Pa. Lawmakers Remain Skeptical Of Wolf Consolidation Plan
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- If a recent Senate hearing is any indication, many state lawmakers remain skeptical of Governor Wolf's proposal to consolidate four state departments into one new department.
Governor Wolf wants to fold the Departments of Health, Human Services, Aging, and Drug and Alcohol Programs into one big "Department of Health and Human Services." At a Senate hearing during which the cabinet secretaries of those departments answered questions, Republican Lisa Baker said she is not alone in her reservations about the plan.
"The downgrading of the priority of Drug and Alcohol, the potential view that downgrading aging services and the Department of Health as a loss of priority and as a diminished role is something that people are very, very concerned about," she said.
The cabinet members at the hearing sought to reassure senators but Baker said their efforts to do so have so far been, in her words, "woefully inadequate."