College Republican Press Release on Bryan Lentz
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
College Republicans Stunned by Bryan Lentz
Missing Key Appropriations Hearings
Lentz placing priority on campaigning over governing
Philadelphia-2/25/10- The Pennsylvania Federation of College Republicans in the state today criticized State Rep. Bryan Lentz, a candidate for Congress in the 7th District of Pennsylvania, for failing to attend a critical Appropriations Committee hearing this week on state funding for state-related universities. The criticism follows reports that Lentz missed three additional key hearings on Wednesday while in Washington, DC engaging in campaign activities.
Lentz missed three separate hearing of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, including hearings on the budgets of the Department of Aging, Department of Public Welfare, and the Department of Insurance. He was reportedly in Washington, DC campaigning. Lentz was also absent from a House Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday where the leaders of the state-related universities – Penn State, Temple University, Lincoln University, and University of Pittsburgh – testified about the need to raise tuition on college students unless the legislature increased funding over and above the Rendell Administration’s flat budget requests. This would impact over 160,000 college students across the commonwealth.
“Representative Lentz says he is running for congress so that he can ‘make a real difference in our communities our Commonwealth and our country.’ However, his failure to show up at this hearing shows that he is simply paying lip service to the people of Pennsylvania, notably to the issues facing younger Pennsylvanians,” said Barry Scatton, President of the Temple University College Republicans. “This is reprehensible because without this state funding many young people in Pennsylvania won’t be able to afford a higher education. Perhaps he should focus on the job he currently has as a public servant instead of campaigning for another position he will probably treat with the same disdain.”
Just two months removed from finally passing much needed funding for the schools within the Commonwealth’s System of Higher Education, problems again are mounting that threaten many current and future students ability to receive higher education. At Tuesday’s hearing, Appropriations Chairman Dwight Evans (D-Phi) hinted that in the near future all funding will likely be eliminated, leading to sizable tuition increases. “With the state funding for 2009-10 having just been completed two short months ago, the future of our states higher educational foundation is in jeopardy,” said Ed Furman, State Chairman of the Pennsylvania Federation of College Republicans. “Representative Lentz is nowhere to be found on these issues, missing critical meetings where a Democratic colleague of his cast into doubt future state funding for Pennsylvania’s network of Colleges and Universities. Representative Lentz needs to do his job in Harrisburg and stand up for the tens of thousands of students across the commonwealth whose future education is in danger.”
The potentially crippling tuition increases will only hurt the state in the future. “Bryan Lentz has done a great disservice to students who attend, or plan to attend, state-funded schools. Many of the country’s greatest minds are the products of state-funded schools,” said Rachel Feinstein, President of the University of Pittsburgh College Republicans. “Clearly, Representative Lentz feels that providing funds for esteemed institutions such as Pittsburgh, Penn State, Temple, and Lincoln network of institutions is not imperative for the development of our state and country.”
At a time with high unemployment across not only the commonwealth but the entire country, these ideas and lack of leadership are sadly far too common. “At a time when Pennsylvania’s high tax rate is costing the state jobs, many young Pennsylvanians are being forced to leave the state in which they earned their education, putting a tremendous burden on the rest of the state to make up for the loss of hard and extremely well educated workers,” added Furman.
The Pennsylvania College Republicans would like Bryan Lentz to tell the many current and future students who are from the 7th Congressional District, what campaign events in Washington were worth missing important meetings that affect so many young Pennsylvanians.
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The Pennsylvania Federation of College Republicans is the largest grassroots organization in Pennsylvania, consisting of over 13,000 members at over 80 chapters at Colleges and Universities across the state whose presence is consistently felt in numerous campaigns throughout Pennsylvania.
Contact:
Ed Furman
pacollegerepublicans@gmail.com
610-585-4336
pacolelgerepublicans.com
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