mayoral candidates Anthony Court of Ellwood City and George Quay of Beaver Falls.  Both Court and Quay will be on the Democratic ballot in the primary election to be held on May 16th.  Both mayors are also seeking write-in votes to secure positions on the Republican ticket for the general election in November. Representative Bernstine touted Mayor Courts’ integrity and commitment to marketing Ellwood City to employers.  “Immediately after I took office, Mayor Court contacted me to express his support of my plan to bring new jobs to Ellwood City.  He is a man…

April 26, 2017

House Passes Bernstine Bill to Hold Lottery Winners Accountable for Debts

HARRISBURG – Common-sense, bipartisan legislation to intercept lottery winnings by individuals who are delinquent on state taxes or behind on child support payments has passed unanimously in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, announced bill sponsor, Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence).  House Bill 674 requires the Department of Revenue (DOR) to determine whether taxpayers who win a single prize of more than $2,500 from the Pennsylvania Lottery have any unpaid state taxes. If the taxpayer does have an outstanding state tax liability and all appeal rights have been exhausted, the amount of state tax that is owed will be deducted from the winnings…

April 20, 2017

State Low-Interest Loan to Help North Sewickley Township Fire Department Purchase Truck, Says Bernstine

BEAVER FALLS – State Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-New Beaver) announced today that Pennsylvania’s Volunteer Loan Assistance Program has approved a $200,000 low-interest loan for the North Sewickley Township Volunteer Fire Department. The company will use the 2 percent loan toward the purchase of a 2015 rescue pumper. “When there is an emergency in our homes or communities, we call 911 and expect our volunteers to quickly respond in up-to-date equipment and take care of the problem,” said Bernstine. “But, how often do we think about the huge financial burden all that equipment places on them? That’s why the state loan…

April 5, 2017

Bernstine Votes to Support Budget Plan That Reins In State Spending

HARRISBURG – Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) issued a statement following his vote today in support of a responsible budget plan: “Today, I voted to help pass a state budget plan that reduces spending from last year’s budget, while requiring no new taxes and no new borrowing. “I consistently hear from my constituents that government spends too much money and places too heavy of a burden on taxpayers. I absolutely agree that we must do all we can to get government spending under control. “This plan, while certainly with imperfections, shows promise in helping to lower costs. Even with the reduced…

April 4, 2017

Bernstine Sets Four Town Hall Meetings

ELLWOOD CITY – In order to hear what’s on the minds of his constituents, state Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-New Beaver) has scheduled a series of town hall meetings around the 10th Legislative District. The meeting locations and dates are: Slippery Rock Township (Butler County) Town Hall – Monday, April 10, at 6 p.m. at the Slippery Rock Township Municipal Building, located at 155 Branchton Road, Slippery Rock. Franklin Township (Beaver County) Town Hall – Tuesday, April 11, at 6 p.m. at the Franklin Township Office, located at 897 State Route 288, Fombell. Beaver Falls (Beaver County) Town Hall – Wednesday,…