State Government Committee Approves Warner Bills to Protect Taxpayers
HARRISBURG – The House State Government Committee today reported out two pieces of legislation authored by Rep. Ryan Warner (R-Fayette/Westmoreland) to change the state budgeting process.
“Pennsylvania’s budget process is broken,” Warner said. “The current budget, which I opposed, increased spending by nearly 5 percent to $31.5 billion for Fiscal Year 2016-17. The governor’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2017-18 increases spending another 2.6 percent. It is time to put in place limits to control the growth of government. We cannot continue on the current path. We must go in a new direction. These bills are one way to help change the course.”
House Bill 110 would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution by establishing spending limits that the Commonwealth must abide by each fiscal year. The proposed constitutional amendment would limit the rate at which the Commonwealth’s spending may increase, based on the sum of the percentage increase of the Consumer Price Index and the change in population growth. The legislation would need to be approved by the General Assembly in two consecutive sessions and then be presented to Pennsylvania voters as a referendum before it could be enacted. Once established, this amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution only could be temporarily suspended in specific cases of declared emergencies or to fund pension obligations. Any suspension must be approved by a 75 percent majority vote by the General Assembly.
House Bill 410 would require performance-based budgeting. This type of budgeting uses performance matrixes to determine whether each state department has met its goals and objectives. It is a retrospective look back at what was accomplished with the dollars given. Once this review is done, the department then would receive consideration for future funding. Budget requests would include itemized expenditures for all activities required by state and federal statutes at minimum and current levels.
Both bills now go to the full House for consideration.
The 52nd Legislative District includes the city of Connellsville; Dawson, Dunbar, Everson, Perryopolis, Seven Springs, South Connellsville and Vanderbilt boroughs; Bullskin, Connellsville, Dunbar, Lower Tyrone, Menallen, North Union, Perry, Saltlick and Upper Tyrone townships in Fayette County, along with Scottdale Borough, and part of East Huntingdon Township in Westmoreland County
Representative Ryan Warner
52nd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
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