Senator Dush

Effective planning for the future is the key to effective budgetary planning.

This principle is clearly established by Article 8, Section 12 of the Pennsylvania Constitution which requires the governor and his agencies to provide a financial plan for not less than the next succeeding five years in fiscal years. These financial plans shall include: projected expenditures for capital projects, specifically itemized by purpose and the proposed sources of financing.

Every year since I've been on the Senate Republican Appropriations Committee, we have asked each agency to show those projections.

Every year, we get frustrating excuses and standard “I Don’t Know” responses about why these projections cannot be provided such as “we are flat funded” and “the gist of your question is really best addressed by the budget secretary.”

During this week's PA Senate Budget hearing with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Secretary Jessica Shirley actually admitted that “she was not familiar” with these constitutional requirements to make actual cost-to-carry projections available for future years to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

In my follow-up question regarding whether the governor has come up with any proposed plan other than taking money out of the general fund to pay for recycling, orphan well plugging and hazardous waste management, her response was “not to my knowledge.”

To help fill in these informational lapses, I informed Secretary Shirley of a proposal I am considering to fund these environmental protection programs by placing an impact fee on wind and solar, similar to what is already being imposed on our natural gas and other fossil fuel producers.

But again, just like fiscally responsible budgeting, "𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨!"

https://www.pasenategop.com/budget-hearings/

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During the governor’s annual budget address, he looked straight at the Republicans and said, “Just because you say it, doesn't make it so.”

Article 8 Section 12 of the Pennsylvania Constitution requires the governor and his agencies to provide a financial plan for not less than the next succeeding five years in fiscal years, which plans shall include, in each fiscal year, projected expenditures for capital projects, specifically itemized by purpose and the proposed sources of financing.

Every year since I've been on the Senate Republican Appropriations Committee, we have asked each agency to show those projections. Every year, we get frustrating excuses and “I Don’t Know” responses about why these projections cannot be provided such as “we are flat funded” and “the gist of your question is really best addressed by the budget secretary.”

During this week's Senate Budget hearing with Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC), I questioned Secretary Laurel Harry about my concerns with the DOC once again failing to produce these projections for future expenditures, despite the clearly stated Constitutional requirements.

If left unchecked, Shapiro’s out of control, multi-billion deficit spending will inevitably lead to massive tax increases in the very near future.

https://www.pasenategop.com/budget-hearings/

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