Commission Presents Final Recommendations to Senate Leaders

HARRISBURG – The Senate Government Management and Cost Study Commission presented its final report today outlining over 40 recommendations to reduce or eliminate unnecessary government expenditures. If all recommendations were fully implemented, the projected cost savings would total over $400 million within the first three years, according to Commission Chairman State Senator David G. Argall (R-29).

Since February, the Commission has held seven public hearings, considering testimony from over 30 private-sector and public-sector participants, reviewing hundreds of emails from state residents and examined additional recommendations during extensive work sessions over the course of 50 hours.

"With this terrible recession placing greater strains than ever before on many of our family budgets, this Commission, as established by Senate Resolution 161, has identified real savings that will be important to balance future state budgets and avoid unnecessary tax increases," said Argall. "These recommendations are by no means an exhaustive list of every area of state government that can reduce costs. Instead, I am hopeful that these recommendations can serve as a catalyst for continuing the process of reducing costs in state government for the future."

While some of the 40 recommendations can impact the state budget next year, the majority of the recommendations are focused on long-term budget solutions including consolidation and streamlining of state services and greater efficiencies. For example, the Commission has identified a number of potential cost savings within the Department of Corrections and has endorsed creation of a comprehensive program to reduce the need for the construction of additional state prisons in the future.

To view the full report, click on the following link:

http://www.senatorargall.com/commission.htm

June 28, 2010

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi and Senate Appropriations Chairman Jake Corman today issued the following statement regarding the Senate Government Management and Cost Study Commission:

We extend our thanks to Chairman Dave Argall, Senator Daylin Leach, and to all the members of the Senate Government Management and Cost Study Commission.

The fiscal year 2010-11 budget will not be the last difficult budget that Pennsylvania faces, and almost certainly it will not even be the most difficult budget our state faces in the near future. The ideas presented by the Commission will be very useful as we continue seeking ways to stretch taxpayer dollars even further by making state government operate more efficiently.

Members of the Commission include:

David Argall of Rush Township, Schuylkill County
Senate of Pennsylvania, 29th District

Daylin Leach of Wayne, Montgomery County
Senate of Pennsylvania, 17th District

Robert Bittenbender of Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County
Budget Secretary for Governors Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker and Dick Thornburgh, and former executive director of the Senate Appropriations Committee

James D. Chiafullo of Presto, Allegheny County
Director, Cohen & Grigsby, P.C., Attorneys-at-Law

Patrick J. Eiding of Philadelphia
President, Philadelphia AFL-CIO Council, and former Business Manager and Financial Secretary of the Insulators and Asbestos Workers Local 14

Joseph A. Galli, Sr. of Chester Springs, Chester County
Former Superintendent, Upper Darby School District

Mike Kolchin of Tannersville, Monroe County
Former Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Professor of Management at Lehigh University’s College of Business and Economics

Kelly Lewis of Harrisburg, Dauphin County
President and CEO, TechQuest Pennsylvania, and a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Zachary B. Scott of Hummelstown, Dauphin County
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
United Parcel Service (UPS)

John Zawarski of Easton, Northampton County
Broker, Nic Zawarski & Sons Realty