Jun. 20, 2018
HARRISBURG – State Rep. Tommy Sankey (R-Clearfield/Cambria) joined the majority of his House colleagues Wednesday in supporting House Bill 2121, the general appropriations portion of the state budget for the upcoming 2018-19 fiscal year. The legislation may now be considered by the Senate.
Sankey issued this statement following the vote:
“This portion of the package of legislation that makes up the state budget reflects three years of fending off attempts to raise taxes on hard-working Pennsylvanians. In addition to containing no broad-based taxes, House Bill 2121 does not include a severance tax, something Gov. Tom Wolf finally admitted a few weeks ago was not necessary.
“The proposed spending increase is within the rate of inflation and supports the core functions of government. In today’s world, one of those core functions is increased school safety. House Bill 2121 includes new money for making our schools safer. The funding is in a restricted account, so it may not be used for any other purpose. It is my understanding that every school which applies will receive some amount of funding in the form of a block grant that will allow them some flexibility in how to spend it.
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House Bill 2121 also supports our local emergency responders by increasing reimbursement rates for services provided by both ground and air ambulance companies. It’s no secret these providers are being forced to do more with less. This increase is long overdue, as it would be the first one since 2004.
“We are now in a great position to complete the budget on time and in a fiscally responsible manner.”
Representative Tommy Sankey
73rd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Scott Little
717.260.6137
slittle@pahousegop.com
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