For Immediate Release
August 20, 2008
Contact:  Lisa Landis
Legislative Director
717-787-6709
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A Conversation with Senator Brubaker

PA recognized for child support enforcement

Pennsylvania has been honored as a national leader for its child support enforcement efforts for the third consecutive year, and has been awarded its second Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement's Commissioner's Award for High Performance.

Statistics released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the 2007 fiscal year show that Pennsylvania leads the country for the percentage of current support collected. The Commonwealth was also recognized for exceeding federal benchmarks for:

• Paternity establishment, allowing support orders to be finalized for almost 89 percent of parents, amounting to about $1.5 billion annually on behalf of nearly 670,000 children
• Establishment of court orders for support
• Overall program cost-effectiveness, collecting $6.58 for every dollar spent on administrative costs (exceeding the national average of $4.73 and the federal benchmark of $5)

In addition, over the past five years, electronic processing of court-ordered payments has reduced delays in payments to parents and resulted in estimated savings of nearly $50 million to Pennsylvania taxpayers.

The state Department of Public Welfare's Bureau of Child Support Enforcement oversees the delivery of federal and child support services through the domestic relations sections of the county courts of common pleas. This combined state and county child support program has been in the national forefront for the past 15 years, and I am very pleased that our state takes this issue seriously.

PPL offers new rate phase-in option

PPL Electric Utilities will allow customers to enroll in a new payment option that will allow gradual adjustment to higher electricity prices when rate caps come off in 2010.

While high fuel costs and consumer demand have increased the price of electric generation since rate caps were implemented in 1999 to help transition to a competitive market, the rate caps have shielded customers from these price increases. Thus, when rate caps expire, customers will see a decade of these cost increases all at once, rather than over time.

Under the voluntary PPL program, customers would make advance payments from October 2008 through December 2009 that would be used to offset a portion of their bills in 2010 and 2011; PPL will pay six percent interest on the advance payments. This means an average customer would see increases of five to eight percent per year from 2008 to 2012, rather than a much larger one-time increase in 2010. Customers can withdraw from the program at any time and get full credit, including interest, for their advance payments.

Enrollment begins August 27, with more information available at www.pplelectric.com or by calling toll-free at 1-866-597-2010.

Conservation Corps offers job training experience

The Pennsylvania Conservation Corps offers temporary job training experiences for young adults to gain workplace skills and self-confidence through conservation, recreation and historical preservation projects.

The Corps was established in 1984 for unemployed young people to develop workplace knowledge and skills through assignments to public projects that last about one year, and more than 14,000 Pennsylvanians have served since then. In the 2006-2007 fiscal year, the Corps completed 48 projects in 31 counties, and nearly one-third of the 416 members moved directly into jobs upon leaving, while others completed technical or college coursework or obtained GEDs.

For additional information or to apply, visit the local PA CareerLink office at 1016 N. Charlotte Street, Lancaster, 717-299-7631, or call the Corps office at 888-577-4722.