State Rep.

Frank LaGrotta, D-10th, is co-sponsoring legislation that would eliminate health insurance co-payments and deductible limits for cancer-related medical treatment."The costs of medical care continue to rise, and workers in Pennsylvania are paying a bigger share of the cost of their health insurance," he said. "The added financial burden of paying for cancer treatment is enough to put some households on the brink of financial ruin."Eliminating co-pays and deductible limits would help patients concentrate on getting better, rather than stressing over how to pay for their treatment."According to the American Cancer Society, more than 29,000 people in Pennsylvania died of cancer in the past year, and nearly 69,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed.The bill's prime sponsor, state Rep. Harold James, D-Philadelphia, plans to introduce the bill in early June.---The Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division presented its Liberty Bell Award to state Sen.

Jane Orie, R-40th, during the association's annual meeting in Pittsburgh earlier this month."Our Liberty Bell Award recognizes the individualism, courage, enterprise and altruism of leaders in a free society," said attorney James Wells, former chairman of the group."We could not think of anyone more deserving of this award than Sen. Orie for her years of service and leadership in her local community and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania."The Liberty Bell Award is given to an individual for his or her outstanding community service and for promoting the "blessing of liberty" guaranteed by the Constitution.Orie was singled out not only for her legislative work but for her efforts in the "Hearts of Steel" bracelet project to honor the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, who died when the plane crashed in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001.In addition, Orie has spearheaded several other projects to benefit the community, including the "Valentines for Veterans" and "Shamrocks for Seniors" programs, in which she visits veterans' hospitals and nursing homes in her district to present patients and seniors with valentines and shamrocks made by school children.---State Rep.

Mike Turzai, R-28th, was honored May 20 with the Leo R. McDonough Distinguished Public Official Small Business Advocate Award by SMC Business Councils during Small Business Week ceremonies at the Westin Convention Center Hotel in Pittsburgh.SMC President Cliff Shannon said, "Rep. Turzai was selected for this award because of his ongoing efforts to bring down the skyrocketing costs of liability insurance and to end lawsuit abuse."He has also been very active promoting the small-business agenda, including a package of bills known as the Keystone Manufacturing Initiative."The SMC Business Councils annually present the award to a public official in honor of Leo R. McDonough's 29 years of service to the small-business movement in the United States.SMC Business Councils, based in Pittsburgh, is a nonprofit trade association representing 4,300 small-business owners in western and central Pennsylvania.