State Sen.

Jane Orie, R-40th, on Tuesday joined with representatives of women's organization at a 2005 Pennsylvania Equal Pay Day Rally at the State Capitol.Orie is sponsor of a Senate resolution marking April 19 as Equal Pay Day in the commonwealth. The same day marks the National Equal Pay Day.Orie said April 19 is the day when, in addition to the full preceding year, a woman must work to earn the same money that a man made in the previous year.Orie has introduced a concurrent resolution calling for a comprehensive study of the wage gap in Pennsylvania, and to determine why the gap exists and whether policy or legislative measures are needed to remedy the problem.Rep.

Dick Stevenson, R-8th, was recently appointed to the House Finance Committee."This committee examines all legislation dealing with taxes and other revenue generated to support government operations," he said, "and I believe my experience in the business sector - as well as having served on the borough, county and state levels - will serve me well."The state Senate on Wednesday approved legislation designed to give Pennsylvanians more control of their health care by allowing them to set up Health Savings Accounts exempt from state Personal Income Tax, according to Sen.

Don White, R-41st."I am pleased that the Senate has acted to give families more control over the decisions that affect their health care," Armstrong said. "The federal government already provides for Health Savings Accounts and so do many state governments. It's time that Pennsylvania takes this step to allow people to make personal decisions on the best way to provide for their healthcare expenses."Under the bill, employers and/or employees could establish and pay into health savings accounts with banks and insurance companies or with other entities approved by the Internal Revenue Service to hold Individual Retirement Accounts or Medical Savings Accounts.Interest on the accounts would also be tax-exempt and withdrawals would be tax-free if they were used for the costs of medical or dental diagnosis, cure and treatment. The money could also be used tax-free to cover the costs of equipment, supplies and diagnostic devices.U.S. Sen.

Rick Santorum, R-Pa., on Wednesday introduced the Community Development Homeownership Tax Credit Act of 2005, which encourages the construction and rehabilitation of homes for low-income families in economically distressed areas."As I travel throughout Pennsylvania, I consistently hear from people that they would like to start a family and own a home. This legislation will help make that dream a reality for many Pennsylvanians," said Santorum, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.He said the production or refurbishment of new homes would create construction and construction-related jobs, increase economic growth while lowering the unemployment rate and stabilize and build up communities.The proposal would allow states to allocate tax credits to developers and investors to construct or substantially rehabilitate homes in economically disadvantaged communities for sale to low- or moderate-income buyers.State Rep.

Brian Ellis, R-11th, had the opportunity to revisit his past as a participant when he presented a citation designating April 15 as Pennsylvania Youth and Government Day to students and advisers attending the statewide conference April 15-17 at the Capitol."This program was one of the strong steppingstones that sparked my interest in government as a young person," he said.Ellis was a member of the Butler Delegation of the Youth and Government from 1986 to 1988 and acted as an adviser to the group from 1998 to 2004. He is the first YAG alumnus to be elected to the state House of Representatives.More than 550 students attended the three-day conference.The state Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a measure sponsored by Sen.

Bob Robbins, R-50th, designating May as Community Action Month in Pennsylvania.Robbins said community action-related programs provide families with vital needs such as food assistance, emergency and affordable housing, literacy and education, job training and placement, transportation, day care, drug and alcohol abuse prevention, and personal and family development."The truth is, community action agencies change lives by helping people help themselves," Robbins said.