State Rep. Brian Ellis,R-11th, was sworn in Tuesday as a new member of the House of Representatives.The lawmaker, after taking the oath of office, vowed to keep the promises he made during the fall campaign and said he was eager to begin his legislative work.A small business owner, Ellis reiterated the need to bring more jobs to Butler County and to the surrounding region by cutting taxes and rolling back burdensome state regulations that stifle the ability of small businesses to grow."I also plan to work to make health care affordable by stopping the abusive lawsuits that drive up malpractice costs and force good doctors to flee across state lines to set up their medical practices," he said.He stressed his commitment to defending the rights of gun owners.

State Rep. Frank LaGrotta,D-10th, is sponsoring legislation that would offer loan forgiveness to college students pursuing careers in mental health/mental retardation, or alcohol and drug addiction.The legislation would create a Mental Health and Mental Retardation Staff Member and Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselor Loan Forgiveness Program within the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.According to LaGrotta, the measure would allow PHEAA to offer loan forgiveness to applicants who are Pennsylvania residents, possess an associate's or bachelor's degree, and have been employed full-time by a county, a service agency or a contractor for six months or more.Applicants must also have completed a probationary job period, and have borrowed through PHEAA's guaranteed Stafford or consolidation loan programs.Qualified applicants would be eligible for $5,000 of loan forgiveness per year, up to a total of $20,000.

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe,R-12th, on Thursday will host a pair of holiday open houses at his district office in Cranberry Township and his satellite office in Middlesex Township.The event at the Cranberry Township office at 2525 Rochester Road will be from 2 to 4 p.m., followed by the open house at the Middlesex Township office, on Route 8 at Allgreen Inc., from 5 to 7 p.m.Residents can attend the events to meet the legislator and to discuss state-related issues.For information, call Metcalfe's district office at 724-772-3110.

U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum,R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, this week announced he has a new Senate Web site for constituents.The new site enables constituents to e-mail Santorum and to access information ranging from the senator's views on issues to tourism and regional information.One feature of the site is a regional map, which provides constituents with one-click access to Santorum's office in their area. Another new feature is an online quick poll, which offers visitors an opportunity to cast their vote on an issue, and view the results of the poll instantly.The site is at http://santorum.senate.gov.