A few items from the political notebook this week:

• Two Lancaster County legislators have drafted a key component of Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's reform agenda, one that is described as being a first step toward a part-time Legislature.

Sen. Mike Brubaker of Warwick Township and Rep. Bryan Cutler of Peach Bottom have drawn up bills that would require state budgets be passed every two years instead of every year. Twenty other states already do biennial budgets.

"Our current budget process is repetitive, time-consuming and inefficient," Brubaker said. "This simple reform would allow every state agency and state-funded program to engage in greater long-term planning with a funding stream that is not subject to change every year."

• County sheriff hopeful Luis A. Rodriguez has dropped out of the race for Republican Party endorsement, leaving Mark S. Reese uncontested for the GOP's backing.

The two will square off in the May 17 primary. The winner of November's election will replace retired Sheriff Terry Bergman. Reese currently is the acting sheriff. Rodriguez is a narcotics agent with the state Office of Attorney General.

• The county Democrats have filed a complaint against the Lancaster city GOP for allegedly failing to file campaign finance reports during the last election.

The complaint, filed with the state, claims the GOP didn't disclose the cost and source of funding for a "slate card" advertising the party's candidates for state House, governor, U.S. Senate and Congress in the November election. The Democrats are requesting sanctions against the GOP. Check back for updates.

• County elections officials finished cleaning the voter rolls of inactive voters, which they do every two years, after the presidential and gubernatorial elections. This time around, they have deleted nearly 18,000 inactive voters from their files, voters who haven't shown up to polls or responded to official inquiries.

"These people we have had no communication with whatsoever," Mary Stehman, the county's top elections official, said.

The makeup of those wiped off the voter rolls was: 8,801 Republicans, 5,524 Democrats and 3,633 independent and third-party voters. The latest count of voters here is 161,382 or 54 percent Republicans; 96,144 or 32 percent Democrats; and 14 percent other voters. There's a grand total of 299,677.

• State Rep. Dave Hickernell, a Republican from West Donegal Township, will serve as chief deputy majority whip for the 2011-12 legislative session. In that role, he will serve as Majority Whip Stan Saylor's primary assistant in working to unify the party, build support for policy initiatives, and answer questions about policy.

• State Rep. Gordon Denlinger, a Republican from Narvon, will lead a newly created policy team on job creation. The panel is responsible for finding ways to get Pennsylvanians into good jobs.

• Pennsylvania's junior U.S. senator, Pat Toomey, has made a friendly wager with Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson on the victor of the Feb. 6 Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers.

If the Steelers win, Johnson will ship Toomey a "savory assortment" of Wisconsin cheese, bratwurst and beer. And if the Packers win, Toomey will use the word "yinz" in every speech on the Senate floor.

We jest, of course. If the Packers win — not that there's a chance of that happening, mind you — Toomey will ship his colleague a bunch of world-famous Primanti Bros. sandwiches, topped with signature French fries, cole slaw and tomatoes.

tmurse@lnpnews.com