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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Bill DeWeese |
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DeWeese launches prison petition drive to get Corbett to reconsider
HARRISBURG, March 29 – State Rep. Bill DeWeese, D-Greene/Fayette/Washington, said area residents can voice displeasure with cancellation of the state prison in German Township by signing or circulating petitions available at his four district offices. They can also download or print the petition on his state website at http://www.pahouse.com/DeWeese/Documents/Prisonpetition.pdf
DeWeese said his offices will collect the petitions and forward them to Gov. Tom Corbett, whose administration did an about-face and axed the prison within weeks of Corbett taking office in late January. The petition calls for Corbett "to withdraw his previous decision to cancel the SCI German Township, Fayette County project," on grounds that preservation would address inmate overcrowding, foster economic development and keep Pennsylvania jobs and resources at home.
"This prison project was carefully gestated by the Department of General Services for at least three years, before Corbett and his incoming team unceremoniously pulled the proverbial plug," DeWeese said. "Since Fayette, Greene and Washington counties each gave Governor Corbett a plurality of the vote in his winning election last fall, it is only fitting that he hear from constituents who are as upset and disappointed with this decision as I am."
DeWeese said he has not given up hope on getting the prison project put back on track. In a related move, he said he has filed a Right-to-Know request with DGS, in an attempt to find out how much state money was expended in the lengthy process to find a suitable prison site in German Township.
"With the state facing a potential $4 billion budget deficit, and with Corbett and his Republican cohorts championing the need to be tight-fisted with limited state dollars, the public should be illuminated on how much money was invested in this process that they have thrown out the window," DeWeese said.
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