Fiscal responsibility, job creation and government reform measures top the list

Speaking Monday at the monthly Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon, Mr. Turzai laid out a Republican agenda new legislative session that is at both broad and specific. After taking control of the state House and the governor’s mansion in the November election, Mr. Turzai said the GOP is not going to shy away from pushing an agenda during the new session.

Speaking Monday at the monthly Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon, Turzai laid out a Republican agenda for a new legislative session that is both broad and specific. After taking control of the state House and the governor’s mansion in the November election, Republicans are not going to be shy, he said.

“We want the ball. We’re excited about the opportunity to change Pennsylvania with Tom Corbett and our Senate Republican colleagues,” said Turzai. “We want to move an agenda forward that we believe in.”

In broad strokes, the three priorities for the Republicans will be fiscal responsibility, job creation and state government reform, Turzai said.

The General Assembly and new Republican Gov. Tom Corbett have also promised an on-time budget which will require no new taxes, despite an expected deficit of $5 billion.

Mr. Turzai said House Republicans are aiming to have the state budget finished by May 31, a full month before the constitutional deadline. By the time the budget is passed, Mr. Turzai hopes to have legislation passed to privatize the state liquor stores, a move which could net the state a one-time payment of $2 billion for auctioning off the 750 store licenses.

Previous attempts to privatize the liquor stores failed in the 1970s and 1990s, and the newest effort is expected to be a difficult political fight. Mr. Turzai made it clear the plan is about more than just raising revenues to help fill the expected budget deficit.

“In the end, we’re not putting the bill on the table sole for fiscal reasons. We want it to be clear that we want government to be involved in its core government functions,” said Mr. Turzai.

The items viewed by the House Republicans as fitting within the “core functions” of state government are infrastructure, education and law enforcement, said Mr. Turzai.

For everything else, he said, the appropriations committee will be instructed to ask tough questions aimed at cutting the budget.

“If you had to take 10 percent off your budget or 5 percent off your budget, where would you find your savings? Let us know,” said Mr. Turzai. “What would you do to tighten it up?”

Mr. Turzai said state handouts to businesses are also heading to the chopping block. He roundly criticized the practice of using taxpayer dollars to bring companies into Pennsylvania or to keep them here when they threaten to leave.

“I think the handouts, that approach has to come to an end,” said Mr. Turzai.

Instead, Mr. Turzai said Republicans want to create a better business environment in Pennsylvania, which he said would reduce the need for incentive-laden deals. He also criticized the expansion of the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capitol Projects (RACP) program, which grew from $1.6 billion in bonded debt in 2002 to $4.1 billion today.

Before getting to the heavy lifting of the new session, Mr. Turzai said the first order of business is a series of “short passes” aimed at reforming parts of the state government. Among the proposals the state House is expected to pass this week are bills preventing lawmakers from funneling money to their own non-profits, creating harsher punishments for violating the state’s lobbying laws and extending whistleblower protections to state contractors and legislative staff.

Another bill will create a website to list all spending by the three branches of government.

Other proposals – including an educational reform package introduced in the state Senate and the ongoing battle to apply taxes or fees to natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania – seem to be on the backburner for now.

Mr. Turzai said his caucus was “excited” to see the school choice legislation introduced by state Sens. Jeffrey Piccola (R-Dauphin) and Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia), but he called the bill a “starting point” for the discussion on education reform.

When it comes to taxing the natural gas industry, Mr. Turzai said the key was a strong regulatory and enforcement environment, rather than a focus on taxing the industry.