The Rendell Record of Achievement

When Ed Rendell took office, his first order of business was to break the gridlock in Harrisburg and dramatically expand the number of seniors enrolled in the state’s pharmacy benefit program. Working with both parties, Rendell crafted a plan to increase Lottery revenues and reduce costly government red tape – allowing an additional 70,000 seniors to get the coverage they need. By year’s end, more than 290,000 Pennsylvania seniors will be served by the program – up 32%.

It’s no wonder Pennsylvania is becoming a model for the nation. Under the new federal prescription drug plan, a couple with an income of $17,000 who needs five drugs (cost of $5,500) would have a copay of $2,600. Here in Pennsylvania, that couple pays just $216.

By applying business principles of productivity and cost-savings to the operation of state government, in just two years, the Rendell administration has saved taxpayers $475 million. And the budget is balanced.

By consolidating contracts and leveraging purchasing power, the State will generate more than $130 million in annual savings. That’s not pocket change. For instance, when Ed Rendell became Governor, Harrisburg spent $22.5 million to buy office supplies from 2,900 vendors. Today, the same supplies are bought from a single vendor for $13.4 million.

Before Rendell took office, Pennsylvania paid the Social Security Administration $31 million a year to print the State portion of the SSI checks. Now, the Commonwealth prints them for less than $6 million a year.

Rendell eliminated 660 state vehicles, saving more than $13 million. Nearly 3,000 unused phone lines have been shut down, reducing telephone bills by more than $5 million annually.

There is nothing more important to the future of Pennsylvania than growing its economy and revitalizing its communities – especially those struggling to survive and compete in a new economy.   As other states grapple with a sluggish national economy, Governor Rendell’s $2.3 billion Economic Stimulus plan is injecting needed capital in our businesses and workforce throughout Pennsylvania.  Over the next five years, this investment will leverage more than $5 billion in private sector resources – that’s a $7.3 billion job-creating boost to our economy.

Today, the job count in Pennsylvania has reached the highest in our history.  With Governor Rendell’s leadership, we have turned the corner from the staggering job loss that characterized the 2001 recession.

As Governor, Ed Rendell is making historic investments in educating our young people – demanding accountability, rewarding achievement and focusing on what we know works.

That means early education. This year’s budget represents the largest increase in early education funding in 20 years. With the legislature’s support, Governor Rendell secured more than $250 million in flexible funding for Pennsylvania’s public schools, giving them the resources to invest in proven education initiatives like pre-kindergarten, Head Start, full-day kindergarten and tutoring.

Today, more than 2,000 children in 26 school districts throughout Pennsylvania are now attending pre-kindergarten programs for the first time. Head Start enrollment is up by 2,600 children. More than 50,000 children will benefit from full-day kindergarten, including 17,000 students in 143 school districts that are offering the program for the first time.

Almost 100 school districts are investing in class-size reduction in kindergarten through 3rd grade to benefit more than 20,000 children. This year, more than 85 school districts will share a total of $55 million in tutoring money, a $30 million increase.

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