And so says Andy Dinniman!!!

I know what you are thinking: deadlines didn't work then and they won't work now. That's why my legislation will also require the legislature to remain in continuous session, meeting every day without leave, without pay, without reimbursements, and without per diems, if a complete budget is not passed and signed by July 1. The same goes for the governor, his senior staff and cabinet members. That doesn't mean salary, reimbursements and per diems will be temporarily suspended and paid out after a budget plan is passed, as is currently the case. It means they'll be forfeited. It means when the legislature and the governor don't do their job and don't meet their constitutional obligations, they get nothing.

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In addition, any meetings between legislative leaders and the governor after June 30 must be open to the public. The practice of playing out the budget in "he-said, she-said" leaks to the press is certainly unproductive. It has only served to further partisan gridlock and finger-pointing. If you are going to negotiate with the peoples' money and the peoples' business, do it in front of the people.

Furthermore, Pennsylvania ought to move toward biennial budgets, as is done in almost 20 other states, to reduce the uncertainty of the yearly budget process and allow more planning and financial stability for our schools and human service agencies. 

Finally, let me be clear that all sides are to blame for the budget impasse. While the aforementioned changes will no doubt be beneficial, the hardest part will be changing the culture of Harrisburg.

Dragging on a budget process to (or past) the 11th hour does not mean the legislature is working hard. It means lawmakers are falling short. We may not be able to force all involved to agree, but we can create real consequences that will shake up the status quo and give the citizens budgets on time.

State Sen. Andy Dinniman is a Democrat who represents Pennsylvania's 19th Senatorial District in parts of Chester County.

What voters want!!!!

Reprise June 2015: Pennsylvania voters want action on education funding, property taxes

Perspective !!!!

 

"Madonna called education funding an issue four years in the making.  Coming out of the recession, most of Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts saw budget cuts, property tax hikes or both, he said.  You can debate whether that was the fault of Wolf’s predecessor, Gov. Tom Corbett, or an inevitable consequence of the end of the federal stimulus, but “the fact remains that that’s the single most important issue that voters want to see addressed,” he said."

The Rural Life

There is something to say about  rural America. Having attended a small college in West Virginia,I have really learned to appreciate folks who live in small and rural communities. Each time I visit a rural area, I seek restaurants and establishments that are more or less a throwback in time. Tonight

I had dinner at the Paxton's restaurant in Greenville, PA. The food was home cooked and very good,  most importantly the conversation with the owner and her employees was priceless. Hard-working individuals, down-to-earth people, and individuals who like to share their pride of the community in which they live. What a wonderful evening and if you ever drive through Greenville, PA please stop at the Paxton's restaurant. Oh by the way, they're open 24 hours a day. I am convinced that the uniqueness of rural communities is the result of strong family ties and outstanding schools. Rural Schools can stand strong and should be supported in a myriad of ways to continue their successes.

Trip to Greenville Pa

As I approached my final destination some 280 miles later, I reached out to the superintendent of Mercer and the Reynolds school district. I invited them to become a member of the PARSS Association. They were both very appreciative of the invite and perhaps will consider the invitation for the following school year.

Visiting the western part of the state

Due to the epic snowstorm my plans for going to the western part of the state have changed a bit. I am leaving at 10 AM to make my journey out the turnpike. My first visit is tomorrow morning with the Greenville School district. I am looking forward to meeting many superintendents in the westernpart of the state. Stay tuned for more updates.

North Schuylkill SD

My visit to North Schuylkill concludes my five visits of school districts this week. I must say as I meet the new superintendent's they are getting younger and younger looking all the time. Their age also represents how young they are. It was a pleasure to meet Robert Ackell .  He is in his second year as a superintendent. I look forward to having more conversations with all the superintendents that I met this week. Next week I'll be traveling out to the Pittsburgh, Erie, and Altoona Area.