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Brightbill, Piccola Introduce Constitutional
Amendment
to Control State Spending
HARRISBURG -- Senate
Majority Leader David J. Brightbill (R-48th District) and Senate Majority Whip
Jeffrey Piccola (R-15th District) have introduced a constitutional amendment
designed to hold state spending increases to the rate of inflation.
“This governor has a proven
track record of pushing for excessive spending,” said Sen. Brightbill. “And
when the legislature fights to restore traditional programs, he accuses us of
being big spenders. This constitutional amendment will ensure that no governor
can game the system. It's a simple approach, but it will be effective and the
results will be profound.”
Sen. Piccola added: “This
amendment makes budgeting in the Commonwealth more responsible. Without
spending constraints, we cannot cut taxes for families and job creators. We
need to do a better job of keeping government out of people's pockets, and
ensuring fair and reasonable taxation. Working to ensure that the Commonwealth
does a better job of living within its means must be a priority.”
Senate Bill 884 is a
companion to the Taxpayer Fairness Act, introduced on May 26, 2005, as Senate
Bill 4.
Like the Taxpayer Fairness
Act, the constitutional amendment would restrict the growth in state spending to
the lesser of:
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The average annual rate
of change of personal income in Pennsylvania for the three preceding years;
or
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The average percentage
change in inflation plus the average percentage change in state population
for the three preceding years.
According to the National
Conference of State Legislatures, 30 states have implemented spending controls,
revenue controls or both. Pennsylvania is in the minority of states which have
no spending or revenue controls.
Both of the
Brightbill-Piccola spending control proposals, Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill
884, include three common-sense exceptions:
In the event of an emergency
or major disaster declared by the President, the spending limit may be exceeded
by a simple majority vote.
In the event of other
declared emergencies, the governor may request an increase in the spending
limit; this would require a three-fifths vote.
For any other circumstances,
the governor may request an increase in the spending limit; this would require a
two-thirds vote.
The Taxpayer Fairness Act --
part of the Republican agenda known as the Playbook for Progress which was
unveiled earlier this year by Sen. Brightbill, House Majority Leader Sam Smith
and members of both caucuses -- has been endorsed by Citizens Against Higher
Taxes, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the National
Federation of Independent Businesses, and the National Taxpayers Union.
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