State Rep. Tom Creighton, a Republican from Rapho Township, had this to say about House Democratic leaders including Rep. Mike Sturla of Lancaster voluntarily giving up this year’s 2.8 percent pay hike in light of the faltering economy and the state’s dire financial situation:

“House Democrats are again attempting to pull the wool over taxpayers’ eyes, just like their vote to enact a state budget that is dragging Pennsylvania into a needless budget deficit projected to be in the billions of dollars. The calculated decision to ‘return’ the recent COLA is ostensibly a scam, since legislators cannot legitimately do so without actual legislation repealing the increase in pay. Taxes have already been collected on the COLA and since it would be considered in legislators’ pension programs, they can continue to collect more income for years to come.”

Creighton issued a challenge to those top Dems to put up a proposed repeal of the annual cost-of-living adjustements.

“I am prepared to cast my vote IN favor of legislation to repeal the COLA. It is my opinion that the first order of legislative business during the 2009-10 session must be to legitimately repeal all legislative COLAs retroactive to Nov. 30. Without those actions, the promises of ‘shared pain’ Pennsylvanians are hearing from House Democrat leaders is disingenuous at best.”

Here’s what Sturla had to say about returning some $2,100 to the state Treasury in an interview this morning:

He said he’d rather give the $2,100-plus cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, to local charities, like he did with the 2005 pay raise when it was repealed. “I sometimes think that is a more effective way of dealing with it, because at least it’s not getting sucked back into the black hole of the state budget and ending up in someone else’s district,” he said.

Sturla also said he thinks there are better places to look for spending cuts. “I guess I understand the sentiment and symbolic nature of this,” he said. “But we’re looking at a potential $3 billion deficit. If all 253 members of the Legislature returned the COLA, we’re probably looking at $500,000. “Now, hey, do you know what? If we found 300 more items like that to cut, I get that,” he said. “But do I find the 300 more items by cutting dollars that we give to the food banks? I want to replace that money with the COLAs.”

Sturla said he was considering giving his raise to local charities before his leadership told him to return it to the Treasury. He believes there are better places to look for spending cuts than lawmaker salaries. He said, as one example, the state could save about $350 million a year by ending state police coverage in municipalities where residents don’t pay for their own police coverage. “This is one of my favorite things to rail about,” he said. “Seventy-five percent of the state pays for their own police protection in the form of local taxes, while 25 percent of the state’s population get free service. Why is it we spend $350 million a year on people who refuse to pay for their own local police protection?

“That’s one I’d go after,” he said. “If there are 10 of those items, you get your $3 billion rather than finding 300 items that mean now I don’t have money to give to my local food banks.”
Sturla continued about the potential deficit: “The COLAs are a tiny, tiny, tiny portion. It’s not even like sticking your little finger in a leaking dike. It’s like taking a spitball and sticking it in. But is it symbolic and does it show that we’re serious about this? Sure. But the way we can be serious about this is to look at the tax system overall, look at how we provide services overall.
“Those are the hundred million-dollar items,” he said.

Sturla’s salary is $89,300.37. He said he understands the economy is hurting people. “I haven’t gotten the letter yet that says my daughter’s tuition won’t go up, and that my gas bill is going down,” he said. “I got the letter that said my electric bill is going up. In that sense I understand how everyone feels, because they’re in the same boat. “But I hope they understand, while it’s nice to believe I’m independently wealthy and do this out of the goodness of my heart, at some point I have to pay bills also,” Sturla said.

UPDATE (1:22 P.M.): Allentown Morning Call reporter and columnist John Micek says House Minority Leader Sam Smith doesn’t appear to be telling his caucus to give back the COLAs. Smith says in a statement: “As to the House Democrat ‘leaders’ decision to forgo the Cost of Living Adjustment, their actions speak to their motives. They announced their decision late at night, the day before the governor and Senate Leaders were thought to be commenting on the COLA issue. The comments made by Representative Mike Gerber truly sum it up: ‘We were first, baby.’ In reality, on the COLA issue, Members have the option to ‘give it back’ to Treasury, give it to a local charity/non-profit, or keep it and see if the House Democrats move legislation which puts their (real) money where their mouth is. The Comptroller is or will be sending guidance on the ‘give back’ option. House Republicans have been continually cutting costs, trimming spending, becoming a more economic and efficient organization.”

Smith also ripped into the Dems: “For the last several years, our Caucus sounded the alarm of
over-spending and predicted the eventuality of revenue shortfalls. It was our Caucus which fought for and protected a Democrat raid on the Rainy Day Fund - just read any newspaper archives and you will see the
comments by Governor Rendell and Representative Dwight Evans urging a Rainy Day Fund purge. We stopped them. It was the Republican Caucuses who stopped the Democrats from spending Tobacco Settlement Fund-based monies. Again, it was the Republican Caucuses which stopped the Democrat
proposed revenue increases - just last year the governor proposed more than $2 billion in additional taxes and fees.”