Republicans eye cuts to close Pennsylvania budget gap

A group of House Republicans is pushing a package of cost-savings measures they say could net the state between $557 million and $1.5 billion.

A group of House Republicans is pushing a package of cost-savings measures they say could net the state between $557 million and $1.5 billion.

Pennsylvania’s budget deficit has ballooned past a billion dollars.

The House Republicans say their suggestions could help fill a significant chunk of that gap.

Minority Leader and Jefferson County Republican Sam Smith suggests reducing the state’s vehicle fleet by a third, and having state employees rent cars for trips of more than a hundred miles.

“It’s really a just in time delivery,” says Smith, “so you’re not sitting on this fleet of cars that the state owns that are only maybe being utilized two or three days a week. You’re only paying for the car the day you’re using it.”

The Republicans say that would save the state $36 million a year.

Another suggestion is to pay for more state purchases with debit cards, rather than with checks.

Lancaster Representative John Bear says Pennsylvania could save between $62 and $219 million a year by paying most of its bills with electronic purchase cards, rather than cutting checks.

When the state pays bills, says Bear, “$141 million of that $22 billion is via p-card. So we’re just saying to expand that. West Virginia does 50 percent of all their purchases with p-card. So they’re a model for that.”

Some of those savings would come from rebates offered by card companies.