Mundy discusses difficult economic times in state

BILL O’BOYLE

boboyle@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE TWP. – State Rep. gave what she called “absolutely my longest speech ever” to a crowd of about 75 people gathered at the John Heinz Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine Friday, saying she wanted to share some of the major issues facing Pennsylvania.

Mundy, 62, D-Kingston, spoke candidly for more than an hour about the current state of affairs in the state and took questions from the audience of health care professionals.

“I know I don’t need to tell anyone here that we are living in difficult times,” Mundy said. “As providers of developmental health programs, skilled nursing services, and many other programs and services that are dependent on medical assistance funding, you know all too well what it means to do more with less.”

Mundy said the current state budget is “emblematic of these difficult times.” She said many cuts have been made and more are likely to come.

“These cuts could have been mitigated by new revenue streams such as a tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco and closing the Delaware loophole (a tax avoidance scheme used by some of Pennsylvania’s largest corporations),” she said.

Mundy said since the votes were not there for new taxes, difficult decisions had to be made, resulting in cuts in many programs and services for children, the disabled, and senior citizens. She said public libraries have reduced their hours and families will find it more difficult to pay for college.

“These are just a few of the harsh realities of this 2010-2011budget,” Mundy said.

Mundy said raising or enacting new taxes should always be a last resort.

“The last few years, we have cut into the meat of the Commonwealth’s programs and services,” she said. “Next year, I’m afraid we will cut right into the bone.”

Mundy also talked about the state’s transportation funding crisis, noting that the U.S. Department of Transportation denied Pennsylvania’s application to toll Interstate 80.

“That I-80 revenue was expected to help fix countless structurally deficient bridges and repair thousands of miles of roads, as well as contribute to mass transit funding,” Mundy said. “Now, we face a transportation crisis as structurally deficient bridges and poor roads continue to deteriorate.”

She said Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of structurally deficient bridges at 5,646. More than 7,000 miles of state roads are in poor condition and more than $484 million in much-needed capital improvements for the state’s dozens of mass transit agencies are going unaddressed.

Mundy discussed the drilling of the Marcellus Shale for natural gas in the region. She said since January 2009, well over 3,100 Marcellus Shale drilling permits have been issued, and there is no end in sight.

Mundy said because of the many challenges and obstacles with Marcellus Shale drilling, she said “we need to immediately hit the pause button on any new drilling permits.”

 “The drilling related disasters that have taken place across the state make it abundantly clear that we are not prepared to either prevent or react quickly and appropriately to such incidents,” Mundy said. “I fear for the health and safety of my constituents, which is why I will continue my efforts to put adequate protections in place.”