By Stanley Saylor (R-York), chairman,

Pennsylvania House Republican Policy Committee

In recent years, there has been a great deal of talk from lawmakers in Harrisburg about this being a “new era of reform” in Pennsylvania.  Unfortunately, after the television cameras were turned off and the newspaper stories were written, those promises were, for the most part, never kept.

Over the last year we have seen example after example of why serious and comprehensive reforms of our state government are necessary.  From accusations of politicians using taxpayer dollars to further their campaign goals to a broken budget process that endangered the health and well-being of thousands of Pennsylvanians, something must be done to change the way business is done in Harrisburg.

Performance-Based Budgeting

For the seventh consecutive year, Pennsylvania began the new fiscal year without a budget in place.  As a result, thousands of Pennsylvanians who rely on services funded state budget including state colleges and universities, public schools, and county social services were left wondering whether they would get the help they need. 

The budget standoff might have been avoided if lawmakers had an accurate and efficient way to measure program performance.  That is why I have introduced the Pennsylvania Performance, Accountability and Results Act, which would implement a performance-based budgeting system in Pennsylvania.  A performance-based budgeting system requires state agencies to set measurable goals and report actual results back to the Legislature.  Budget decisions are made based on the ability of programs to meet stated goals.  Performance-based budgeting is seeing great success in other states, including large states like Texas and Florida, and there is no reason we can’t do the same thing here in Pennsylvania.

Default State Budget

To enable critical services to continue to function in the event of a budget impasse, I have also  introduced House Bill 2101 which states that if there is a budget impasse beyond July 31, the previous year’s general appropriations act shall become law at a 20 percent reduction until supplemented by a new budget.  That will provide a powerful incentive to state government to accomplish a very basic responsibility to complete a spending and revenue plan by July 1. 

Gaming

Another area of state government in desperate need of reform is our gaming system.  This year, legislation was passed to allow table games like poker and black jack in Pennsylvania casinos.  While that legislation included some reform of the system, there is still much to do.  First and foremost, control of the Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement (BIE), which is charged with investigating and enforcing Pennsylvania’s gaming law, should be taken from the Gaming Control Board and given to the Office of Attorney General or the Pennsylvania State Police.  According to the gaming act, the BIE is supposed to be fully independent of the board in matters relating to the enforcement.  This reform would bring us into compliance with that law.

Pay-To-Play

Taxpayer dollars are also being wasted through the so-called “pay-to-play” practice of awarding campaign contributors with good-paying government jobs and/or lucrative contracts.  The only criteria we should consider when deciding how to award taxpayer funded contracts is which contractor will provide taxpayers with the best value for the money.  Personal friends and political contributors should not have a special advantage over a contractor with no political connections. 

Spending Transparency

I support legislation to create the Pennsylvania Web Accountability, Transparency and Contract Hub (PennWATCH) which will provide taxpayers with an easy, comprehensive way to find how their money is being spent by making all state departmental and agency budget expenditures available in one easy-to-use Web site.

Election Reform

No effort at reform would be complete without an overhaul of Pennsylvania’s campaign system.  With that in mind, I support a number of proposals to reform the system including:

• Legislation requiring voters to present a valid driver’s license or ID card issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation before they are able to cast their vote.
• Legislation giving the Election Day court the authority to appoint a constable to fill poll inspector vacancies to ensure that photo ID requirements are met in a fair manner.
• Legislation requiring Dollar One Reporting of all campaign contributions, lobby disclosures, and ethics statements within two weeks.  The Department of State would create and maintain a cross-relational database making the information easily accessible and understandable to Pennsylvania residents.

Sadly, Pennsylvanians’ faith in state government is at its lowest level in many years and until we take steps to earn back their trust, we will not be able to govern effectively.  While these proposals will not solve all of the problems we face, they are a tremendous first step toward regaining the trust of Pennsylvania’s citizens.

Rep. Stanley Saylor
94th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
(717) 244-9232
(717) 783-6426

www.RepSaylor.com
Contact:  Sean L. Yeakle

House Republican Public Relations
(717) 787-3406

www.pahousegop.com