KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette State Rep. Garth Everett, R-Muncy, speaks with the Williamsport Sun-Gazette editorial board on Wednesday morning.

tate Rep. Garth Everett, R-Pennsdale, says he’s hoping to use his position on the House State Government Committee to push through legislation that will bring improvements in the overall governing process.

During an interview with the Sun-Gazette editorial board, he cited the need for reforms in the voting process and congressional redistricting.

Burdensome financial problems, like state pension woes hanging over school districts, is another issue he’d like to see addressed.

Much of his time, along with fellow lawmakers, will be taken up with the budget process between now and the June 30 deadline.

“The No. 1 issue every year is the budget,” he said.

Everett offered up no predictions on how budget negotiations will go this year.

He conceded that revenues needed for balancing the budget are coming in at healthy levels, which could help result in a timely process — unlike some past years.

“This governor wants to spend more,” he said. “He always beats the drum for the severance tax.”

Everett said he is not necessarily opposed to a severance tax on natural gas drilling.

But the revenues, he said, would need to come back to the municipalities where drilling occurs.

After all, the impact fee assessed on drillers, has meant generous revenue windfalls for communities, he said.

“Don’t put it (severance tax revenues) in the general fund,” he said.

Everett noted that state pension obligations continue to press on school districts.

Revenues from a severance tax might be one way of helping cushion the financial burdens.

“Pensions are a problem,” he said.

Everett cited a number of issues he’d like to see changed with regards

to voting.

For one, the process needs to be made easier for absentee voters, Everett said.

Voter identification, he noted, has also raised concerns, with some reports of people casting votes in precincts where they don’t live.

“We want everyone’s vote to count,” he said.

Everett briefly addressed congressional remapping, calling for a better way of determining the geographical areas of federal House districts.

Without getting into specifics, he said, “We are going to put a new process in place as to how they are redrawn.”

He said redistricting needs to be open and transparent — unlike it is now.

Everett addressed the minimum wage issue, but did not reveal whether he supports or opposes Gov. Wolf’s proposal for a state hourly minimum wage increase of $12, with annual increases bringing it to $15 by 2025. However, he cited figures that point to problems with hiking it, which has remained at $7.25 since 2010.

The Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office, for example, projected that an immediate wage hike of $4.75 would result in a loss of 33,300 jobs in the state, with most of those being minimum wage jobs.

The great majority of people holding those jobs are those between the ages of 16 and 24 working part time, he noted.

Moreover, Everett said very few area employers pay minimum wage and are simply having problems finding workers to fill their positions, many of which offer wages significantly above $7.25 an hour.

The governor has claimed a minimum wage hike will save taxpayers millions in public assistance money.

Surrounding states, each with higher minimum wage rates than Pennsylvania, are as follows: Ohio, $8.55; West Virginia, $8.75; New Jersey, $8.85; Delaware, $9.25; Maryland, $10.10; and New York, $11.10.