Burns: Governor not interested in Pennsylvania jobs

Rep. Frank Burns    October 1, 2014

HARRISBURG, Oct. 1 – State Rep. Frank Burns is questioning Gov. Tom Corbett's recent emphasis on jobs.

Corbett has been traveling the state touting Pennsylvania jobs, including paying a visit to Johnstown Tuesday, but Burns said it's hypocritical when the governor was responsible for eliminating 500 jobs in the region when he closed SCI-Cresson.

"The governor's January 2013 decision to close SCI-Cresson negatively impacted the region's economy and put many of our families and businesses in financial jeopardy," Burns said. "I'm all for creating jobs in the energy sector, but sometimes we also need to protect the ones we have. Those 500 jobs he eliminated were well-paying and family-sustaining. Now he has the gall to visit our area to say he supports Pennsylvania jobs? Where was he 20 months ago when he decided to close the prison and put hundreds out of work?

"This is just another example of the governor's bad decisions, but at what cost? Now those jobs and economic opportunities are lost."

Burns and other state legislators held a public hearing in the region to give people and business and community leaders a chance to communicate to the governor how the prison closing would impact them, but the governor didn't change his mind.

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