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		<title>Columns and Editorials</title>
		<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/Display/RSS.ashx?ID=109&SiteID=59]]></link>
		<description>Here you will find Columns and Editorials</description>
		<language>en</language>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		<generator>HouseRep RSS v1.0</generator>
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			<title><![CDATA[Final Budget Includes $60 Million for School Safety ]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=271342]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[School districts across Pennsylvania are developing and implementing strategies and security plans to help increase school safety and keep Pennsylvania students safe. As the House Education Committee chairman, I held a lengthy hearing on this topic which included four panels and 14 witnesses, earlier this year in preparation for the 2018-19 state budget. ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jun 2018 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=271342]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Reforming a Failed Welfare System]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=271312]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Work requirements have put thousands of Americans on a pathway to independence.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 08 Jun 2018 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=271312]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Taking Measure of Our Schools]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=271313]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Last week, I visited two elementary schools in one of my school districts.  This is not new for me. I have visited schools in my district many times in my time as a state legislator.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 May 2017 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=271313]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[State Budget Still Nowhere in Sight]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=271314]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[It is now well over 100 days since June 30, when a state budget should have been enacted. The latest vote in the General Assembly and comments by Gov. Tom Wolf have made it even more unclear when a budget agreement may be reached. ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2015 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=271314]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[House Sets Legislative Priorities for 2014]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=271316]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[The state House of Representatives will have an important legislative agenda for the new year with proposals dedicated to improving the budgetary and economic climates in the Commonwealth. ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 09 Apr 2014 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=271316]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Fiscal Reality Demands Debt Reform]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=271315]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Last week was a pretty productive one in Harrisburg, with fiscal responsibility topping the list. As we continue to face a sluggish national economy, the Commonwealth finds itself in the same situation many Pennsylvania households are in – making the difficult choices needed to live within our means.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 21 Oct 2013 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=271315]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Pennsylvania’s New Budget: Living within Our Means]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15256]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[The Pennsylvania General Assembly and Gov. Tom Corbett were able for the second year in a row to pass an on-time and balanced budget for the Commonwealth.  You can learn more about the main points of the $27.656 billion budget below.  ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jul 2012 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15256]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Stiffer Sentences for Subjecting Children to Drug Trafficking]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15255]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[This month the House unanimously approved legislation I co-sponsored heightening the penalties for drug dealers who produced and/or sold drugs in the presence of children.  But, the incidents that led to this measure, House Bill 1289, being authored are almost too disturbing to recount.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 01 May 2012 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15255]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[New Voter ID Law – What it Means for You]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15254]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[When we go to the polls to cast our vote for a person to represent our interests on our behalf in a government body – the most basic freedom we have as Americans – we expect that vote to count.  In fact, very few of us give it a second thought.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Sun, 01 Apr 2012 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15254]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[More Child Protection Laws May be Needed]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15258]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[As a strong advocate of limited government, I don’t believe passing lots of new laws all the time is necessarily a good thing. However, of the missions voters do choose to delegate to their elected representatives, public safety is key.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15258]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[New Texting and Teenage Driver Laws Make Roads Safer for All]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=13082]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Vehicle accidents are the No. 1 cause of death for teenagers in the United States. 

In fact, teen drivers have fatal crashes at four times the rate of adult drivers, and distracted driving caused by talking on a cellphone or texting are two reasons this number is so high. ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:11:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=13082]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[New Texting Law and Teenage Driver Regulations Make Roads Safer for All]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15259]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Vehicle accidents are the No. 1 cause of death for teenagers in the United States.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 2011 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15259]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Act 47]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15261]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[One of the greatest benefits of living in Pennsylvania is our system of local government.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Sun, 30 Oct 2011 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15261]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Balanced Budget and Job Initiatives Paying Dividends]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15257]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[The federal government seems to have it backward when it comes to job creation.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 25 Oct 2011 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15257]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Act 47]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15260]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[One of the greatest benefits of living in Pennsylvania is our system of local government.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Sep 2011 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=15260]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[July 2011 Column - New Law is First Step to Providing Substantial School Property Tax Relief]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=12050]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Millions of Pennsylvanians have worked all of their adult lives to achieve the American dream of home ownership.  For many of them, ever-increasing school property taxes are turning that dream into a nightmare.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:02:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=12050]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[June 2011 Column - State Budget Restores Fiscal Responsibility]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=11909]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[For the first time in eight years, a new state budget was in place by the legally mandated June 30 deadline.  