Governor Corbett releases his road to Pennsylvania’s Rainbow of Reform

Posted by By Eric Zager at 25 January, at 14 : 23 PM Print

Governor Tom Corbett handed out his road map of reform this afternoon in the form of a news release. Corbett says he is deeply focused on returning accountability in all ways to Pennyslvania.

“I am committed to provide an open, transparent, accountable and trustworthy government that puts our taxpayers first and gets the commonwealth back on track,” Corbett said.

Corbett says starting today he start living up to the promises he made in his campaign. At the top, of his burning agenda is changing over to a biennial budget. As Corbett’s administration observed, 20 states have managed to find a way to hammer out their budgets every two years. It’s a strategy Corbett believes will enhance the effectiveness of government programs and how tax dollars are used to support them.

The process of a biennial budget started today with the introduction of Reps Bryan Cutler, (R-Lancaster), and Sen. Mike Brubaker, (R-Lancaster), legislation to amend Pennsylvania’s constitution to a biennial budget.

The governor’s other top priorities include a more transparent government that will make information more accessible to the masses. Corbett wants to improve an online database that would allow for easy searches for financial information including contracts.

Corbett will develop a method for so called “performance-based budgeting.” Mandated goals would be reviewed annually, and programs that fail to meet those stated goals would likely lose funding.

The governor has already directed the Office of Administration and Department of General Services to work all state agencies in a coordinated effort to consolidate and eliminate waste. Corbett has also requested legislative bodies do the same along with the judiciary.

His plan includes an invasive look at all boards and commissions. Corbett will issue an executive order to create a task force to analyze each one over the course of the next year, and submit a report.

Boards and commissions found to be inactive or ineffective will be sunset. For new boards, commissions, the commonwealth will institute a five-year life span.

Corbett intends to reduce the cost of government business by ten percent, across the board, over the course of the next four years.

A first step to start scaling back will come with an immediate audit of the state’s vehicles that fall under Corbett’s jurisdiction.

He has called for an outright ban on gifts during the time contracts are bid. The governor has requested a review in 90 days of all polices regarding gifts during the purchasing and bidding for state contracts.

Corbett has also set his sights on abolishing WAMS, (walking around money), used to finance legislative pet projects.

And he will begin requiring all state employees, at least the ones under his control, to submit receipts for travel, food and lodging. Corbett has encouraged the legislature and judiciary to do the same.

Corbett wants legislative leaders to limit the amount of money in reserve, and he has asked lawmakers to start picking up more of the cost of their healthcare insurance.

(To size up more of Governor Corbett’s roadmap to reform, click on Rock The Capital.)

This post was written by:

Eric Zager - who has written 324 posts for Rock The Capital

Eric is a national award winning storyteller. Eric’s work is credited with changing laws, saving lives, and in one instance, saving taxpayers about $2,000,000.00. Mr. Zager’s career in journalism is ripped from the pages of an adventure novel. Upon graduating from the esteemed Newhouse School of Public Communications, he headed north, about as far as one can travel and still stand in the Continental U.S. The call of journalism not a penchant to play with Polar Bears brought Zager to the ‘Last Frontier-Juneau, Alaska. Over the course of Zager’s more than 20 years in journalism, he has covered the political side of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, dodged horse manure on the backside of Churchill Downs, and has uncovered numerous scams and scam artists. Eric is constantly in search of a meaningful story to tell. - Email Eric Zager

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