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For Immediate Release A Conversation with Senator Brubaker General Assembly approves 2007-2008 budget During my first budget process as state Senator for the 36th District, I have gained a greater appreciation for the democratic process and compromise. Certainly, this was a process that at times was slow and even frustrating at times. I was very unhappy, as we tried to work through our differences to truly create a good budget for Pennsylvania, that Governor Rendell made the decision to unnecessarily furlough state employees in an attempt to push initiatives which merit further review and development. I believe all employees perform valuable services to our state, and I am thankful we were able to reach an agreement that allowed them to return to work after just one day of furloughs. However, this budget did show me the value of the democratic process. Every individual in this Commonwealth had the opportunity to offer input as we deliberated, and the final product was the result of much compromise and negotiation. This budget is not everything I would have liked to have seen, nor is it everything my colleagues would have liked to have seen. It is, though, a budget that stuck to our commitment to not increase the tax burden on Pennsylvanians, and one that shows a commendable restraint in spending. The rate of increase this year is far lower than that of previous years, and this marks a step in the right direction that we will continue working toward in the future. I want to thank everyone who called, wrote, or stopped by to share their thoughts on this budget – your input was very valuable to me and I encourage you to remain in contact with me on other issues that are important to you in the future. Legislation to reduce healthcare-associated infections I was very pleased to see that one of the pieces of legislation the General Assembly approved recently, in addition to the budget, will help to prevent, track and reduce health-care associated infections. Earlier this year, I introduced a resolution to raise awareness of MRSA, a staph infection that is resistant to treatment with the usual antibiotics that occurs most frequently in hospitals and other health care facilities. As I learned more about this topic, I was very interested to learn that MRSA can be prevented through appropriate screening and proper hygienic practices. Some countries, such as Denmark and Finland, have successfully controlled MRSA through aggressive action. For this reason, I was proud to support Senate Bill 968, which will require hospitals, nursing homes and ambulatory surgical facilities to implement infection control plans and will help create a timely, accurate system to track infection rates. This is a comprehensive plan to protect the health and safety of Pennsylvanians, and one that will lower health care costs, spare patients pain and longer hospital stays, and improve the overall quality of care. Applications available for Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence Pennsylvania businesses and organizations that have worked on projects promoting environmental stewardship and economic development in the state between Aug. 1, 2006, and July 31, 2007, can now apply for the 2008 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence. Those who have been honored with the award in the past have found solutions to environmental challenges in categories such as environmental technology and information, pollution prevention and resource efficiency, community revitalization, environmental education and outreach, watershed stewardship, mine safety, and clean energy innovations. Additional information is available by going to www.depweb.state.pa.us and clicking on "2008 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence." The deadline for application is Monday, Oct. 15.
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