Senate Law and Justice – 11:00 a.m.

The committee held a public hearing on the Pennsylvania State Police budget.  Chairman John Rafferty (R-Chester) said he thought it was important to call the hearing  “in light of certain comment and scare tactics used by the Administration to inflame the public.” Lt. Colonel Jon Kurtz filled in for Colonel Frank Pawlowski who was out of state speaking to the  ATF. Lt. Colonel Kurtz stated “what initially appeared to be an approximately $16 million cut, quickly morphs into an approximately $59 million cut.” He explained that a cut to the General Fund side, as proposed in SB 850, would force the PSP to cut a similar amount to the Motor License Fund side of funding. After establishing that the cut would not be necessary because there is nothing in statute or in the constitution that forces the PSP to cut funds from the Motor License side, Chairman Rafferty accused the Governor of politicizing the budget process and used the PSP to scare citizens. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.