By P. Michael Sturla
HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS Op – Ed – June was a month of historic court decisions – and not just in Washington. Overshadowed by the annual Harrisburg ritual of approving a state budget, another of the governor’s landmark policies was determined by the Commonwealth Court to violate the state Constitution. This time it was the Human Services Block Grant program.
The 2012 pilot program, described by GOP leaders as giving counties “flexibility” to spend human services money where they believe it is most needed (with the added bonus of having their budgets slashed 10 percent), evidently was so flexible in its interpretation of state law that it went outside the bounds of the constitution.
Court reviews of laws backed by Gov. Corbett and House Republican leaders have become commonplace over the past two-and-a-half years.
The truth is these unconstitutional and illegal measures are consuming taxpayer resources to defend. (more)
