Pocono News Section

Who to Call for State Budget Complaints

Who to Call for State Budget Complaints - Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 5:45PM EST

Reported by: Mike Trim
Wednesday, Sep 9, 2009 @ 05:45pm EST
71 days have passed since a state budget was due. But some legislators are back home rather than in Harrisburg. But it's not because they don't want to work on the budget. They say they're hands are tied and they've done all they can.

Right now, six members of the state legislature are hammering out the state budget. They're part of a conference committee in direct talks with the governor. But until these few of legislators come to agreement, not much can be done.

Taxpayers like Louis Mondy are fed up with no state budget. "The people of the commonwealth in Pennsylvania they're sick of that now. They want action done and they want action done and they want closure in a quick manner," said Mondy.

Mondy says he can't do much about it. But so do state representatives like Eddie Day Pahsinski and Phyllis Mundy. They're both back in their home districts. "I think most people recognize the fact you couldn't have 253 legislators in a room trying to get a deal," said Pashinski.

Pashinski says the budget ball is in the court of a six member conference committee. They are in direct talks with the governor, sometimes for several hours at a time.

Pashinski says every legislator has given them input and suggests keeping them in a room until a deal is done. Pashinski said, "The sooner you put them in the room, lock them in the room, don't let them get out of the room until you have an agreement, you will see an agreement within days."

State representative Phyllis Mundy agrees with that suggestion. "Something has to force this issue and at this point i think that's a very good idea," said Mundy.

Mundy says the six member committee has heard input from every state lawmaker. She wants a budget agreement soon to help erase a more than 3 billion dollar state deficit. "If we do not address this structural deficit that we have we're going to be right here next year in July, August, September in an election year where it's much more difficult to do these kinds of things," said Mundy.

Even when that agreement is made, it's only a bill. The proposed budget would still have to make its way through both the state house and state senate.

The six committee members and their contact information is as follows:

Rep. Todd Eachus
1 West Broad St.
Suite 3
Hazleton, PA 18201
Phone: (570) 450-7905

Senator Jay Costa
1501 Ardmore Blvd.
Suite 403
Pittsburgh, PA 15221-4401
(412) 241-6690

Rep. Dwight Evans
7174 Ogontz Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19138
(215) 549-0220

Rep. Sam Smith
109 Indiana Street
Suite 3
Punxsutawney, PA 15767
(814) 938-4225

Senator Dominic Pileggi
350 Main Capitol
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Office: 717-787-4712

Senator Jake Corman
236 Match Factory Place
Bellefonte, PA 16823
(814) 355-0477