Pennsylvania Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Beaver) | Facebook/senatorbartolotta
Pennsylvania Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Beaver) | Facebook/senatorbartolotta
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Beaver) isn't bashful when speaking her mind on state government spending.
In an OpEd published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Bartolotta highlights a new bill to address government spending. The Republican senator says that yearly Groundhog Day traditionally marks the time of the budget address by the Pennsylvania governor and the "deja vu" most taxpayers will get.
“Let’s escape budgetary Groundhog Day by restricting wasteful spending,” Bartolotta said in a Feb. 8 Tweet.
State spending more than tripled between 1970 and 2020, while Pennsylvania’s population grew by just 10.2%, according to the Commonwealth Foundation.
Sponsored by Bartolotta, the Taxpayer Protection Act is a bill that the Republican senator argues "is about treating your wages with respect."
“The bill is designed to ensure the government does not grow faster than families' ability to pay for it," Bartolotta said in the OpEd.
According to Bartolotta's OpEd, total spending shall not exceed spending appropriations. Spending appropriations are based on last year's fiscal year adjusted by the lesser of, the average percent of personal income for the past three years or the average percent change in inflations of the past three years.
These limits can be exceeded by request from the governor with notice or in the event of a declared emergency, according to the legislation.
"Hardworking Pennsylvanians across the commonwealth are waiting to see reforms like this put into place," according to Bartolotta's OpEd. "I have heard from numerous people time and time again who share their frustration with high taxes and increasing state debt."
Bartolotta says lawmakers must approve the bill in two back-to-back legislative sessions before it can be placed on the ballot as a referendum.
"The only way to bring our budgetary Groundhog Day to a close and get our fiscal calendar to turn to that figurative Feb. 3 is to flip the script immediately — by taking the first steps toward enacting a strong Taxpayer Protection Act," Bartolotta said.
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