Lehigh Times

A bipartisan committee of the Pennsylvania General Assembly has agreed to produce two reports based on measures introduced by State Sen. Jarrett Coleman (R-16). Coleman stated, “Citizens need this kind of information to hold accountable their government. People want to know if their tax dollars are being used effectively and efficiently.”

One of Coleman's resolutions directs the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) to conduct a performance audit of the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ) and the programs administered by the Allentown NIZ Development Authority. Coleman emphasized the importance of transparency, saying, “The Allentown NIZ audit will give taxpayers their first significant look at how their hundreds of millions of tax dollars are being used by the authority.”

Coleman's other resolution tasks the LBFC with studying state workforce development programs to improve services for workers and employers. Coleman highlighted the need for improvement, stating, “Despite the alphabet soup acronyms for various agencies and programs providing workforce development initiatives, we still have companies that can’t find qualified employees and workers who lack the necessary job skills.”

The LBFC, a bipartisan legislative agency, will work on these reports. Coleman's resolutions give the committee up to six months to complete the NIZ audit and one year to finish the workforce development study.

For more information about State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, residents can visit his website at www.SenatorColeman.com, follow him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SenatorJarrettColeman, and sign up for email newsletters at www.SenatorColeman.com/eNewsletters.