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Gov. Tom Wolf's agenda priorities don't usually match up well with most of our local lawmakers. It appears the trend will continue in 2019.
Lawmakers do share the governor's determination to fight the opioid epidemic. State Sen. Gene Yaw, a Loyalsock Republican representing much of our region, said he's working on at least two pieces of legislation that would put further limits on access to prescription painkillers.
He, like the governor, sees the issue as a bipartisan one and is hoping for support from the governor and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
We would like to think everyone realizes that prescription drug access is probably the top accelerator for opioid addiction.
Yaw also is pushing for legislation to prevent further damage to the Chesapeake Bay from streams and agricultural operations. Fertilizers used in agriculture often contain basic plant nutrients that may enter streams, creating sources of pollution. This, too, should be a bipartisan cause.
A natural gas severance tax is another matter. Both Yaw and state Rep. Jeff Wheeland, a Loyalsock Republican who represents much of our area, expect a push from Wolf again for the severance tax.
It is a push they say they will again resist. The industry already pays an impact fee that channels revenues to those areas most affected by natural gas drilling for usage in a variety of ways. It has proven to be a very practical fee and, with the industry running strong again, will pay great dividends in areas that matter.
A severance tax would amount to a second tax on the industry that would go directly into Harrisburg's coffers. Given the competition in surrounding states for the natural gas industry, lawmakers and Wolf need to be very careful about being punitive to a major employer and economic generator for the state.
We would feel better about the tax if the state had a track record of frugality, but all we have seen for two decades in Harrisburg is a ballooning budget that does not solve problems.
Wheeland, for instance, wants to see more set aside for the state's deficit-ridden pension system, which sooner or later will threaten the rest of the state budget if it is not made actuarially sound.
The governor has been reticent about that in the past, but with revenue projections strong for the state, the money needs to be spent on problem-solving.
Without that approach, the next state budget may be contentious, and Yaw and Wheeland both told the Sun-Gazette they expect an arduous process.
There are potential places where the local lawmakers and the governor can get on the same page. Given the track record, it remains to be seen whether that will happen.