OP-ED: REFLECTION OF THE BUDGET PROCESS

As we finalize a state budget, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on many of the experiences that accompanied this process.

With this being my first budget negotiations as the leader of the Senate, I began by speaking with members of my caucus to gauge their priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. It was clear that they were concerned with the tax and spend policies that have been implemented over the past several years. After listening to members, as well as my constituents, and realizing their commitment to the core principles of government, I decided that it was necessary to begin setting parameters for future negotiations.

After several days and even weeks, it became clear that we must get back to values that have too often become the exception not the rule. Our goals were simple…no tax increases, no new taxes, and no excessive spending. Over time, these three fundamental goals became the mantra for the Senate Republicans and even resonated across the aisle. We were making a statement that this budget must signify a concern for the fiscal realities of the Pennsylvania family.

On June 20, the Senate passed a budget with no tax increases, no new taxes, and no excessive spending. This was a good day for the taxpayers, but we knew it would face strong opposition in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. Given that Governor Rendell spent millions of dollars in campaign contributions to take control of the House, I was not surprised when they voted down our sound, sensible budget.

The budget impasse went on for days, but our resolve in the Senate remained strong. In fact, I have never seen our caucus so united and determined to stick to our core principles. Even when the Governor decided to hold the budget hostage to get his legislative priorities to meet upon successful passage, our members indicated that they were not willing to move away from our mission. A conservative and productive budget was our priority. Even when the Governor arbitrarily furloughed 25,000 workers, our members stayed the course. We were not going to be bullied into agreeing to bloated spending and new taxes.

When we were at the negotiating table, we were there with the taxpayers in mind and fought to ensure their views were fully represented. I can tell you that members of the other caucuses, as well as the Governor, became agitated at our unwillingness to budge. For the first time during his tenure, the Governor was negotiating with a caucus not looking for projects, legislation, or other items…we only wanted a budget with no increase in taxes, no new taxes, and no excessive spending. I could sense that he found it difficult dealing with a group that really was not asking for anything.

After several weeks of negotiating, a final budget agreement was struck. The deal included wins for all parties, but the biggest winners are the taxpayers of this state. Senate Republican held strong and this year's final budget will have…you guessed it…no tax increases, no new taxes, no excessive spending. The Governor introduced seven new taxes in his proposed budget that would have cost taxpayers billions of dollars, and in the end there were ZERO. I like to call it SEVEN UP…SEVEN DOWN.