Ortitay questions Wolf budget, has proposals of his own
The Pennsylvania budget is a roiling pot again, and this time state Rep. Jason Ortitay is gripping the ladle.
Ortitay, a Republican from South Fayette Township, has criticized the budget Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf proposed in early February for fiscal 2017-18. Facing a $3 billion deficit, Wolf said he came up with cuts and savings initiatives totaling $2 billion.
Ortitay scoffed at that figure.
“While I appreciate the governor’s message of cuts,” he said in a news release Monday, “I believe we have been misled somewhat as the plan increases spending by $805 million to $32.34 billion, over the current year. It’s a little disingenuous to say $31.53 billion to $32.34 billion is a cut.”
Reached by telephone later that day, Ortitay said: “When I heard the final spending number of $32.3 billion, I really jumped. I did a double-take. We added it up and got up to about $380 million in cuts. Where’s the other $1.6 billion he’s bragging about?”
The governor revealed his plan in a Feb. 7 address to the Legislature. It includes merging of agencies, closing corporate loopholes and adding a natural gas severance tax. His budget supports schools, seniors, manufacturing, small businesses and tools to fight the opioid epidemic.
Wolf’s proposal does not include large tax increases.
He is pushing for the consolidation of four agencies into a Department of Health and Human Services, streamlining services especially for older residents. Ortitay questions the veracity of some consolidations. “He took all of these mergers and called them a cut. It’s not really a cut. It’s really taking money and moving it to another place.”
A member of the Appropriations Committee, Ortitay is working on a budget proposal of his own “to restart Pennsylvania government and structure it for the 21st century.”
He said technology upgrades would be an easy way to reduce costs, and likewise is a proponent of consolidation.
“I’m looking to consolidate (state Department of Transportation) districts from 11 to four or five,” he said. “Do we need 11 locations? People can do emails on their phones and work on their computers.”
A second-term legislator, Ortitay also said he’d like to “get rid of some tax credits” and make some Medicaid adjustments.
“There would be no cutting of programs, just updating and modernizing,” he said.
Ortitay also is considering a “work requirement for people who are mentally and physically able to work.”
Following a brief pause, he said, “I’m looking at the Legislature, too. If we’re looking at cutting programs, we can look at cutting ourselves. We can operate more efficiently.
“With the budget process, we have to look at the way we operate on a daily basis. Technology has come a long way, and for the government to operate the way it did in 1980 is ridiculous.”
He also said he would be in favor of further liquor privatization in the state.
“I think moving wine to stores really opened the floodgates,” Ortitay said. “I would be in favor of liquor (being sold in stores), too.”
Ortitay said House members will begin meetings Monday “and I fully expect us to take a budget out by the end of the week. I’d rather do this in April than June 25.
“Hopefully, we’ll get our version of the budget out there very soon, one that the governor will sign.”