Dear Representative:

My name is John Ellingsworth and I am inquiring with regards to the status of HOUSE BILL No. 229, the Cemetery Relief Fund bill, introduced by Reps. Cappelli, Cruz, Hennessey, Benninghoff, Belfanti, Horsey, George, E. Z. Taylor, Thomas, Geist, Tangretti, Daley, James, Harhai, Caltagirone, Surra, Sturla, Kirkland And Wansacz, on February 11, 2003 to amend Title 9 (Burial Grounds) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for the restoration of cemeteries.

My interest in this particular bill stems from my involvment with Mount Moriah Cemetery, an historic cemetery in Philadelphia in which I have numerous ancestors buried within its many graves. This cemetery is suffering from years of neglect and abuse and needs desperate assistance in many areas, and in particular, from active legislators like yourself who recognize the importance of cemetery preservation. You can read more about Mount Moriah Cemetery at the following location:
http://mountmoriahcemetery.org

I respectfully implore you to have this bill enacted as quickly as possible. Many states have stepped forward to address cemetery neglect through thoughtful legal methods that attempt to preserve both the dignity of both the deceased loved ones and the communities in which these cemeteries are located.

As our wise statesman Benjamin Franklin said, "Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you have." I know that Pennsylvania has great people in it, and it is our duty to preserve our historic legacy!

Thanks,

John Ellingsworth

More information:
Cemetery Relief Fund Bill

Responses I have received so far:

From Cadau, Roseann [ This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ]:
Dear Mr. Ellingsworth,

Rep. Thomas Caltagirone wanted me to contact you regarding the recent e-mail on House Bill 229. The legislation of which I assisted with came about when discovering that Aulenbach cemetery in Berks County was in deplorable shape. Many grave stones were weathered, dilapidated and in dire need of repair. Unfortunately for many families there were no known survivors or relatives just moved away.

I will definitely check out the webpage you have suggested. We thank you for contacting us in support of this legislation.

As you are aware in politics, the voting calendar is controlled by a particular party. The Republican Party controls various movements of bills to the House floor. To our dismay, Rep. Caltagirone cemetery preservation bill is a dead issue thus far…no pun intended!!

It is nice to hear that you have taken an interest in cemetery preservation. It’s really sad that some families don’t make arrangements with caretakers to provide custodial upkeep of their relatives plots.

What I can tell you is that with persistence we were able to acquire Dept. of Community Affairs money (some label it as a WAM but as you can see it assisted with a quality project) to assist in the upkeep such as paving the cemetery roads, clean up, etc. The amount was close to 30,000 however that was a dent compared to the ongoing repairs needed.

Thank you for writing to the Representative.

Roseann R. Cadau
Legislative Assistant II
Rep. Thomas R. Caltagirone
Democrat Chairman Commerce Committee
Room 106, Irvis Building
Phone 717-787-3525
Fax 717-7725401



From Wansacz, James [ This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ]:

Thank you for your thoughts, I will keep them in mind while we consider
the bill.


From Steven Cappelli [ This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ]:

Mr. Ellingsworth:

HB 229 was referred to the House Professional Licensure Committee on February 11. It remains there unscheduled for committee action. I am not a member of this committee.

swc


From James, Harold [ This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ]:

Thank you, for your email, I will consider your information