Governor Rendell Urges House of Representatives to Return to Session

HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 5, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today urged the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to return to Harrisburg and finish work on House Bill 2497 before adjourning for the year and ending the current legislative session.

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Editor's Note: The text of the Governor's Nov. 5 letter follows:

Nov. 5, 2010

The Honorable Keith McCall

Speaker of the House of Representatives

139 Main Capitol

Harrisburg, PA 17120

Dear Speaker McCall:

I was disappointed to learn that the House of Representatives has decided to cancel voting session days for the remainder of this legislative session with so much business left unfinished. Of particular note is HB 2497, which will save $16 billion in payments by the Commonwealth into the public employee pension systems over the next twenty-five years.

I understand that there is some thought in addressing this legislation in the new session; doing so further delays providing fiscal relief to the Commonwealth. The more quickly the legislature returns to enact legislation which will stabilize the pension obligations, the sooner the Commonwealth will realize the cost savings.  Rather than waiting until the new session begins when the legislative process clock resets, I urge you to return to concur on HB 2497, which is in House Rules and is only two votes away from reaching my desk.

I am aware that the Senate inserted a provision in HB 2497 to create the Independent Fiscal Office.  Like many members of the House, I share some concerns regarding the authority given to this office to issue revenue estimates.  However, I believe the long term fiscal benefits of the pension provisions outweigh the policy concerns related to the Independent Fiscal Office.

I hope you consider my request on behalf of the taxpayers of Pennsylvania.

Sincerely,

Edward G. Rendell, Governor

cc:

The Honorable Todd Eachus

The Honorable Frank Dermody

The Honorable Mark Cohen

The Honorable Jennifer Mann

The Honorable Dwight Evans

The Honorable Ron Buxton

The Honorable Michael Sturla

The Honorable Sam Smith

The Honorable Mike Turzai

The Honorable Sandra Major

The Honorable Jerry Stern

The Honorable William Adolph

The Honorable Merle Phillips

The Honorable Stan Saylor

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor