Improve government efficiency and employee engagement

State government has a responsibility to the residents of Pennsylvania to run efficiently, effectively, and transparently. Engaging the state government workforce in modernizing operations and improving services is key to fulfilling this responsibility. The commonwealth's employees perform the work of state government firsthand, and are in the best position to recommend ways to streamline processes and deliver better services. 

Governor Wolf has made government more efficient and responsive, while saving hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars. He refuses a pension and donates his salary to charity. He banned administration officials and state employees from accepting gifts. Working across the aisle, he signed comprehensive pension reform, which reduces risk to Pennsylvania taxpayers, continues to pay down our debt, and slashes Wall Street fees while still offering state employees fair benefits. Governor Wolf eliminated $2 billion from the state budget by streamlining government and consolidating state agencies, turning a $2.5-billion deficit into a surplus. The governor made the first Rainy Day Fund deposit in nearly 10 years, followed by the largest deposit in nearly two decades. He established the Office of Performance Through Excellence, an office dedicated to improving customer service, empowering commonwealth employees, removing inefficiencies, and achieving measurable results for Pennsylvanians.

The graphic shows the balance of the commonwealth's Reserve Fund, or "Rainy Day" Fund, over time. During economic downturns, Pennsylvania funds schools, human services, and public safety with these reserves. Since 1985, the Rainy Day Fund has been drained three times. In 2019, Governor Wolf made the largest-ever deposit into the fund, helping protect Pennsylvanians from future recessions.