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Site Update:
     October 9, 2011 – Senator Vince Fumo would like to hear from you.
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FUMO STATEMENT ON PASSING OF LT. GOV. KNOLL
Press Release:
     HARRISBURG, November 13, 2008 – State Senator Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) issued the following statement today regarding the death last night of Lt. Governor Catherine Baker Knoll:
     "I was saddened to learn of the passing of Lt. Governor Knoll. Catherine and I were close for a long time; I have been friends with her and her family for many years. It is a huge loss for me personally and for the Commonwealth. She was a warm and caring person, and that was reflected in her tireless efforts for the people of Pennsylvania. She was a true champion of the poor, of working men and women, and of seniors in our state. My prayers go out for her and her loved ones. I will miss her."
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CONSUMERS GET ENERGY HELP, BUT WORK REMAINS
Press Release:
     HARRISBURG, October 8, 2008 – The state Senate passed an amended piece of energy legislation (HB 2200) today that helps electric utility customers in several crucial ways, but does not yet provide relief from potential huge monthly bill increases that will hit them when rate caps expire in the next few years, Senator Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) said.
     Fumo, who was the main force behind the imposition of rate caps after Pennsylvania deregulated electric generation in the late 1990s, said he is confident that the General Assembly will address the looming rate hikes during the 2009-10 legislative session that begins in January. Fumo is not running for re-election, and therefore will not be a member of the Senate in the next session.
     “I and many other members of the legislature would have preferred to extend rate caps in this legislation,” Fumo said. “Unfortunately, we were unable to gain enough support for that at this time. That is a fight that will have to wait for another day. But if we don’t act now, the problem will get worse.”
     Fumo and several other Senate Democrats were heavily involved over the last few months with Senate Republican leadership, officials of the Rendell Administration, and electric utilities in trying to reach a comprehensive energy compromise that would include limits on consumer price increases that could be as large as 60 percent when caps come off for most electric company customers in 2010. While they reached agreement in several key areas, a deal on rates eluded them. <more>

WE MUST PROTECT AGAINST HUGE ELECTRIC BILL HIKES
Floor Speech, September 18, 2008.
     Mister President, 
     As all of you know, I did not expect to be in Harrisburg this week, but since I am able to be here I want to speak for a few moments about an issue that will soon have an impact on every person in Pennsylvania.
     Politicians make a lot of speeches. I certainly have made my share on this floor, but every now and then we have a chance not just to talk, but to act in a direct fashion to help people. 
     We have that opportunity before us right now. 
     The United States financial markets are in turmoil. Our economy seems to be sinking. By one estimate that I heard last night, $1.2 trillion dollars of wealth in this country has been wiped out over the past three days. Undoubtedly, that includes some of the hard-earned savings, or investments, or retirement nest eggs of many Pennsylvanians.
     As we sit here in the Pennsylvania Senate, we don’t have the power to do very much about the meltdown on Wall Street, and we can’t correct the lax regulation in Washington that got us into this mess. We can’t do much about the crisis in the national credit markets, or undo the subprime mortgage lending mistakes. 
     But we can take action on a simple matter that affects the checkbook of every family in our commonwealth, as well as every business -- large or small -- that pays an electric bill. 
     We can do something to prevent our citizens from being hit with enormous and unfair electric rate increases. <more>

NEW FOOD DISTRIBUTION CENTER COMING TO PHILA.
Press Release:
     PHILADELPHIA, September 4, 2008 – With state assistance, a private developer will build a new Food Distribution Center in South Philadelphia, containing retail and wholesale operations that sell fresh produce throughout the mid-Atlantic region, state Senator Vince Fumo announced today.
     The $218.5 million dollar project will include a 667,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility occupying a 48.6 acre parcel of land at 6700 Essington Avenue, with another 15 acre parcel nearby that will be used as a parking/staging area. It will retain 1,468 current jobs, and create an estimated 375 more.
     Essington Avenue Partners II will develop the new Philadelphia Regional Produce Market. The state will provide a $100 million grant, with additional state and federal loan financing, through the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. The PRPA will be the landlord under a 40-year lease.
     “This has been a long time coming, with numerous obstacles and detours over the past seven years. But many people were determined not to give up, and now we are going to have the kind of modern, world-class facility that we need to serve our population in the 21st century,” said Fumo, a Democrat who represents the first Senatorial District, home of the current Food Distribution Center facility on Galloway Street in South Philadelphia. <more>

PHIL. LAWMAKERS PLEDGE ACTION  ON RIPARIAN RIGHTS
Press Release:
            PHILADELPHIA, August 25, 2008 – A coalition of state Senate and House members who represent districts along the Delaware River in Philadelphia sharply criticized last week’s Supreme Court decision giving away riparian rights, and said today that they would urge the legislature to restore state control over state land.
            They also promised to seek federal court review.
            Representatives William Keller and Mike O’Brien, along with Senators Vince Fumo and Mike Stack (all D-Philadelphia) called Friday’s high court ruling dramatic and unprecedented. Not only did it convey public land to a casino without any payment to the state taxpayers who own it, but it also declared the conveyance irrevocable.
            “With all due respect to the court, they simply got this one wrong,” said Keller.  He pointed out that it has been long-established legal practice for the state General Assembly to decide whether or not to approve the lease of submerged waterfront land, which the state owns, to private entities. The state is also entitled to compensation. <more>