Lincoln Blog

November 24, 2008:

The 2007-2008 session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly is now in the history books. It will be viewed as a dismal failure.

Opening with the promise of bringing systemic, significant reform to Pennsylvania, the General Assembly proceeded to accomplish relatively little. Actually, its greatest achievements might have been what it didn't do - raise taxes and give Governor Ed Rendell's big government agenda carte blanch. It did manage to add hundreds of millions more to the state's debt load, but the recent session did dial it back a notch or two on spending.

As for reform, well the main achievement was a new state Open Records Law - still short of what is fully needed - but better than what it was. The legislature also agreed to stop voting on major pieces of legislation in the middle of the night, and the state Senate deserves praise for halting "lame duck" post-election sessions.

So, the legislature was not without accomplishment these last two years, but given the expectations that heralded its arrival in Harrisburg, the disappointment is palpable.

As the new General Assembly prepares to assume office in January circumstances are markedly different than they were two years ago. Reform expectations, scuttled by the last crew, are low. The new group of legislators will immediately face a fiscal crisis - the state is facing a $3 billion deficit - which will require swift action, and likely prevent any major new spending initiatives. Circumstances will require a rolling up of the sleeves and getting down to work immediately.

Further cause for optimism is results of recent leadership elections. The oddity of having a Speaker from the minority party will end when Representative Keith McCall assumes the office in January. Democrats have demoted their leader, Bill DeWeese, whose brush with the Bonusgate scandal has been a major distraction.

Republicans have finally purged the ghost of John Perzel, and with Mike Turzai in the number two spot have added policy heft to their team. In the Senate, the rise of President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati to the Lt. Governor's office gives him a better platform from which to argue for fiscal restraint.

All of this bodes well for some serious legislating. Let us hope that this time the opportunity results in coming to grips with the very serious problems which confront we the people of Penn's woods.

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