Gerlach Unveils “Pledge to Pennsylvania”

By GERLACH FOR GOVERNOR

(EXTON, PA) – Republican Congressman Jim Gerlach on Thursday unveiled his “Pledge to Pennsylvania,” outlining his bold vision for making dramatic changes during his first 60 days as governor to put Pennsylvania back on the right track toward prosperity.

“This contract represents some common-sense goals for putting the interests of the people of Pennsylvania before politics,” Gerlach said. “In total, these ideas send a very clear message that the days of rewarding failure, ignoring runaway spending and tolerating a lack of accountability in Harrisburg are over. We must make government accountable to taxpayers by reducing spending, implementing top to bottom audits, assessing the efficiency of government programs, and lowering taxes to help create jobs and a vibrant Commonwealth where small businesses, entrepreneurs and other job creators thrive.

“It’s time to get serious about rooting out wasteful spending. Taxpayers work too hard to have their money squandered on inefficient and wasteful government programs, year after year, only to have politicians turn around and ask for more. The waste is there, I’ve gone after it before, and we need to do it again,” said Gerlach. “And for too long, the people of Pennsylvania have felt their voices are either not heard or simply ignored in Harrisburg. Allowing voter-initiated ballot questions and other reforms will shake things up and help restore the confidence Pennsylvanians have in their leaders. I look forward to sharing these ideas and getting additional suggestions from voters all across Pennsylvania in the coming weeks and months.”

Gerlach proposes the following:

1) Establish a Spending Cap on State Government, and Limit Its Growth

Cut the State Budget and Cap State Spending to Prevent Politicians from Growing the Size of State Government Beyond Its Needs or Means

Harrisburg must live within its means. By capping state spending and tying spending growth to inflation and population, Pennsylvania will rein in runaway costs and force bureaucrats to make every tax dollar work more efficiently for taxpayers. In the last eight years, state spending has increased by double the rate of inflation.
2) Audit Every Tax Dollar, then Eliminate Government Waste

Audit Every Tax Dollar and Root out Waste in State Government by Implementing the “Gerlach Commission” to Eliminate Waste

The IMPACCT Commission and PRIME Council under Governor Tom Ridge, two efforts Jim Gerlach helped lead, identified billions of dollars in taxpayer savings – most of which still has yet to be realized. A top-to-bottom audit & review of state spending is a must.
3) Cut Taxes to Create Jobs

Create Good-Paying Jobs for Pennsylvania Families by Reforming and Cutting Business Taxes on Employers

A recent business analysis covering 202 variables found Pennsylvania’s economic competitiveness ranking lags far behind other states in critical areas such as economic growth prospects, workforce development, tax climate and infrastructure. Pennsylvania must increase its competitiveness relative to other states, so that businesses can afford to locate or expand here.
Promote policies to encourage economic growth and job creation, including lowering the CNI tax rate, improving the net operating loss carry-forward deduction and ensuring the capital stock and franchise tax is eliminated.
4) Implement “Results-Based Budgeting” to Force Government Accountability

Require state departments and agencies to meet performance goals and outcomes before any additional increase in state funding is approved. If a government program has failed to meet its stated goals over a multi-year period, funding would be pulled. All state budgets will be built from a zero-base and government programs will have to prove their effectiveness at the beginning of every budget cycle.
5) Stop Massive Medicaid and Welfare Fraud to Help Taxpayers, Seniors and Those in Need

Create a Governor’s Task Force on Medicaid and Welfare Fraud to Root-Out the Hundreds of Millions in Wasted and Stolen Taxpayer Dollars

A recent 2009 Auditor General report found a 14% error rate in state Medicaid eligibility determinations – a $16 billion annual program (nearly 25% of the state budget) covering 15% of the state’s population. This means that over $1.1 billion in taxpayer money may be lost annually in this one program. Another 2009 audit found rampant mismanagement in one cash assistance program, with nearly 50% of all payments made without documentation.
Pennsylvania needs a top-to-bottom audit of the entire state Medicaid budget, and must immediately implement the recommended changes to reduce costs, eliminate fraud, and to preserve the program’s solvency over the long-term for those truly in need.
6) Stop Paying Politicians for Failure – Cut Off Pay for the Governor, Cabinet, and Legislators if They Don’t Get a Budget Passed on Time

There are no surprises on the budget calendar – a new budget begins every year on July 1st. It is our elected officials’ collective responsibility in Harrisburg to pass a budget on time. Should a budget miss the deadline, legislators, the Governor, and the cabinet would lose a day’s pay for every day the budget isn’t passed. During that time, operational costs of state government would continue at the current year’s spending levels to maintain services for taxpayers and to pay state workers.
7) Stop Unnecessary Incremental Government Growth

