Pennsylvania Gov. Rendell Says New Performance Report Shows Taxpayers How PA Uses Their Money To Provide Essential Services

Jan. 25, 2008 -- HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today said Pennsylvanians who want to know how their tax dollars are being used can find answers in the first Governor’s Report on State Performance.

The report describes work of 25 state agencies and offices, during the 2006-07 fiscal year, that oversee vital services in education, economic and community development, health and human services, consumer protection, the environment, public safety, infrastructure and managing state government.

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“Pennsylvania taxpayers have a right to know how the commonwealth spends their hard-earned tax dollars,” Governor Rendell said. “This report provides those crucial answers. It shows we are making progress, but we have more work to do.

“For example, the percentage of students proficient in math increased from less than 63 percent in 2005 to 69 percent in 2007. This is proof we are on the right track, but having three out of 10 students below grade level means that we have to work harder. Also, despite record investments in bridges, the percentage of structurally deficient spans has remained at about 21 percent over the past three years.

“While the report will be issued annually, the drive for efficiency and effectiveness will be a daily exercise in my administration,” the Governor said. “That has been the case since I took office. We have done well, but we will always strive to do better. The citizens of this state deserve nothing less from all branches of their government.”

The report highlights many ways commonwealth funds are used to cost-effectively provide essential services, including:

• National Leader in Education — From pre-kindergarten to high school, the commonwealth is making major investments to raise student achievement, and it is getting results. Pennsylvania is one of only nine states that made progress in elementary school reading and math since 2003 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as “The Nation’s Report Card.”
• Record Reductions in TANF Assistance — Because Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Welfare is focused on moving families to financial self-sufficiency, the number of low-income adults in the commonwealth receiving public assistance through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, is lower than at any time since 1961. Between October 2005 and October 2007, 54,800 people left the program – saving Pennsylvania taxpayers more than $82 million.
• Moving Toward Energy Independence — In 2004, Governor Rendell revived the long-dormant Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority and the authority has provided $32.2 million in grants and loans to 81 clean energy projects that are leveraging another $362 million in private investment. Recipients of PEDA grants and loans made in 2006-07 are implementing projects that will eliminate pollution and help meet the state’s electricity needs.

The Governor’s Report on State Performance includes a wealth of facts about the commonwealth, on subjects ranging from agriculture to insurance:

• One in seven jobs in Pennsylvania is related to agriculture (page 14).
• The commonwealth sponsors and funds health and human services that directly affect the lives of one in every six Pennsylvanians (page 34).
• Pennsylvania has the largest Army National Guard of all the states and the fourth largest Air National Guard (page 100).
• A recent Insurance Department survey found that 767,000 adult Pennsylvanians lacked health insurance (page 34).
• If Pennsylvania were a nation, it would have the world’s 17th largest economy (page 14).

“Each year, government managers are asked to do more with less — holding down spending growth while still meeting the needs and expectations of our citizens,” Governor Rendell said. “To meet this important, but difficult, goal, government managers must constantly find new ways to use available resources to deliver services more efficiently and effectively. That is why Pennsylvania is serious about measuring and improving state performance.

“I am committed to making our state government more accountable to the citizens of Pennsylvania,” the Governor said. “I want taxpayers to be able to see how their tax money is being used and what the commonwealth is doing to make our state more prosperous and competitive and to improve our quality of life. The 2006-07 Governor’s Report on State Performance provides a snapshot of state government in action. Readers will find it enlightening and informative.”

Source: Pennsylvania Governor