WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser this week introduced a three-bill legislative package intended to bring fiscal responsibility back to the federal government.
Meuser’s “Stop Inflationary Spending Act,” “The Budgetary Accuracy in Scoring Interest Cost (BASIC) Act” and “The Require Employees to Uniformly Return Now (RETURN) Act” are all aimed at increasing transparency, accountability, and bringing spending under control in Washington.
“The fiscal discipline implemented in these three pieces of legislation aligns with the priorities of my House Republican colleagues and I to reign in the out-of-control spending in Washington,” said Meuser, R-Dallas. “These commonsense, easily implementable proposals are practical solutions to accomplish those priorities.”
The Stop Inflationary Spending Act:
• Requires The Congressional Budget Office to project the impact on inflation of any bill being considered under Budget Reconciliation.
• Ensures CBO would provide an estimate of inflation for the first five years after enactment of reconciliation legislation.
“The national deficit has exceeded $31 trillion, and inflation continues to concern American families, who wonder why Washington cannot stop its out of control spending,” Meuser stated. “We must understand the full economic impact of reconciliation bills before we spend any more money.”
When inflation was a significant concern in the 1980s, Meuser said the CBO issued inflationary projections for individual bills. Restoring this practice for reconciliation bills that spend big is a commonsense reform that will curb Washington’s out of control spending and hold government accountable to the American people for spending taxpayer dollars and running up the national debt.
The Budgetary Accuracy in Scoring Interest Costs (BASIC) Act:
• Requires cost estimates prepared by the CBO or the Joint Committee on Taxation to include the costs of servicing the public debt.
Meuser said this would increase accountability and transparency for the federal budget process by requiring Congress to account for interest costs that are accrued through the serving of debt. This would increase accountability and transparency for the federal budget process. It updates CBO and Joint Committee on Taxation cost scoring requirements to include any debt costs created by legislative proposals.
“Publicly held debt is over 120% of the United States’ GDP. The Basic ACT will bring greater integrity and transparency to the federal budget process,” said Meuser. “It is vital to the success of our economy that we see the full and true cost of any new proposal. Only then can we begin to move away from years of misguided policies.”
The Require Employees to Uniformly Return Now (RETURN) Act:
• Prohibits the Internal Revenue Service from authorizing its employees to telework or spend the new $80 billion appropriation from the Inflation Reduction Act until the Commissioner certifies that the tax return backlog from the 2020 tax year has been eliminated.
• Allows for telework options that existed for certain individual cases prior to the pandemic and includes a five-day grace period after enactment to allow employees to transition back to the office.
“The IRS has been terribly mismanaged by the Biden Administration and there are still unreasonable delays in processing returns, inconveniencing and upsetting taxpayers,” Meuser commented. “Under the Inflation Reduction Act, there were plans to double the size of the IRS, which have been addressed by the introduction of our ‘Family and Small Business Protection Act.’ When a department is failing due to poor management, the worst thing we can do is expand the workforce. This bill’s intent aims for a reasonable level of processed returns.”
Gov. Shapiro officially
nominates his cabinet
Gov. Josh Shapiro this week announced that he has officially nominated his cabinet, and that their nominations have been sent to the Senate for advice and consent.
Shapiro said he has nominated a uniquely qualified, bipartisan, historically diverse cabinet that is ready to get to work and deliver for all Pennsylvanians.
The nominations of these “accomplished, bipartisan leaders with decades of experience in their fields” make Gov. Shapiro’s commitment to building an Administration that reflects and represents all Pennsylvanians clear.
“I am proud to have nominated this supremely qualified cabinet — and I look forward to working alongside them to move our Commonwealth forward,” Shapiro said. “Pennsylvanians elected me to deliver for them on the issues that matter most — from improving our schools, to making our communities safer, to building an economy that lifts everyone up — and having my cabinet in place is critical to our ability to make progress on these key issues. I look forward to the Senate promptly and efficiently reviewing and voting on these historic, bipartisan nominees so that we can work together to deliver for communities across Pennsylvania.”
Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike have lauded Shapiro’s cabinet nominees — calling his commitment to diversity and bipartisanship “a breath of fresh air,” and “a solid step in the right direction.”
Shapiro said his cabinet is made up of diverse, experienced leaders from all across the Commonwealth, and they will work alongside the Governor every day to create opportunities and advance real freedom in Pennsylvania.
The Cabinet
Adjutant General: Major General Mark Schindler
Secretary of Aging: Jason Kavulich
Secretary of Agriculture: Russell Redding
Secretary of Banking and Securities: Sarah Hammer
Secretary of the Commonwealth: Albert Schmidt
Secretary of DCED: Rick Siger
Secretary of DCNR: Cindy Dunn
Secretary of Corrections: Laurel Harry
Secretary of DDAP: Latika Davis-Jones
Secretary of Education: Khalid Mumin
Secretary of Environmental Protection:Richard Negrin
PA State Fire Commissioner: Thomas Cook
Secretary of Health: Dr. Debra Bogen
Secretary of Human Services: Valerie Arkoosh
Insurance Commissioner: Michael Humphreys
Secretary of Labor and Industry: Nancy Walker
Commissioner of the PA State Police: Colonel Christopher Paris
Secretary of Revenue: Patrick Browne
Secretary of Transportation: Mike Carroll
Shapiro also announced the nomination of Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry to serve as Attorney General, and that her nomination has been sent to the Senate for advice and consent.
With decades of experience as a prosecutor and First Deputy under then-Attorney General Shapiro, Michelle Henry will be prepared on day one to lead and continue ensuring the safety of the Commonwealth.
“I’m proud to nominate my former First Deputy Michelle Henry to serve out the remainder of my term as Attorney General,” Shapiro said. “As an experienced prosecutor and a talented leader, Michelle has spent decades in public service pursuing justice for victims, protecting consumers’ rights, and fighting for people in every corner of Pennsylvania.”
Sen. Baker encourages organizations
to apply for DCNR program grants
According to state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, counties, municipalities and municipal agencies, pre-qualified land trusts, non-profits and other eligible organizations interested in applying for conservation, recreation, trail, and riparian buffer grants through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) may do so now,
Over the past 20 years, Baker said the Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2) has funded more than 4,000 projects that have helped plan, acquire, and develop parks, recreation facilities, trails, and conserved critical conservation areas and watersheds; supported education and training on conservation and recreation topics; and built conservation, heritage, and recreation partnerships.
“These grants are important tools to protect our environment, provide recreational opportunities, and ensure Pennsylvania’s natural beauty can be enjoyed by future generations,” Baker said. “I encourage all eligible groups to apply.”
Applications will be accepted through April 5. Online tutorials are available to aid eligible organizations in the application process.
Disability advocate available at
Sen. Baker’s Dallas office Jan. 27
A representative from MyCIL — Northeast PA Center for Independent Living — will be at Sen. Lisa Baker’s Dallas office, 22 Dallas Shopping Center, Memorial Highway on Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Information and resources will be offered to people with disabilities and their families to help them obtain home and community-based services, transportation, housing, and other assistance to promote greater independence in the community.
“It is imperative that we provide education on available benefits to ensure individuals with disabilities can strengthen and maintain their self-sufficiency,” Baker said. “I have been honored to work on programs to help them exercise more control over their lives, including creating ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts to help save for the future, and establishing the IWantToWork program to aid in entering the job market.”
To schedule an appointment, contact Senator Baker’s Dallas office at 570-675-3931.