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By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA Staff Writer
roarty@politicspa.com

Democrats on Monday responded to Republican candidate Dave Argall’s congressional campaign declaration by sharply criticizing the former House leader’s support for the now-infamous 2005 pay-raise vote, saying the money grab should disqualify the state senator from holding higher office.

The criticism of Argall’s pay-raise vote, though expected, likely foreshadows what most observers think could be a bitterly fought, closely contested race for control of the 17th Congressional District.

U.S. Rep. Tim Holden has held the seat since 1992 and usually received a free pass on Election Day. The moderate congressman, a former Schuylkill County sheriff and fiscally conservative “Blue Dog,” has crafted a moderate image to match his moderate central Pennsylvania district.

In a statement, Holden criticized Argall for his pay-raise vote and for an earlier move to increase his pension.

“While serving as a State Representative, Dave Argall voted to increase his own pension by 50 percent,” the congressman said in a statement. “Then, while serving in a leadership position in the PA House, he wrote, signed and was responsible for rounding up the votes for the infamous midnight Pay Raise legislation.

That’s right, Dave Argall gave himself a 34% pay increase,” the congressman continued. “Let the record be clear, without Dave Argall, this bad legislation would never have seen the light of day, much less be passed into law.  It was Dave Argall, working closely with his colleague, the now indicted former Speaker of the House John Perzel, who made sure that the votes were there to pass this appalling pay increase.”

Mary Isenhour, executive director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, highlighted the fact Argall won a special election into the state Senate less than a year ago.

“We welcome the challenge from someone’s who was entrusted less than a year ago to the seat he currently holds and who has not yet completed that responsibility,” she said.

Isenhour added she “couldn’t be prouder” to have Holden as her own congressman.

“No one works as hard or is as accessible as Tim Holden is to his constituents,” she said. “I plan on working just as hard for him in the coming months.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee lambasted Argall’s pay-raise vote.

“Dave Argall’s role as an architect of the 2005 pay-raise scandal proves that he represents all that’s wrong with Harrisburg politics; State Senator Argall is grossly mistaken if he thinks voters are going to send someone with his kind of self-serving background to Washington,” said Shripal Shah, DCCC spokesman.

“The fact that Republicans are touting a recruit like State Senator Argall speaks volumes about the direction they want to take our country in after disastrous years of Bush economic policies and ongoing scandal in Harrisburg,” he added. “Multiple Pennsylvania politicians have already seen their demise thanks to the pay-raise scandal that Senator Argall orchestrated. He should expect to be next come November.”

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  2. Senate, House cut salaries

    THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

    Kansas State Sen. Tim Owens (right, sitting at an angle behind another senator’s name placard) called the 5 percent salary cut approved by both house of the Legislature Thursday a “vindictive” slap at Supreme Court judges who ruled for the state’s K-12 schools in a constitutional challenge over state funding.

    Some see cuts as swipe at Supreme Court’s school finance ruling

    | EMAIL | PRINT | COMMENT | SHARE
    BY TIM CARPENTER
    Created February 18, 2010 at 12:02pm
    Updated February 18, 2010 at 7:49pm
    The Senate and House overwhelmingly voted Thursday to impose a 5 percent salary cut for legislators, judges and certain political appointees in a measure designed to bring the state budget closer to balance.

    Overall, the compensation reductions would save the state about $1 million through June 30.

    State government is grappling with a widening deficit, and this budget bill dropped the anticipated shortfall to about $40 million. Legislators’ work on the coming fiscal year 2011 budget will be equally difficult because analysts believe the deficit could rise to $400 million.

    A House-Senate conference committee endorsed the 2010 salary-reduction package applied to employees in the legislative, judicial and executive branches. Both chambers approved the deal, with the Senate concurring 33-6 and the House 114-5.

    Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson said he was pleased the House and Senate acted on the current budget in a bipartisan manner.

    “We can now begin to move forward on to the important work of balancing next year’s budget,” Parkinson said. “As the revenue projections become clearer, I expect all ideas to be on the table for responsibly balancing the budget.”

    The governor repeated his interest in finding new revenue to bolster the budget. He has recommended more than $300 million in new sales tax and tobacco taxes.

    “I reiterate that after already cutting a billion dollars from the state budget, there is not $400 million left that we can responsibly cut, especially from our schools, public safety programs, and aid to the elderly and disabled,” Parkinson said.

    While the budget bill didn’t garner much debate in the House, several members of the Senate argued about the wisdom of the salary reductions.

    Sen. Tim Owens, R-Overland Park, said the House’s insistence on advancing targeted pay cuts was driven by a desire to lash out at the Kansas Supreme Court for ruling on behalf of K-12 school districts in a constitutional challenge of the Legislature’s decisions on financing of public education.

    The only mechanism for slashing judicial salaries requires a reduction touching upon all three branches of state government. The House maneuver was sponsored by Rep. Melvin Neufeld, an Ingalls Republican and former House speaker.

    “I find this particular provision to be offensive,” Owens said.

    Owens said the salary element of House Bill 2222, now endorsed by the Senate, was borne of latent anger regarding the Supreme Court’s view of Montoy v. State of Kansas. That controversial case was before the court until the 2006 Legislature was pressured into investing hundreds of millions of dollars into schools over a three-year period. Many legislators, including Neufeld, believe the Supreme Court overstepped its authority.

    “We can send a message back to the House and say we’re not going to participate in this kind of vindictive attitude,” Owens said. “I think it’s reprehensible that they continue in this attitude against our courts.”

    Recent reductions in state appropriations to K-12 schools, tied to ongoing budget woes, has raised interest among dozens of school districts in filing a new lawsuit questioning whether the Legislature is meeting its constitutional mandate to provide a suitable education for children.

    Sen. Jay Emler, R-Lindsborg, chairman of the Senate budget committee, said the salary modifications in the bill wouldn’t apply to the most highly paid state employees, who are faculty members at universities in the Kansas Board of Regents system.

    “This is very subjective in terms of whom it is trying to hit. Fascinating,” said Sen. Janis Lee, D-Kensington.

    Sen. Roger Reitz, R-Manhattan, said the budget bill served to reinforce the perception among voters that state legislators were underworked and overpaid. Among the eight states that pay legislators by the day, Kansas ranks third from the bottom in compensation.

    However, Sen. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler, said the budget fix still fell short. The Legislature will have to cut $40 million or more to produce a balanced budget at the end of the current fiscal year, he said.

    “We still have a long ways to go,” Huelskamp said.

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