Will face challenge in Nov. from Cozzone
State Sen. John Rafferty
As expected, state Sen. John Rafferty announced this week he will seek reelection to a third term from the 44th Senate district — setting up a November race against Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone, who announced plans to run earlier this week.
Rafferty serves as Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, and pointed to his efforts to lead the charge to enact an historic comprehensive transportation plan for the Commonwealth. A priority of Gov. Tom Corbett, the transportation bill provided for investment in road, bridge and mass transit, but raised wholesale taxes on fuels — passed on to consumers, leaving the bill with critics, but strong support from the state’s business community.
And while there were critics to the plan — especially those who saw it as a tax hike, Rafferty said, the infrastructure work is crucial to the future of the commonwealth.
“I’ve said countless times that Pennsylvanians recognize that a safe and reliable transportation system is much more than a matter of personal convenience,” Rafferty said. “This transportation funding plan is also about jobs, economic development, quality of life and safety. It’s about investing in our future.”
This measure, known as Act 89, will infuse much needed capital to repair unsafe roads and aging bridges, undertake construction projects in congested areas like the Route 30 and Route 422 corridors and improve ports, rail lines and mass transit systems. This new law comes on the heels of the new Public Private Partnership legislation he authored that will allow the investment of private dollars into transportation modes throughout our state.
Rafferty also serves as a longtime member of the Senate Law & Justice Committee, Rafferty said he has a strong interest in law enforcement legislation. Rafferty serves as a member of the Pennsylvania Sentencing Commission and as a former Deputy Attorney General, he said he fought for new laws to prevent child and sexual abuse by instituting tougher penalties and providing law enforcement agencies the tools they need to enforce them.
Rafferty noted that he was a chief proponent of legislation that integrated Pennsylvania with the national sex offender registry and closed dangerous loopholes in the state’s version of Megan’s Law. Moreover, seeing firsthand the destruction brought on by deadly arsonists in Chester County, Rafferty was a strong supporter of efforts to strengthen the state’s outdated arson laws.
Describing himself as an independent-minded legislator, Rafferty said he has not been afraid to take on the status quo in Harrisburg. During his tenure, he points out that he has been an outspoken advocate for government reform and was a prime sponsor of legislation designed to weed out corruption in state’s growing gambling industry. Rafferty also notes proudly that he also stood up to the establishment and voted against the ill-fated legislative pay raise and insisted upon its repeal.
“I have zero tolerance for political corruption and zero tolerance for abusing our children,” Rafferty added.
Rafferty also talks about having been an ardent supporter of veterans and their families, serving as the Senate representative to the Southeast Veterans Center Advisory Council. In addition to regularly holding town meetings with vets throughout the district, Rafferty shepherded through his committee legislation that created a special fund license plate to help support the Veterans’ Trust Fund. This fund is used to assist Pennsylvania veterans and their families through grants to veterans’ service organizations and charitable organizations.
“We owe our nation’s veterans a huge debt of gratitude for the sacrifice they made for our freedom,” said Rafferty. “In addition to acknowledging and honoring their service and sacrifice we must also ensure they are properly cared as they carry out their civilian lives.”
As a member of the Judiciary Committee, Rafferty argues that he has also played a key role in the passage of the legislation ensuring Pennsylvanians have access to quality healthcare, especially in the area of specialized medicine.
Recognizing that the high cost of medical liability insurance is driving many doctors out of Pennsylvania, Rafferty has written legislation to mitigate the problem through the state’s MCARE Act.
Additionally, Rafferty was a supporter of the Fair Share Act, a law designed to significantly reduce the number of frivolous law suits filed in our courts which drive up the overall cost of medicine. Knowing the cost of prescription drugs is an issue of great importance to many, particularly those on fixed incomes, Rafferty authored a new law that will reduce costs for patients wanting to use community retail pharmacies as opposed to ordering prescriptions through the mail.
“Having access to quality healthcare while preserving patient choice is a concern I hear a lot from my constituents,” explained Rafferty. “That is why I have taken such a keen interest in ensuring these common-sense measures were enacted into law.”
“Serving the constituents of my district in the State Senate has been a rewarding and humbling experience,” Rafferty concluded. “I look forward to working on ways we can improve the lives of all Pennsylvanians by keeping our neighborhoods safe, our families healthy and our economy strong. An important consideration is ensuring we continue to provide adequate state funding for our education system, which includes K-12, our community colleges and four- year colleges. Additionally, working on eliminating the reliance of the property tax at the local level, especially for our seniors, remains a top priority.”
