By Rep. Duane D. Milne, Ph.D. (R-Chester) 

The annual debate over the crafting and implementation of a budget for Pennsylvania for fiscal year 2010-11 is slogging along at the Capitol building in Harrisburg, with the memory of last year’s embarrassing 101-day delay still painfully fresh in the minds of Pennsylvania citizens.  

For the past seven years, completion of the state budget has not concluded by the June 30 deadline, and there is plainly no excuse why this has had to be the case.  Rather, the process reflects a failure to “lead by example” on the part of state government.   

For their part, Pennsylvania families have to meet all manner of deadlines, whether it is paying the household bills, getting to work and school on time, meeting obligations for activities for their children and many others.  It seems hypocritical that our hard-working taxpayers are subject to the laws of state government, and yet that government has not been meeting its own requirement to have a budget completed and put in place on time. 

I have been, and continue to be, frustrated with the seeming lack of urgency surrounding the budget process. Many of my colleagues and I have pushed repeatedly to accelerate this process, only to be rebuffed in our efforts. We are continuing to press hard for the budget to be put together in a reasonable timeframe, with proper consideration for all the difficult, complex choices that do need to get made.   

Failure to pass a state budget on time creates problems for any number of local entities in the state.  Many worthy entities in our state depend on and need to know the actual, final dollar numbers in the state budget in order to settle their own local plans, including school districts, hospitals, libraries, and numerous departments that provide vital human services for our residents.  Time after time in recent years, these local entities have been forced to try to settle their budgets in the face of uncertain word from Harrisburg.  This state of affairs is unfair to them and to the citizens they ably strive to serve.   

The time has come for the Legislature and the governor to make a commitment to pass the state budget on time...all the time.  A myriad of proposals have been introduced to create a state law that would impose sanctions on state decision makers, including the Legislature, for being late with the budget, and I certainly support this reform effort.  

Very simply put, this is about the obligation for state government to properly meet its most fundamental constitutional responsibility. We can, and must, get this done for the benefit of all Pennsylvanians. 

Rep. Duane Milne
167th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
(717) 787-8579
Contact:  Helen Hammerschmidt
(610) 251-1070
Member Site:DuaneMilne.com
Caucus Site:  PAHouseGOP.com