Rap Sheet on Rick GeistWRTADaveBarger

8/2/2019 Rap Sheet on Rick GeistWRTADaveBarger

1/4

Rap Sheet on Rick Geist

Taxes

Voted for a $400 Million dollars gas and car tax increase on citizens and businesseswhen the government was running a surplus (1997 HB 67)

Voted for $2.4 Billion dollar job crushing tax increases on small business (2002 HB 1848 ) Voted for over $470 million dollars in tax increases on businesses and consumers that

further hurt our economy (HB1531)

Spending & Debt

In the 32 years Rick Geist has been in Harrisburg, state government has more thanquadrupled in size with Geist voting for big government at almost every turn. (PA House

General Fund Budgets from 1979 - 2012)

Geist even voted for many of Rendells big spending budgets (HB1589, HB2579, HB815,SB 1389)

Geist voted for nearly all of Rendells massive debt schemes that saddled taxpayers withover 2$ Billion in new debt. (HB 2291, HB 2231, SB798, HB1802, HB2)

Including millions of dollars in debt to fund soccer stadiums for professional Philadelphiasports teams. (HB 1589)

Failed Rendell Stimulus Schemes

Geist voted for over $1 Billion dollars in liberal Governor Ed Rendells failedcorporate welfare stimulus schemes that did nothing but hurt our economy and pile on

more Debt. While Ed Rendells wealthy Philadelphia friends received our tax dollars,

taxpayers were handed the bill. (SB 870) (HB 500) (SB 1026) (SB 10)

Pay raises and Per Diems- Geist never misses a chance to pick he taxpayers pocket for his

own financial gains.

Voted for the 1995 pay raise that jacked up his salary 18% and gave him an automatic pay

raise every year thereafter without HAVING TO ever vote on it (1995 SB1074)

Not satisfied, Geist then voted for the 2005 illegal midnight pay raise which jacked uphis pay another 28 % (HB1521)

Geist is still one of the few legislators never returned the illegal 2005 pay raise to thePennsylvania Treasury. (PA House Clerks office)


2/4

In addition to Rick Geists $80,000 a year salary, Geist has collected an average of$25,000 a year the past 3 years in per diems. (PA House Clerks Records)

Pension Increase and Pension Bomb

Rick Geist voted to raise his own taxpayer-funded pension by 50% raising leavingtaxpayers to foot the bill for his expensive $100,000 pension when he retires. (HB 26-

2001)

The pension increase Geist and his cronies gave themselves in 2001 was so excessivethat, according to the non-partisan Commonwealth Foundation, the State Employee

Retirement Fund will face severe financial distress by the year 2012, sticking taxpayers

with an expensive bailout of retired government workers and legislators such as Rick

Geist. (www.commonwealthfoundation.org)

Not only did Geist raise his own pension and that of government employees but RickGeist voted to add another $27 billion in unfunded pension liabilities on the backs of

taxpayers and future generations to come. So, for years to come and long into the

future, taxpayers will face higher property and state tax bills in order to pay for the

pension disaster created by legislators. And when Rick Geist retires, our taxes will haveto be raised in order to pay for his Cadillac pension. (HB 2497,

www.commonwealthfoundation.org)

Rick Geist State Representative Serving Himself at the People's Expense vy Dave Barger,

posted Feb 16 2012 9:04AM WRTA 1240

While people across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have suffered through a recession

that started in 2008 the state legislature has continued to enjoy pay increases, more benefitsand a pension that most people can only dream about.

Local state representative Rick Geist Representing the 79th Legislative District in the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives has voted for almost every bill that increased his pay

and benefits while many people in the 79th District have difficulty paying for the basics such as

groceries, heat, light and medicines.

