Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) and Rep. Seth Grove (R-Dover) recently introduced a pair of bills that propose an amendment to the state’s constitution that would require any supplemental funding to be voted on in a standalone bill and added into the budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year.
The legislation aims to address spending by the executive branch that exceeds the amount approved in the annual state budget.
“York Countians are sick and tired of budget games that play out in their state government year after year,” Phillips-Hill said. “Our proposed constitutional amendment will give voters the final say in whether or not these gimmicks will end.”
According to Phillips-Hill and Grove, the 2018-19 Fiscal Year state budget included an overspend of $673 million, two percent more than the amount the legislature and governor agreed to in the General Appropriations Act for that year.
“The scheme of increasing spending through supplemental funding, which is done by governors from both parties, is disingenuous to the people of Pennsylvania,” Grove said. “The taxpayers deserve to know how their money is being spent, and this sort of spending needs to be scrutinized through the state budget process, just like all other state spending.”
For the constitutional amendment to be approved, the General Assembly must first approve the legislation in two consecutive sessions. Then, it must be placed on the ballot and be approved by voters in the ensuing election.
“Both parties are guilty of this, so the problem is not exclusive to any one Governor or Administration,” Phillips-Hill said. “This is just one way we can shore up our state’s finances and make them more transparent. If any governor wants to overspend what was appropriated through the legislative process, there will need to be justification in a transparent matter. Our bill guarantees that voters will get to make the final determination if this reform to our constitution is approved.”