Over those eight years, state spending increased 31 percent while the rate of inflation grew only 21 percent.  State spending was out of control and Pennsylvania was facing a $4 billion dollar deficit.  Clearly, difficult choices had to be made  to stop this trend of spending money we do not have and expecting taxpayers to make up the difference.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 2011 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=11909]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[May 2011 Column - House Budget Shifts Priorities from Welfare to Education]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=11529]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[In a previous column, I discussed Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year and some of my concerns with his proposal.  While I have some concerns about the governor’s spending plan, I agree that we must spend less because we have less to spend.  The governor’s plan to spend $27.3 billion, a reduction of $866.3 million from last year, is a good step in that direction.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 19:24:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=11529]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[April 2011 Column - Reforms Designed to Restore Accountability and Integrity to Pennsylvania’s Welfare System]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=11215]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[As we work to pass a budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year, my colleagues and I should seek to gain maximum efficiency from every taxpayer dollar.  That means eliminating waste, fraud and abuse at every level of government.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:20:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=11215]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[March 2011 Column - Governor’s Budget Proposal is a Good First Step]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=10888]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Pennsylvania’s state budget grew 40 percent during the past eight years, from $20.4 billion in 2002-03 to $28.04 billion in 2010-11, an expansion that far exceeds the rate of inflation.  As a result, Pennsylvania government has grown to levels which are unsustainable without serious spending reductions or a major tax increase.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:41:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=10888]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[February 2011 Column - House Passes Bills Designed to Improve Laws on Gaming, Sex Offender Registration]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=10637]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[When lawmakers pass a bill, we make every effort to ensure that it is written clearly and that every possible eventuality is addressed.  Occasionally, however, situations develop which require us to take another look and make improvements to ensure that the law achieves the goals we had in mind when we passed it.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:53:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=10637]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[October 2010 Column - Castle Doctrine Guarantees Citizens’ Right to Self Defense]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9885]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[We can barely read the newspaper or watch the television news without seeing stories of murder, in-home assault, kidnapping and rape across our nation.  Our law enforcement officials have a tremendous task protecting citizens and their property, and they do an excellent job.  But, they simply cannot be in all places at all times.  That is why citizens must have the legal right to defend themselves and their families, even it means using lethal force.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:44:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9885]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[September 2010 Column - Annual Senior Expo to be Held Oct. 28]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9674]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Mark your calendar for Thursday, October 28, when I will be holding my annual Senior Expo from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Masonic Village Freemasons Cultural Center Ballroom, 1 Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Thu, 30 Sep 2010 21:11:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9674]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[August 2010 Column - Independent Fiscal Office Would Ensure The Accuracy of Revenue Estimates]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9471]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Pennsylvania finished the last fiscal year with a budget deficit of more than $1 billion.  That means actual revenues were more than $1 billion below the $25 billion estimate provided by the governor’s budget office.  In the previous fiscal year, actual revenues were $3.2 billion below projections.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:41:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9471]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[July 2010 Column - Special Legislative Session to Address Pennsylvania’s Transportation Infrastructure Funding Crisis]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9355]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Earlier this year, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) rejected Pennsylvania’s application to toll Interstate 80, creating a $470 million hole in Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure budget.  Gov. Ed Rendell subsequently called a special session of the Legislature to address the situation and develop solutions to the funding crisis.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:37:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9355]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[June 2010 Column - House Passes State Pension System Reforms]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9297]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[While our state and national economies may be showing the early signs of recovery from the worst financial crisis in generations, Pennsylvania still faces some very difficult challenges.  When the 2009-10 fiscal year ends on June 30, Pennsylvania will have a budget deficit of more than $1 billion.  Very simply, state government is spending more money than we have available  and sooner or later, taxpayers are going to get the bill.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9297]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[May 2010 Column - House Republicans Offer Specific Cost Saving Ideas without Tax Increases]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9296]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[As we near the end of the 2009-10 fiscal year, Pennsylvania once again finds itself in a very difficult financial position.  Revenue collections are more than $1 billion below estimates.  In other words, Pennsylvania government is on pace to spend $1 billion more than we have.  This is irresponsible and it is unacceptable.  It is past time for state government to do what every family in Pennsylvania is doing. We must tighten our belts and we must look for opportunities to save money anywhere we can find them.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 28 May 2010 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9296]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[April 2010 Column - Pension Reforms Needed if Pennsylvania is to Avoid a Financial Crisis in 2012-13]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9030]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 26 Apr 2010 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=9030]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[March 2010 Column - Federal Health Care Bill Imposes Costly, Unconstitutional Mandates on States and Citizens]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=8606]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 05 Apr 2010 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=8606]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[February 2010 Column - Last Year’s Budget Impasse Cannot Happen Again]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=8613]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=8613]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[January 2010 Column - Governor’s Budget Must Reflect Reality of Pennsylvania’s Financial Situation]]></title>
			<link><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=8614]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:00:00 EST</pubDate>
			<guid><![CDATA[http://rephickernell.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=8614]]></guid>
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