Yearly Pay Raises

In 1995 Geist voted for Act 51 which provides legislators, judges and the governor with a no

questions asked cost of living adjustment (COLA). As a result each year legislators have seen

their pay increase and the increases are compounded. Geist voted for this automatic increase

even though the Pennsylvania Constitution Article III, Section 8 clearly states:

The members of the General Assembly shall receive such salary and mileage for regular and

special sessions as shall be fixed by law, and no other compensation whatever, whether for

service upon committee or otherwise. No member of either House shall during the term for
http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/http://www.wrta.com/Rick-Geist-State-Representative--Serving-Himself-at-the-People-s-Expense/9452386?pid=208987http://www.wrta.com/Rick-Geist-State-Representative--Serving-Himself-at-the-People-s-Expense/9452386?pid=208987http://www.wrta.com/Rick-Geist-State-Representative--Serving-Himself-at-the-People-s-Expense/9452386?pid=208987http://www.wrta.com/Rick-Geist-State-Representative--Serving-Himself-at-the-People-s-Expense/9452386?pid=208987http://www.wrta.com/Rick-Geist-State-Representative--Serving-Himself-at-the-People-s-Expense/9452386?pid=208987http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/


3/4

which he may have been elected, receive any increase of salary, or mileage, under any law

passed during such term.

A New and Different Pay Raise

Geist and other legislators were at it again in the early morning hours of July 7, 2005. They

voted for a further increase in pay for lawmakers, judges, and top executive-branch officials.

That vote took place at 2 a.m. without public review or commentary and without debate.

Governor Ed Rendell immediately signed the bill into law. The Pittsburgh Tribune Reviewcalled the vote a public shafting. *1+

The paper continued, Never mind that the average resident of this commonwealth makes

just over $37,000 a year; legislators voted themselves an $11,000-a-year pay raise, or 16

percent. Their base pay would rise from $69,647 annually to $81,050 a year. *2+ Committee

chairmen, which Geist is one, would see their pay increased by 28 percent to $89,155.

Forget that the Pennsylvania Constitution dictates that such raises can't take effect until the

next Legislature is seated. Geist and other legislators ignored the constitution. Once inacted

Geist and others ran to the paymaster window and to take their raise immediately using an

unvouchered expense.

Second paycheck

In addition to their pay legislators receive per diems, an allowance for daily expenses that

legislators including Geist voted to give themselves. Their current per diem rate is $163. The

per diems are paid without receipts, without documentation. The legislator claims and

receives the per diem which amounts to a second pay check. In each of the last three years

Geist has claimed approximately $25,000 in per diems.

Pensions

When the average working person retires he is fortunate if he gets a pension that reflects a

small amount of the pay he received while working. In 2001 Geist was one of the legislators

who introduced and voted in favor of HB26. The bill increases his and other legislators

pensions by 50 percent and that of state workers by 25 percent. This generosity and an

unwillingness to pay for it, has left the state pension underfunded by between $13.7 billion

and $114 billion depending on who you ask. *3+

Pennsylvania taxpayers will be hit with higher taxes to help fund two state pension systems.

Pennsylvanias statewide pension plans for public school employees, state workers, legislators,

judges and other government employees the Public School Employee Retirement System

(PSERS) and the State Employee Retirement System (SERS) will require significantly higher

taxpayer contributions in the 201213 fiscal year and beyond. *4+


4/4

Total Average Homeowner/Household Increase Cumulative property and state taxes, 200910

to 201213 projected at $1,360. *5+

Geist was elected to serve the people. But it appears he has served himself to taxpayer now

and well into the future. Its time to defeat him and other legislators of his ilk. We need to

replace him with people who will follow the constitution and will work for the electorate.

[1] Pittsburgh Tribune Review July 8, 2005

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_351105.html

[2] Ibid

[3] Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania January 30, 2012http://empowerpa.org/Pension-

Votes.php

[4] Prepared by the Commonwealth Foundation,www.CommonwealthFoundation.org

(November 2009)

http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/doclib/20091123_PSERSSERSIncrease.pdf

[5] Ibid
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_351105.htmlhttp://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_351105.htmlhttp://empowerpa.org/Pension-Votes.phphttp://empowerpa.org/Pension-Votes.phphttp://empowerpa.org/Pension-Votes.phphttp://empowerpa.org/Pension-Votes.phphttp://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/doclib/20091123_PSERSSERSIncrease.pdfhttp://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/doclib/20091123_PSERSSERSIncrease.pdfhttp://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/doclib/20091123_PSERSSERSIncrease.pdfhttp://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/http://empowerpa.org/Pension-Votes.phphttp://empowerpa.org/Pension-Votes.phphttp://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_351105.html

Documents

Rap Sheet on Rick GeistWRTADaveBarger