Conklin to introduce ‘Shared Sacrifice’ legislation

Bill would suspend cost-of-living adjustments to ease anticipated budget shortfall

Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus    April 29, 2020 | 2:18 PM

HARRISBURG, April 29 – State Rep. Scott Conklin has announced his intent to introduce legislation to suspend cost-of-living adjustments for members of the General Assembly and state administration officials.

Conklin, D-Centre, said as many Pennsylvanians remain out of work and are making tough choices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it makes sense to suspend these adjustments for a period of at least three years to offset some of the state’s anticipated revenue losses.

“We can’t ask Pennsylvanians to make sacrifices and tighten their belts if we aren’t willing to do the same,” Conklin said. “Current estimates show that we will have a $4 billion shortfall in revenues as we head into the next fiscal year, and we will need to itemize every penny to ensure necessary programs and essential services can be provided. As elected officials, it’s imperative we need to do our part to ensure we don’t add an additional financial burden on our already cash-strapped residents.”

More information on his forthcoming legislation can be found at this link: https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20190&cosponId=31687.