As the 2007-08 fiscal year continues without a state
budget in place, and the furlough of thousands of state
workers is upon us, I am issuing the following statement:
There is only one person who issued the furloughs and
one person who can rescind them – and that is the governor.
But he is using this furlough to create a manufactured
crisis. Legal counsel has advised us there is no
requirement under federal law to begin furloughs at this
point. The surplus for last fiscal year was approximately
$650 million, and there is little prospect of a cash flow
problem. This crisis does not result from a lack of revenues
– it is occurring because Gov. Rendell wants to hold the
Legislature hostage and force lawmakers to approve costly
new programs.
Governor Rendell is quoted in the Philadelphia
Inquirer (7/4/2007) saying "[a]s much as I don't like the
fact that someone who works for the state would lose a week
or two weeks of salary...I think there are issues that are
on the table that are important to the quality of life of
12½ million Pennsylvanians." I find it unconscionable that
the Governor would use state workers, many of whom live
paycheck to paycheck, as pawns in his political game.
The Senate passed a responsible budget on June 20th,
and the House voted it down 10 days later. Earlier this week
the Senate voted to create a conference committee to resolve
the differences. We are waiting for the House to take
similar action. The highest priority of the Governor and
General Assembly should be to finalize a budget.
I have great empathy for the workers whose lives would
be disrupted by a furlough. I'm particularly upset because
it did not have to happen. The Governor has a choice. He can
engage in negotiations to reach a budget agreement or he can
continue to use workers as a means to his ends.
For 11 years in a row the Governor and General
Assembly met the budget deadline of June 30th. Since
Governor Rendell was elected in November 2002, the deadline
has not been met.
As of July 6, the budget bill (House
Bill 1286) is awaiting further action by the House to
create a conference committee and negotiate the final
spending plan.
