U.S. Rep.

Jason Altmire, D-4th, on June 22 cast his 4,000th consecutive vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, an unbroken streak that began on his first day in office on Jan. 4, 2007.Currently in his third term, Altmire has never missed a vote.He remains the only member of Congress to have made every vote called during the past three sessions of Congress. Altmire’s 4,000-vote streak is the longest of any current member of Congress.———U.S. Rep.

Mike Kelly, R-3rd, criticized the Obama administration’s plan announced last week to release 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve:“(The) decision by the president to dip into 4 percent of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which was designed to be used in times of energy, not political, emergencies, underscores how vulnerable this administration’s energy policy has made us.”Kelly noted on June 8, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries rejected a request by the International Energy Agency to increase oil production levels, prompting the White House and IEA to unleash 60 million barrels of oil onto global markets, half coming from America.“We can no longer remain subject to the whims of OPEC or the winds of political change in volatile oil producing regions,” Kelly said. “We have the resources right here in America to meet our energy needs, we just have an administration that lacks the political will to produce and develop those supplies.“That is why I and my colleagues in the House have been passing legislation that will cut through the red tape and break down regulatory barriers that have stifled American energy production.”———State Rep.

Jaret Gibbons, D-10th, last week voted against legislation that he claimed could hinder the ability to tens of thousands of seniors to vote in elections, and wastes $10 million in tax money.The measure, he said, would require all voters in each election in Pennsylvania to present a federal- or state-issued photo identification card at the polls before being allowed to vote. Current federal law only requires voters to present identification when they vote for the first time in a new election precinct.“When the state is considering deep cuts to school funding and senior programs, it’s wrong to push a new law that makes voting more difficult for thousands of seniors,” he said.“The concept has been repeatedly criticized by good government organizations because it costs people the right to vote and wastes $10 million that would be better used to reduce school funding cuts.”Additionally, Gibbons said that under the legislation, voters who do not have photo identification would have to go through the time and expense of obtaining photo ID to cast a ballot.“Getting to the polls is difficult enough for many seniors and people with disabilities. This will force people who show up to vote without an ID, as some people have done for 50 years, to travel to their county courthouse and stand in long lines to confirm their identity or their vote will be tossed.“We should be looking for ways to make it easier for groups like seniors and veterans with disabilities to vote,” he said, “rather than trying to suppress the votes of some groups of people.”———Pennsylvania residents faced with an imminent threat of danger now have the protection of state law to use lethal force against an intruder, said state Rep.

Dick Stevenson, R-8th.“The new law, known as the Castle Doctrine, allows law-abiding residents to use lethal force in the imminent threat of an attack and not to have to worry about prosecution,” Stevenson said.“Under previous law, if a citizen encounters an unlawful intruder in his or her home and fears his or her life or that of their family is in danger, the law required them to retreat first. In cases where seconds can mean the difference between life and death, this posed a tremendous burden in allowing people to use self-defense in dangerous situations.”The measure clarifies that if an individual presumes an attacker or intruder intends to inflict bodily harm, deadly force may be used to protect oneself, family and others while in their home or vehicle.That presumption also applies if a person is trying to unlawfully remove an occupant, against his or her will, from a home or vehicle.The presumption would not apply if the person entering a home was another resident of the home, a law enforcement officer, a parent, grandparent or other guardian removing a child from the home or vehicle. A separate section of the new law strengthens the penalties related to the trafficking of stolen guns.The new law does not permit the legal use of self-defense if a person was using their home or vehicle for criminal activity.The Castle Doctrine was vetoed last year by former Gov. Ed Rendell.———Butler County Treasurer

Diane Marburger was recently sworn in as president for a second term at the 63rd annual convention of the Pennsylvania Treasurers’ Association held in Cranberry Township.Butler County President Judge

Thomas Doerr presided over the swearing-in ceremony of officers, who will serve in their posts in 2011-12.Marburger’s two consecutive years as president is only the second time in the association’s history. The first time a president served two consecutive terms was in the late 1980s.In her post, she will continue to lead the association on any legislative issues that affect the treasurers across the state, as well as any licensing issues mandated by the state’s Fish & Boat Commission, Game Commission and Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.Marburger was elected county treasurer in 1999 and first served her state association as trustee in 2006-07. She was elected second vice president in 2008.