HARRISBURG - Lawmakers have yet to disclose the size of the current legislative surplus as state fiscal problems mount, a Capitol activist said Wednesday.
The Legislative Audit Advisory Commission is behind schedule in releasing the audit report for the 2012-13 fiscal year, Eric Epstein, coordinator of Rock the Capital, said.
Epstein said the report should reveal whether the General Assembly continues to sit on an uncommitted surplus of $140 million. This is the surplus amount reported in the 2011-12 fiscal audit released a year ago.
"This year's legislative nest egg is in stark contrast to the Commonwealth's potential budget shortfall of $1 billion," he said.
Lawmakers return to session June 2, facing a $500 million revenue shortfall for the 2013-14 fiscal year and a likely revenue shortfall of a similar amount for 2014-15.
The commission hopes to meet during the half of June to vote on the audit report, said Stephen Miskin, spokesman for House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-28, Pittsburgh.
A delay has occurred because it took some time to appoint a new commission chairman, Miskin said.
Rep. Mark Keller, R-86, New Bloomfield, was named chairman a month ago to replace Rep. Gordon Denlinger, R-99, Ephrata, who resigned.
The commission is composed of eight members of whom four are lawmakers.
The existence of a legislative surplus has been debated in tight fiscal times when state spending for many programs and education aid has been cut.
Lawmakers have earmarked a portion of the surplus in recent years for a hazardous waste site program and accountability block grants for school districts, Miskin said.
The legislative surplus hit a peak of $211 million in the 2006-07 fiscal year and dwindled to $188 million during the 2009 budget crisis and then to $140 million in 2011 as Gov. Tom Corbett took office.
Lawmakers need a sizeable surplus to be able to operate independently in case of a prolonged budget stalemate with a governor, Miskin said. The General Assembly spends about $30 million each month mainly on salaries and benefits.
Epstein suggested that lawmakers don't want to make the surplus known before Tuesday's primary. He said the commission has met in either December or April in recent years.