Protect Every Tax Dollar by Changing the State Budget Process to a Two-Year Budget Cycle

Twenty-one states currently use a two-year budget cycle, which provides a more focused, long-term analysis of the effectiveness of government programs and the use of tax dollars. Among the states using two-year budgets are Texas, Ohio and Virginia.
Create the Pennsylvania Energy Jobs Institute, a Public-Private Sector Initiative to Make Pennsylvania the Leader in America’s Fight for Energy Independence and Create Thousands of New Jobs

Utilize the enormous supply of natural gas contained in the Marcellus Shale to create thousands of new jobs and a new, vibrant industry in Pennsylvania that will generate billions of dollars in economic activity and growth. Couple these efforts with developing and expanding clean coal, wind, solar and bio fuel technologies to spur energy innovation here in Pennsylvania.
Focus private sector and university talent to rapidly grow and create new “green” energy independence jobs in Pennsylvania.
Establish the right investment climate of tax, regulatory, and environmental policy to bring jobs to Pennsylvania and allow companies to grow and expand here in Pennsylvania.
9) Force Transparency and Accountability in All Branches of Government

Impose 100% transparency on all government agencies and offices.
End no-bid contracts; post all legislative and department-level contracts for taxpayer-funded communications online immediately.
Improve and strengthen campaign finance reporting requirements and consolidate all state, county and local campaign financing reporting within one easily accessible online database.
10) Empower the People to Hold Elected Officials Accountable

Allow Pennsylvania citizens to initiate ballot questions that, if passed, would require state legislative action. Possible issues include: size of legislature, property tax reform, and limiting growth in state spending.
To prevent ballot “mayhem,” ballot initiatives must prove they have substantial public support, and would be limited in number per year.
11) Establish the Governor’s 21st Century Infrastructure Task Force

For our long-term economic health and competitiveness, we must examine a multi-pronged approach to properly invest in our aging roads, bridges and other infrastructure, and coordinate infrastructure development in a multi-modal basis (roads, bridges, transit, ports, railroads, and aviation).
12) Ensure Quality Health Care

Work to ensure all Pennsylvanians have access to quality, affordable health care.
Protect families and doctors from frivolous tort actions and lawsuits.
Allow small businesses, individuals and others to pool together to secure quality health care at a lower cost.
13) Establish the Governor’s Education Roundtable

Bring together Pennsylvania’s leading educators to develop proposals to increase academic standards and student performance and foster innovation in our public schools.
Support charter schools and home schooling.
Develop proposals to strengthen Pennsylvania’s state higher education system and expand community college services to rural areas.
14) Establish the Governor’s Office of Volunteer and Faith-Based Initiatives

The faith-based community is a model for community involvement and volunteerism.
15) Establish a New Ideas Website

Encourage all Pennsylvanians to suggest ways to improve operations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and all its state-run enterprises.
16) Talk with Taxpayers and Be Accessible

Hold live and electronic Town Hall meetings regularly in each region of the state.
Require all Cabinet members to do the same and meet with those whom they serve.
17) Bring the “Golden Rule” to State Government

Simply put, all who are paid with tax dollars must treat all citizens the same way they would want to be treated.
Promote “Golden Rule” customer-friendly service in state government.
Jim Gerlach grew up in the western Pennsylvania steel town of Ellwood City. Gerlach graduated from Dickinson College and received a law degree from Dickinson School of Law. Over the years Gerlach has built a solid record on fiscal issues in the state legislature and Congress, including voting for the Republican tax relief of 2003, leading welfare reform initiatives under Governor Tom Ridge, and after voting against President Obama’s stimulus package in February, demanded independent oversight of Pennsylvania’s stimulus funding – a commission later created by Governor Rendell. Gerlach announced his candidacy for Governor July 14th and is the only announced Republican candidate for the nomination. In that time, he has received the public endorsements of former Republican Lieutenant Governor Bill Scranton, as well as Congressmen Todd Platts, Bill Shuster and Phil English.

Jim Gerlach was elected to Congress in 2002 and is now serving his fourth term representing Pennsylvania’s 6th District, which includes parts of Berks, Chester, Lehigh and Montgomery counties. The district is now a majority Democrat district by over 24,000 registrations. In 2006 alone, with the assistance of extremist groups like MoveOn.org and Acorn, national Democrats pegged Gerlach as their #1 target and spent over $7.5 million to defeat him in a losing effort.

A copy of Gerlach’s full biography can be found at http://www.gerlachforpa.com/about/biography

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