UPDATED: Response from Senate Republicans
Gov. Tom Corbett unveiled his reform priorities in a news release Tuesday, singling out Senate and House legislation to amend the constitution with a biennial budget process.
“I am committed to provide an open, transparent, accountable and trustworthy government that puts our taxpayers first and gets the commonwealth back on track,’’ said Mr. Corbett.
At the top of his list is changing the legislature to a biennial budget process, meaning the legislature would draft and pass a new budget every other year. State Rep. Bryan Cutler and state Sen. Mike Brubaker, both Lancaster Republicans, introduced versions of the bill in the House and Senate with the governor’s support.
“We are facing a multi-billion dollar deficit and we must do something about it,’’ Mr. Corbett said. “I made a commitment to the people of Pennsylvania that I would reform state government, and I intend to make good on that commitment starting today.’’
H.B. 241 and S.B. 267 would amend the state constitution from its current annual budget requirement to a biennial budget. The bills would have to be passed by two consecutive legislatures, and signed by the governor, before being approved by Pennsylvania voters via referendum.
Twenty other states already use a biennial budget process.
Kristin Crawford, spokesperson for Mr. Brubaker, said the senator feels the legislature would promote greater transparency and create efficiencies in state government, ideals encapsulated in Mr. Corbett’s reform priorities.
“The budget process in the legislature is harrowing,” said Ms. Crawford. “It’s hard on members, it’s hard on staff, it’s hard on interest groups. To do that only once every two years would certainly create some efficiencies of time, of money and it encourages long-term planning by the legislature [and] by the executive branch and it would allow entities that receive state funding to plan long-term as well.”
Bill Patton, spokesperson for House Democrats, said the list of reform priorities was “not overwhelming” and said they were items both Republicans and Democrats in the legislature have been working on for a while.
“We’ve been reducing the cost of the legislature incrementally,” said Mr. Patton. “There are changes in progress this month on health insurance contributions, per diem documentation, leased vehicles the size of the legislative reserve has been coming down, slowly, but it is coming down.”
Mr. Patton was also concerned of the lack of any mention of campaign finance reform, a question plaguing both Washington and Mr. Corbett in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United case last January. He also questioned the effectiveness of a biennial budget process and the ability to correct for funding needs.
“I don’t see how that improves the process of government any,” he said. “You have a much longer period between budget adjustments. The budget process taking place annually gives you a chance to make changes much more responsively.”
Steve Miskin, spokesperson for House Republicans, said the governor’s reform priorities fit in line with the Majority Republican’s direction.
“We’re obviously on board with the direction the governor wants to go,” said Mr. Miskin. “We knew Rep. Cutler was preparing this legislation. There’s obviously issues, this is something important to Mr. Cutler, but overall we support the direction that Gov. Corbett wants to go. We’re on board right sizing government and making a more efficient, responsibility government.”
Mr. Cutler, who first introduced the biennial budget amendment during last year’s session as part of a more comprehensive bill, said he was happy to have the governor’s support.
“The majority of our conversations with his staff have focused on a two-year cycle and that seems like an easier piece of the goal to obtain at this point,” he said. “It has its own merits. I took my chance to point out we’d been working on the part-time legislature before but I’m pleased even a portion of that is being considered this year.”
State Sen. Jay Costa (D – Allegheny) wrote in an email statement that the Senate has already made a number of reforms and echoed the House Democrats’ disappointment campaign finance reform was not included in the plan.
“The plan announced today includes a number of initiatives that impact various departments and agencies of state government,” Mr. Costa wrote. “It includes structural suggestions such as new budgeting approaches and the consolidation of services. We want to evaluate how the suggested changes improve transparency and reduce costs.”
The other reforms Mr. Corbett listed were: transparency in state government, performance-based budgeting, consolidation of services, sunset and audit of state boards and commissioners, reducing the size and cost of government, ban gifts during the state contract procurement process, the elimination of Walking Around Money (WAMs) and discretionary funds, elimination of per diems for state employees, reduce the legislature reserves and encourage legislative members to make the same financial contributions to health insurance as other state employees.
Erik Arneson, spokesperson for Senate Republicans, said the governor’s reform package includes “a lot of solid reform ideas” including some advanced in earlier sessions by Republicans, such as creating an online budget database.
“We look forward to working with Governor Corbett on these and other ways to improve the operation of state government,” said Mr. Arneson. “Senators Scarnati and Pileggi have been very open about their willingness to discuss reducing the size of the legislative reserves. Senator Scarnati has introduced legislation in past sessions; that may not be needed this session if we can reach agreement.”
One other aspect to the announcement of reform priorities caught the House Democrats’ eye, an issue Mr. Corbett has yet to actually face.
“That was another interesting facet of this whole announcement today,” said Mr. Patton. “[Gov. Corbett] chose to talk about his plan of reform in state government…in a form of a news release instead of a press conference where he would be able to answer questions.”
