It’s More Than the Budget
It’s not uncommon for state legislators to be told, “All you have to do is pass the budget.” Granted, that is the primary responsibility of the General Assembly; however, it is not the only thing with which state government is charged. I’d like to take a moment to review some of the things that were accomplished in the 2015-16 session.
As for the budget, 2016 had the dubious distinction of seeing two spending plans passed in it. Oddly, the 2015-16 and 2016-17 budgets were both finalized in the same calendar year and had one common thread – no broad-based tax increases. Attempts made by Gov. Tom Wolf to increase the Personal Income Tax and state sales tax were defeated. Holding the line was the major reason for the delay in agreeing to the 2015-16 budget. The fight was painful, but I believe, for the sake of all Pennsylvania taxpayers, it was well worth it.
That is not to say there are no circumstances where the afore-mentioned taxes would be raised. The House managed to move property tax relief legislation when
House Bill 504 passed with bipartisan support. The bill increased those taxes as part of a dollar-for-dollar decrease in property taxes. Unfortunately, the Senate never considered the bill. Needless to say, the fight to break the burden imposed by property taxes will resume in the 2017-18 session.
The year 2016 is the first year that a revised and fairer formula was used to distribute education funding to our public schools. While far from perfect, the formula created last year by the Basic Education Funding Commission is a vast improvement over its predecessor, which did not account for changes in school enrollment, household income or a school district’s ability to generate local tax-related revenue.
The formula was in statute, but the General Assembly had to battle the governor to ensure its implementation. For a period of time, he insisted on sending more than $1 billion in basic education funding to the School District of Philadelphia - 18 percent of the money made available in the state budget and far more than any of Pennsylvania’s other 499 school districts was receiving. Again, the General Assembly held the line.
From an education standpoint,
Act 86 of 2016 created SchoolWATCH. The Pennsylvania Department of Education is now required to post certain financial information on its website, including expenditures, salaries and revenue pertaining to school districts, charter schools, regional charter schools, cyber charter schools and area vocational-technical schools. The General Assembly also voted to reform the public pension systems. Unfortunately,
Senate Bill 1, which did NOT affect current school district employees and retirees, was vetoed by Gov. Wolf.
School districts and taxpayers in Adams and Cumberland counties did receive a boost with passage of
Act 25 of 2016. This legislation overhauls the Commonwealth’s public school construction reimbursement process and allows the Commonwealth Financing Authority to issue bonds in order to pay schools what they were owed. More than 206 million has been distributed statewide and the first of those payments should have been received this month.
The General Assembly also took a number of steps to confront Pennsylvania’s opioid epidemic. For instance,
Act 122 prohibits a health care practitioner from prescribing more than seven days of an opioid drug product to a patient seeking treatment in a hospital emergency department or urgent care facility.
Act 123 allows prescription drug and pharmaceutical waste to be destroyed and disposed of through waste-to-energy facilities in an effort to reduce prescription drug abuse and ensure the safety of the state’s drinking water.
We took major steps toward reforming Pennsylvania’s outdated liquor system. The Adult Beverage Convenience and Wine Privatization Act resulted in more choice and convenience for consumers. The law allows for the sale of both wine and beer in grocery stores, convenience stores and six-pack shops; expands Sunday and holiday hours in state stores; allows direct shipment of wine; and offers flexible pricing. Unfortunately, the governor vetoed
House Bill 466, which would have transferred both wholesale and retail sales of wine and liquor to the private sector.
Those are just a few of the legislative accomplishments in the 2015-16 session, which technically is not complete. The governor has yet to act on a handful of bills, including
House Bill 1683, which would allow local municipalities to enact earned income and property tax liability tax credits for active volunteers of a fire company or emergency medical service company. Here’s hoping he signs this bill into law.
I need to thank the voters of the 193rd Legislative District for sending me back to Harrisburg. My hope is to continue to be your voice in the General Assembly and fight for legislation that benefits the Pennsylvania taxpayer.
Representative Will Tallman
193rd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Scott Little
717.260.6137
slittle@pahousegop.com
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