HARRISBURG, Jan. 24 – To help drive better results for Pennsylvanians, the Democratic chairman of one of the state’s most influential budgeting oversight committees said today he believes the new performance-based budgeting effort will make a difference.

“This new effort to link expected outcomes or results with specific programs will help to improve efficiencies and ensure that the money hardworking women and men send to Harrisburg is being used in the best way,” Rep. Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery), the Democratic chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said today as the first-ever round of performance-based budgeting hearings concluded.

“Performance-based budgeting will mean improved transparency and it addresses the common criticism of ‘wasteful government spending’ or ‘excessive budget growth’,” Bradford said.

“Performance-based budgeting helps to drive results,” the chairman said, “and that’s what taxpayers want and deserve.”

Pennsylvania, like other states, has had a degree of performance-based budgeting in its budget-making process, but this new effort, which now involves the Independent Fiscal Office and public hearings to review proposed outcomes, heightens the policy’s impact.

This new process came into being in 2017 when the governor signed the Performance-Based Budgeting and Tax Credit Efficiency Act (Act 48) into law.

Performance-based budgeting plans must be developed for all agencies under the governor’s jurisdiction once every five years.

The Department of Corrections, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, General Services, Banking, and a review of various tax credit programs received the inaugural performance-based budgeting reviews.

Gov. Tom Wolf is scheduled to deliver his annual budget address Feb. 5 with House and Senate budget hearings to follow.

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