In This Week's Edition of E-News…

Region Rallies Saturday To Save the 911th

Excessive Regulation Threatens Job Growth

Educators Weigh In on Budget Cuts, Federal Mandates

High Schoolers’ Artwork On Display Tomorrow

Region Rallies Saturday To Save the 911th

Tomorrow, Congressman Tim Murphy will be joining the hundreds of local Air Force reservists, community leaders and supporters at a Rally to Save the 911th Airlift Wing and the 171st Air National Guard.

The Air Force has proposed eliminating 5,100 Air Guard and 900 reservists positions. These cuts would result in the closure of the 911th and the transfer of four refueling tankers from the 171st Pennsylvania Air Guard. However, defense experts, former military officials, and state governors have said the Air Force’s plan to cut spending comes disproportionately at the expense of the Guard and Reserve, which are six times more cost-effective than the active duty component. Cuts to the Guard fleet would also hobble emergency response efforts for individual states.

On Friday, Murphy joined a bipartisan coalition of congressmen in sending a letter to the House Armed Services Committee Chairman, urging him to take up legislation to block the Air Force restructuring plan.

The letter says the planned cuts would not produce the greatest return for the Air Force, and would in fact hamper the military’s ability to quickly mobilize and respond to emerging international threats.

As stated in the letter, “the Air Force’s most recent proposal is not the solution for the ANG and RC; it does not fully consider each bases proven success with their respective aircraft and personnel as a ‘lethal fighting force.’”

Murphy has worked to educate Air Force officials about how the 911th is one of the most cost-effective installations because of its low overhead and stellar recruitment numbers.

At the rally tomorrow, Murphy will discuss the National Defense Authorization Act, which is the nation’s annual defense planning bill. The bill is expected to be released on Monday, and Murphy will be reviewing it to understand its potential impact on the region’s military capabilities.

Also in attendance will be Sean Parnell, the bestselling author of "Outlaw Platoon," which chronicles the true story and heroism of the U.S. Army's legendary 10th Mountain Division during their stand in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Local families and veterans are invited to attend the 4:30PM rally, which will be held at 700 Airside Drive in Moon Township near the Pittsburgh International Airport. For more information, visit the web site of the Military Affairs Coalition of Western Pennsylvania.

To share your thoughts on whether to save the 911th and 171st, please click here.

Excessive Regulation Threatens Job Growth

The United States Department of Labor announced Friday that unemployment remains above 8 percent as the economy added only 115,000 jobs last month — well below the number of jobs needed to keep pace with population growth. Meanwhile, the size of the labor force is shrinking because more and more Americans have given up looking for work. As part of his effort to address the policies restricting private sector job growth, Congressman Tim Murphy met with employers and entrepreneurs this week about the impact of excessive regulation on local job creation.

On Thursday, Mr. Murphy heard from the membership of SCORE Pittsburgh, a group of former business executives who provide volunteer consulting services to Southwestern Pennsylvania small businesses. SCORE helps aspiring as well as existing small business entrepreneurs in Allegheny, Butler, Lawrence and Washington Counties. Harnessing the experience of active and retired business leaders, those coming to SCORE for assistance can learn about regulatory compliance which can be very complex and difficult for new businesses.
 
Murphy discussed how Congress is working on uncomplicating the regulatory burden so that job creators do not face unnecessary and expensive hurdles. The House of Representatives has passed over thirty individual bills to repeal dubious regulations and reform the rulemaking process so employers have a chance to weigh in before bureaucrats in Washington design rules that don’t work. Compliance with federal regulation costs the economy $1.75 trillion annually, nine times as much as the government collects each year in corporate taxes.

On Friday morning in downtown Pittsburgh, Murphy met with members of the Construction Legislative Council of Western Pennsylvania about regulatory delays for permit approvals. Engineers, architects, ironworkers, and construction managers explained that highway projects can take up to 15 years to complete, and a lengthy project approval process accounts for a majority of these delays, amounting to millions in unnecessary costs.

Murphy discussed his legislation to spur job growth and rebuild America’s crumbling transportation networks — the Infrastructure Jobs and Energy Independence Act (HR 1861). Murphy’s bill would safely expand offshore energy exploration, generating trillions in new federal revenues and economic output. The legislation invests new offshore oil and gas royalties into rebuilding our decaying locks, dams, roads, bridges, sewer systems, and transportation network. The bill would put people back to work on everything from energy exploration, steel production and rebuilding our highways. Unlike other transportation plans, H.R. 1861 does not raise taxes, buy oil from OPEC, or borrow money from China. The House and Senate are currently meeting on a long-term transportation plan that will incorporate some of Congressman Murphy’s policy proposals.

To share your thoughts on excessive regulations in need of repeal, please click here.

Educators Weigh In on Budget Cuts, Federal Mandates

Educators and board members from the Greensburg-Salem School District invited Congressman Tim Murphy, State Senator Kim Ward, and State Rep. Tim Krieger for a discussion Thursday about federal and state education policy.

Enacted prior to Congressman Murphy taking office, the federal No Child Left Behind law applied new rules, accountability standards, and mandates on states and local school districts receiving federal taxpayer money. The law requires schools to make yearly progress toward a goal of having a student body completely proficient in reading and math by 2014. Schools that fail to meet these standards are subject to curriculum overhauls, management restructuring, or having to offer parents a choice in sending children to a different school.  
 
At the meeting, Murphy listened to participants share their ongoing frustrations over the restrictive NCLB mandates and the time-consuming paperwork requirements. With the 2014 accountability goal looming, the Department of Education has sought to grant waivers to states to get out of the NCLB mandates, but these opt-outs are conditional. States are only granted waivers upon adopting another new set of standards written by the White House. Governor Corbett has chosen not to seek a waiver.
 
Murphy explained thatCongress is working to return power back to the states and local schools. The House Education Committee recently put forth legislation to repeal parts of No Child Left Behind so that local school districts have the flexibility to operate outside of one-size-fits-all federal mandates. Murphy promised to continue working to bring to the House floor legislation that would give local schools flexibility and empower parents instead of Administration agencies.

To share your views on public education, please click here.

High Schoolers’ Artwork On Display Tomorrow

Thirty  local high school  students will showcase their  artwork at the Galleria of Mt. Lebanon tomorrow as part of the annual Congressional Art Competition. The yearly contest, organized by Rep. Tim Murphy, gives students in the 18th district communities across Allegheny, Westmoreland, and Washington Counties the opportunity to have their artwork hung in the United States Capitol and the Congressman’s Washington, DC office for one year.

Rep. Tim Murphy with 2011 Art Competition winner Molly Fallone (Norwin HS) and her painting "Pittsburgh."

Since this competition was created in 1982, hundreds of thousands of high school students have participated at the local level. The winning student from each district is invited to Washington, DC for a special ceremony when their artwork is displayed in the Capitol.

Submissions include original paintings, drawings, collage, prints, mixed media, computer generated art, or photography. A panel of judges from the Pittsburgh art community will review the student submissions and choose the winning piece to be displayed in the Capitol for the year.

The public is invited to participate in the art competition by voting for their favorite submission, which will receive the People’s Choice Award and be on display in Congressman Murphy’s office in the Cannon House Office Building.

You can see this year’s artwork from 1PM to 3PM tomorrow at the Galleria in Mt. Lebanon. The pieces will be displayed on the second floor near the Starbucks Coffee.

To learn who won the competition, visit Congressman Murphy’s facebook page next week.

To share your thoughts about arts education, please click here.