May. 23, 2017
One month from now, the General Assembly will hopefully be putting the finishing touches on the 2017-18 state budget. From my point of view, we appear to be a good distance away from accomplishing that. One of the components of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan proposes to save $90 million by combining four state agencies - the departments of Aging, Health, Human Services, and Drug and Alcohol Programs. The governor wants to roll these agencies into one department, despite their having drastically different missions.
Republicans tend to be the party of “less government,” so an idea like this is one you would think our party can embrace. The idea of consolidation sounds like it should save taxpayers a significant amount of money. As a member the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, I have sat in on many of the hearings on this proposal. To date, we have only been able to identify approximately $40 million in savings. But like any proposal, details are necessary before an agreement can be reached.
The governor is on record as saying there will be minimal layoffs and no program cuts. You would have to assume there will be job reductions. Together, the four departments employ approximately 18,000 people, and more than 17,000 of them work for the Department of Human Services. Most consolidations in the private sector involved the lowering of labor costs. But in the governor’s proposal, that is not going to happen.
My other concern involves combining the departments of Aging and Human Services. This move would roll the state Lottery money (which is used for PACE, PACENET and the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program) into the human services budget. If this happens, we are going to lose accountability of those dollars and our aging population may not receive those benefits. We have an example of this already occurring in the Office of Child Development and Early Learning. The state has combined money from the Department of Human Services and the Department of Education into one office and keeping track of what money goes where has become much more difficult.
There has also been talk of increased efficiency in delivery of services. Again, the “how” part of that claim has not been laid out. This aspect of consolidation may even be more critical than dollars saved. Drug treatment advocates were successful in 2012 when they lobbied hard for creation of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. Five years later, our state is in the throes of an opioid epidemic that on average claims the lives of 10 Pennsylvanians each day. We must do all we can to reverse that trend. Cutting corners in the name of efficiency is not an option.
Going back even further, the Department of Aging was created in 1978 to address needs many felt were not being met. According to the Pennsylvania State Data Center, the number of residents 60 and older will grow by 711,000, or almost 24 percent between 2015 and 2025. We already have one of the oldest populations in the nation and that trend is not going to reverse.
I’m not here to tell you state government cannot be streamlined. Anything that large is bound to have inefficiencies. What I’m saying is we need to ensure the core functions of government are carried out before we go ripping and slashing just to save money.
Sarah Galbally, the governor’s secretary of policy and planning, said in April the administration wants to have legislation creating the new department passed by the end of June. They are behind schedule and need to get something in writing in the very near future. This cannot be another case of throwing something together and passing it in order to see what’s in it. The cost of doing the peoples’ business in that manner would be measured in taxpayer dollars AND lives.
Questions about this or any state government issue may be directed to my district office at (717) 259-7805 or 1-877-480-9525.
Representative Will Tallman
193rd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Scott Little
717.260.6137
slittle@pahousegop.com
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