SUNBURY— Legislators in Harrisburg are working to cut the deficit in a $31.5 million dollar state budget. The state house and senate are working to cut future costs with a pension reform measure, and in the short term—raise more revenue, possibly with expanded gambling.
State Representative Fred Keller (R-85th, Kreamer) called in to the On The Mark program recently and said he believes the pension reform is a step in the right direction saying, “For future generations it is certainly a big public policy (change), when in the fact it shifts the risk from the taxpayers to the individual’s owners of the accounts.”
Keller doesn’t agree with the legislation to increase revenue, he believes that’s only a short term fix to our budget problems. He says, “Last week there was another bill that was passed that relies on gambling, to do that I think it’s a mistake, to try and do these short term things to fill a temporary hole. We need to look at the structure of what we do, if we have to help people that’s ok but you have to have the resources to do it and the only way to do that is to cut costs, and in government believe me there’s a lot of ways to cut costs.”
Keller urges balancing the budget without short term fixes and leaving the burden to younger generations. The next fiscal year starts July 1, and that is the deadline for the passage of the state budget.
