Issues

By Lloyd K. Smucker

Strong Fiscal Discipline that Protects Taxpayers Just as he did as a local official while improving services without raising property taxes, Lloyd will bring his proven, real-world business experience to Harrisburg to install strong fiscal controls that protect taxpayers. He'll start with a tough review of the budget to eliminate wasteful spending. Then he'll champion a "Taxpayers' Bill of Rights" that make it harder for the politicians to raise taxes, limit any spending increases and give taxpayers a stronger voice.

Common Sense Property Tax Relief As a local official, Lloyd saw firsthand how the decisions made in Harrisburg hurt local property taxpayers. That's why he will push for fundamental changes to the property tax system to make it more fair and affordable for all homeowners - while making sure the local taxes we pay stay right here in our local school districts. He'll work to change the state education formula to make sure our schools get back more of the tax dollars we send to Harrisburg and that growing school districts aren't shortchanged.

Preserve Farmland and Open Space As a local elected official, Lloyd has preserved local farmland with innovative zoning regulation changes and by promoting smart growth policies. He did it because he knows that preserving open space helps taxpayers, protects our environment, helps our agricultural economy and enhances the quality of life we've come to enjoy in Lancaster and York Counties. In Harrisburg, he'll build upon successful programs and also fight for changes to the state's Municipal Planning Code that give local officials more tools to plan for smart growth policies that control development and ensure a strong economic future.

Open and Honest Government As he did in 2006, when he worked for and supported local reform candidates, Lloyd will work for changes that help rebuild the public's trust of government. In Harrisburg, he'll push for legislation and initiatives that makes government more open and accountable - such as an improved Open Records Law, enhanced web services that let taxpayers see how their money is being used, and more. Just as important, Lloyd will lead by example by not taking a taxpayer-paid car or the per diem for working in Harrisburg.

Healthcare We Can All Afford It's simple: to make healthcare more accessible, we need to make it more affordable. That's why Lloyd will work for smart changes to the healthcare system - such as frivolous lawsuit reform, insurance purchasing pools, medical mistake elimination, healthcare tax credits and more -- that reduce costs for all Pennsylvanians and help make sure they can get the health coverage they need.

Make Our Schools Even Better As a parent with children in our public schools, Lloyd knows our schools can do more for kids if they get the right kind of support - not just more money. That's why he'll work to make sure our tax dollars are spent in the classroom instead of on bureaucracy. He'll also work to give local residents - instead of Harrisburg politicians - more control over local education decisions.

Protect Our Families From Crime and Drugs Protecting our families, seniors and children from crime and drugs is key to preserving our quality-of-life. That's why Lloyd will work side-by-side with our police and prosecutors to ensure they get the tools they need to do their jobs. Lloyd will push to allow state and county prosecutors to use the same tough sentencing guidelines that federal prosecutors use against criminals who use guns. He'll work with local police to establish innovative new initiatives that help address gang violence and stop the proliferation of illegal drugs and drug pushers. Lloyd will also support programs that help prevent people from beginning drug use - because that's the best way to prevent drug crimes. And he'll push for tough new statewide measures that protect our children from sexual predators.

Meet Our Local Needs As a local official, Lloyd is always available to listen to the needs and concerns of the people he represents. As our State Senator, he will continue to listen to residents - along with ensuring that his office is always available to help solve our problems with state government. Just as important, Lloyd is committed to addressing our local issues - from securing funding for important local community groups and project to ensuring our quality-of-life continues to improve.

Stand Strong for Our Values Lloyd Smucker believes in our traditional Lancaster and York County values of neighbor helping neighbor and putting family first. He also believes in the same values our forefathers did: that limited government is the best government. In Harrisburg, he will follow all these principles to make sure that government continues to help those who need it but also to make government less intrusive in the lives of our citizens.