PENNSYLVANIA INDEPENDENT: Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed budget for next year puts Pennsylvania’s internal watchdogs on a shorter leash.
Take the Department of the Auditor General, for example. Corbett’s proposed 2012-13 budget decreases the department’s funding by more than $2 million, the latest in a series of cutbacks. In 2008, the budget was at a seven-year high of $54.4 million — next year, it’s proposed at $42.3 million.
While budget talks are still in the works, the Senate’s version of the budget keeps the department’s funding flat.
Auditor General Jack Wagner is concerned. He’s seen his staff decrease from 755 to 600 since 2005, and a corresponding decrease of 10 percent to 15 percent in the number of annual audits.
“The auditor general is the fiscal watchdog of the taxpayers of Pennsylvania,” he said, “and it’s critical that we get proper funding to perform our function, and our function is one of making sure transparency and accountability exists in all aspects of state government.” … (more)
