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Smoking Ban Legislation:
The statewide smoking ban
went into effect on September 11, 2008. Because she believes that any ban must
be equitable, Chelsa will introduce legislation to allow Allegheny County 90
days to pass a more comprehensive smoking ban, similar to the one that County
Council previously passed.
City-County Merger:
In April 2008, Mayor
Ravenstahl and County Executive Onorato announced their support to dissolve the
city of Pittsburgh into Allegheny Countys government. In order to do so, the
state legislature would need to pass a law allowing for a referendum to be
voted on by the city and county. Since April, the Allegheny Countys state
legislators, including Chelas, have been dedicated to vetting this possibility
while considering what is best for all of their constituents.
Route 51 Planning:
Route 51 is often considered
to be a problem roadway throughout Southern Allegheny County. There are
dangerous intersections, and the roadway presents unique problems to the
community it runs through. To that end, Chelsa has been working with representatives
from various municipalities along Route 51 to find ways to study the roadway so
that improvements can be made.
Turnpike Leasing
Fighting Blight:
Chelsa has long been
interested in urban redevelopment. One neighborhood in her district, Beechveiw,
has a large group of dedicated community members looking to revitalize their
business district. The first step was to get speculator and slumlord Bernardo
Katz out of Beechivew. Chelsa has been diligently working with community
members, and Katz has now disappeared to Brazil.
Reform:
Like many freshman
legislators, Chelsa campaigned on reforming the state legislature. While the
legislative process may be long, reform is still a top priority for Chelsa
PILOTs:
Non-profits in Pennsylvania are
exempt from paying property taxes. However, there has been talk about Payments
in Lieu of Taxes so that municipalities can receive some income to make up for
the loss in property taxes.
Transit:
As a member of the
Transportation Committee, Chelsa is dedicated to her support of mass transit.
She fully understand how necessary good, reliable transit is to the success of Allegheny County
and the Southwestern Pennsylvania region.
Beechview Senior Center:
Beechviews seniors have
been promised a new senior center for years. As soon as Chelsa took office, she
made the senior center a top priority and has been working hard to give
Beechviews deserving seniors a new senior center. There has been a lot of
progress made in the two years since Chelsa took office.
Drink Tax:
Since its inception, Chelsa
has been opposed to the Drink Tax. While she remains dedicated to funding for
mass transit, she does not believe the drink tax is the best option for
Allegheny County.
Distracted Drivers:
This session, the
Transportation Committee has been considered a few bills related to distractive
drivers, including drivers using cell phones and young drivers. Chelsa
introduced a bill to limit the amount a young passengers a teenager driver can
have in order to ensure the focus and safety of our young drivers.
Handicapped Placard:
After discussing the issue
with a constituent, Chelsa decided to introduce legislation to prevent the
fraudulent use of disability placards. Chelsa understands how important the
designated parking spots are to disable Pennsylvanians and would like to be
sure that those spots are left open for the disabled.
Port Authority Board:
As a supporter of mass
transit, Chelsa would like to reform the structure of the Port Authority Board
so that five of the nine appointments come from the state (one from each
legislative caucus and one from the governor). This change would show a more
equitable balance based on Port Authoritys funding structure.
Jonas Salk Legacy Fund:
Chelsa introduced the Jonas
Salk Legacy Fund to expand biomedical research. The legislation passed both the
House and Senate and was signed into law by Governor Ed Rendell.
Miscellaneous:
