Government Done Right
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It’s past time to install an update to end the Pennsylvania Government Dysfunction. The status quo is clearly not working. Having “government done right” means upgrading to a more effective and efficient government while providing core services. From repealing out-of-date laws, to reexamining the effectiveness of some state boards and commissions, the House will give Pennsylvania a much-needed government update.
The dysfunctional status quo cannot continue.
Pennsylvanians Have Paid the Price of Government Over-Regulation
When the only tool you use is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail. This has been the plight of Pennsylvania for nearly a century as Democratic governors and legislators used just one ineffective tool – growing government through increasing taxes and burgeoning regulations– as an unnecessarily expensive, imprecise and ineffective means to create jobs, educate our children and govern.
According to the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Pennsylvania ranked fourth – behind New York, Illinois and Oregon, in state regulatory restrictions. And scholars have found a relationship between regulation and economic growth.
For years now, PA House Republican members have heard from families whose businesses were struggling, from local employers, and from leaders of multi-national corporations. They all said the same thing – the regulatory landscape in Pennsylvania is burdensome, confusing and restrictive.
Increasing regulations on job creators has kept too many in permanent low-level and entry-level jobs. The package of bills House Republicans are working to advance is just a small step toward taking the handcuffs off business and encouraging our state’s economy to keep up with the growth rate the rest of the nation is enjoying.
Upgrade Available
It’s time to check and reverse the growth of government by installing an upgrade so that our government governs in efficient and effective ways.
What the #GovtDoneRight Plan Does
• Reduce costs
• Cut job-crushing, employer-harassing red tape
• Clean up the books
• Make government cyber-safe
• Right-size government
Legislation That’s Part of the #GovtDoneRight Initiative
= passed in PA House> Election Reform
Act 77 of 2019 makes the most significant upgrades to the state’s voting processes in decades. The law:
· Allows Pennsylvania residents to vote by mail up to 50 days before an election, without an excuse (previously, voters had to have cause to vote by absentee ballot).
· Extends the deadline to submit an absentee or mail-in ballot.
· Eliminates the straight-party ticket option from ballots.
· Gives residents more time to register to vote ahead of elections.
· Provides counties funding to relive the financial burden placed on them when the governor suddenly decertified all voting machines in the Commonwealth, requiring their replacement in time for the 2020 elections.
Learn more about election reform here.
> Reducing Costs
Debt eats into a government’s budget, whether state or local. Reducing the burden will enable those dollars to be spent on real government priorities – with less of the need to raise taxes.
HB 633 Electronic Filing of Campaign Finance Reports. Act 43 of 2019 Repaying Pennsylvania's Debt More Responsibly. HB 880 RACP Debt Ceiling: $100 Million Decrease. o HB 882 Municipal Debt Reform – Local Government Debt Act.
o HB 883 Municipal Debt Reform – Ethics Commission and Municipal Authorities.
o HB 320 Municipal Debt Reform – Swaps and Derivatives Restrictions.
o HB 884 Municipal Debt Reform – First Class City Swaps.
o Act 86 of 2020 - Municipal Debt Reform – Performance Bonds.
> Right-Sizing Government
Pennsylvania needs a 21st century government with a more commonsense approach that ensures Pennsylvania reverses the growth of government by restructuring, or right-sizing in the most efficient and effective ways – and that is #GovtDoneRight:
Act 92 of 2019 Elimination of Outdated Boards and Commissions.> Cutting Job-Crushing, Employer-Harassing Red Tape
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The World Bank and the Mercatus Center both estimate that over-regulation has a negative impact on economic growth, ranging between 0.8% and 2.3%. Since 2000, Pennsylvania’s yearly real Gross Domestic Product has averaged just 1.5%.
The following bills, taken together will streamline and modernize Pennsylvania’s job-crushing, employer-harassing regulatory environment and, most importantly, protect taxpayers:
o HB 414 Shortening the timeline for DEP to issue a permit.
HB 1055 Office of the Repealer. HB 806 REINS Act (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act). HB 430 Strengthening the Regulatory Review Act. HB 509 Reforms aimed at increasing permit transparency. HB 762 Regulatory Compliance Advisor.
HB 476 Requires DEP to forward EPA notices. > Cleaning Out the Books
Of the thousands of regulations on the books, many were enacted several decades ago and are simply archaic and are no longer applicable in the 21st century. In addition, the existence of these outdated laws contributes to the already complex and confusing nature of government. In an effort to clean up the books, these bills with help make Pennsylvania #GovtDoneRight:
Signed Into Law
- Act 23 of 2020 Repeals Section 707 of the Fiscal Code (Capital Stock & Franchise Tax Reports).
- Act 30 of 2020 Repeals outdated sections of the Public-School Code of 1949.
- Act 42 of 2020 Repeals Act 187 of 1935 (Sunday Polo Act).
- Act 43 of 2020 Repeals Act 188 of 1935 (Sunday Tennis Act).
- Act 84 of 2019 Repeals Act 182 of 1935 (State Personal Property Tax Law).
- Act 96 of 2019. Repeals Act 598 of 1929 (Establishment of Municipal Hospitals).
Passed by the House
HB 1179 Repeals Act 211 of 1935 (Sunday Motion Pictures Act). HB 1180 Repeals Act 308 of 1933 (Sunday Music Act). HB 1174 Repeals Act 49 of 1933 (Sunday Baseball and Football Law). HB 1031 Repeals of Act 118 of 1893 & Act 140 of 1943 (Scotland Veteran’s Children School). HB 1080 Repeals Act 177 of 1927 (Capital Stock Tax Assessment Act). HB 1081 Repeals Act 250 of 1931 (Settlement of Capital Stock in Corporations). HB 1086 Repeals Act 344 of 1937 (Store and Theatre Tax Act). HB 1079 Repeals Act 337 of 1901 (Exemption from Taxation – Pertaining to CSFT). HB 1084 Repeals Act 335 of 1913 (Intangible Personal Property Tax Law). HB 1092 Repeals Act 577 of 1951 (Susquehanna River Toll Bridge Law). HB 1062 Repeals Act 149 of 1941 (Pocono Mountains Parkway Law). > Budget Transparency
HB 855 Would require the Secretary of the Budget to project revenue shortfalls for the fiscal year starting in December and to put amounts in budgetary reserve equal to any shortfall to balance the budget. HB 920 Would update budget procedures related to unspent appropriations and how these amounts are dealt with at the close of a fiscal year. HB 921 Would require the administration to issue quarterly reports on the amounts committed and awarded from special funds that provide grants and subsidies. HB 922 Would require the administration to supply additional information as part of governor’s proposed budget. HB 923 Would require the governor to explain the reasons for a state supplemental appropriation request and to make recommendations for cost-savings or other reforms which address the cause of the need of a supplemental appropriation.> Making Government Cyber-Safe
HB 860 RTK: Safeguarding Personal Financial Info & Public Funds. > Government for Today’s World
House Republican members are working to finally bring Pennsylvania into the 21st century, and that is what #GovtDoneRight does:
Signed into Law
- Act 41 of 2019 licensure by endorsement.
- Act 12 of 2019 Re-enacting the elimination of the general assistance cash benefit program.
- Act 64 of 2020 permit the use of electronic power of attorney (ePOA) documents when ownership of a vehicle is transferred for insurance purposes.
- Pamphlet Laws Resolution No. 3 Judicial Districts.
Passed by the House or Awaiting Consideration
HB 1021 Expands standing for House and/or Senate. HB 332 Establishing a Statewide Commerce Court. HB 1045 Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) Legislation.