Dear Friend,

Since we are now in the holiday season, I want to extend my best wishes. At this festive time of the year, it is very easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. With so much going on, it is easy to forget the true meaning of the season.

Beyond the lights and the gifts, these holidays which fall during the coldest and darkest season of the year should remind us that hope and love are not only essential parts of our lives, but provide the light and the warmth that help us carry on.

From my family to yours, I wish you a very merry holiday season and a bountiful and healthy new year.

Bob

Transitioning Into New Role

The transition from serving as a state Representative to state Senator continues. The district offices are up and running and my Senate web page senatormensch.com continues to add new content on an almost daily basis.

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend my first meeting as a member of the Senate Communications and Technology Committee, during which we conducted a public hearing on the Auditor General's recent report on state procurement procedures.

The hearing focused on recommendations to improve the Department of General Services' policies, controls, and oversight of the procurement process, and the Administration's response and planned follow-up to the audit.

The report found a lack of competition, transparency and accountability in the state's awarding of $592 million in contracts to a single information technology vendor. Auditors found there was no competitive bidding on 34 of 59 contracts awarded by the Administration to the information technology vendor.

This hearing provided excellent insight on ways that we can further our efforts to make state government more accountable to the people it serves.

Lessons from the Budget Impasse

Each year, the General Assembly's single biggest task is passage of the state budget. This year that job took on greater importance and was extremely difficult.

The state budget is truly a numbers game and the key figures in this basic formula are: 102, 26 and 1. In order for the budget, or any legislation for that matter, to be finalized it must be approved by at least 102 of the 203 members of the House of Representatives, at least 26 of the 50 state Senators, and the Governor.

And, all of those parties must agree to the exact language of the bill, down to every comma – or in this case – every decimal point. That was the biggest sticking point this year because each of the four legislative caucuses – the Senate Republicans, the Senate Democrats, the House Democrats and the House Republicans – all had their own exclusive priorities.

In short, Republicans wanted to reduce spending to match the amount of money we had on hand without raising taxes, while the Democrats and the Governor wanted to raise revenues to match their spending plans.

There were also sharp disagreements on how to use the $2.6 billion in anticipated funding from the federal government. Republicans wanted to use those funds as "bridge money" to cover shortfalls in funding for existing programs and services. Democrats wanted to use the federal money to add on to state funding.

There were also divisions across party lines and in both the House and Senate on the essential and painful cuts that were needed to make the budget work. Many good programs and services saw deep cuts in their allotments of state dollars. That was unfortunate, but necessary.

In the end, nobody got everything that they wanted - not Republicans, not Democrats and not the Governor. Nobody could walk away and claim that they won the budget battle. Everyone made concessions in order to make the budget a reality.

Looking Ahead Toward 2010

As 2009 comes to a close -- and just a few weeks after finally ending the budget impasse – we are starting to look ahead to the next budget cycle, which begins with the Governor's budget address in early February.

Some economists are optimistic that Pennsylvania's economic crisis may be easing up as they see a bright side in the fact that our state revenue shortfall is only about half of what it was last year at this time.

Regardless of whether we're still in a recession or on the first steps of the road to recovery, we must remain pragmatic and responsible in our approach to state spending. We must hold the line on new taxes. Even if the state and national economies have turned the corner, there are many family budgets that have not. We must be mindful of that.

Nor should we continue the trend of shifting the state's burdens onto non-profit organizations.

And finally, state government is not, and should not, be a growth industry. Instead of increasing bureaucracy, Pennsylvania's efforts and resources should be invested in cultivating good-paying private sector jobs. Bureaucracies tend only to create more bureaucracies. A healthy economic environment that fosters private industry growth tends to create new job opportunities that strengthen the fiber of our communities and our Commonwealth.

Visit My Website for Updates on State and Local Issues

By visiting my website at senatormensch.com, residents of the 24th Senatorial District can learn more about state and local issues and programs and services available through my offices. 

The website includes information on constituent services, news releases, a calendar outlining Senate action, and information on Commonwealth programs and services. The site also includes a link to allow you to email me with your questions, concerns and recommendations. Please let me know how you feel.

Our website is one more way that we are trying to reach out to local residents and provide them with timely, easy-to-access information. I hope more people visit my on-line office and take the time to email me with their questions and concerns.

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