Sep. 30, 2015
There has been much discussion about the state budget. As State Legislators representing our respective districts, we felt it appropriate to offer a few key facts and a timeline of what has transpired.
On March 3, Governor Tom Wolf presented his budget to a joint session of the House and Senate. It was a budget that raised personal income and sales taxes and increased the scope of the sales tax to record levels. It was a $12 billion tax increase on the backs of Pennsylvania citizens. The tax increase would be $4.5 billion more this year, which is a 17% increase over last year, and another $7.5 billion increase next year. To put this in perspective, the collective total increase from the governors of the remaining 49 states, was $2.1 billion for this fiscal year.
On June 1, the House voted on a list of tax proposals contained in the Governor’s budget. (Constitutionally, all revenue bills must originate in the House.) The vote was 193 – 0 against the proposal. Not one Democrat or Republican voted for the Governor’s massive tax increase.
On June 30, an on-time budget, passed by the House and Senate, was placed on the Governor’s desk. It addressed our needs, spent within our means, and did so WITHOUT RAISING TAXES. Accompanying the budget was a pension reform bill and a liquor privatization bill. The Governor immediately vetoed the ENTIRE budget and the pension and liquor reform bills.
In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, governors are allowed to “blue line” items in the budget they do not agree with and sign into law the remainder of the state budget. 274 of the 401 budget line items had funding that was proposed by the Governor and agreed to by the House and Senate. Governor Wolf, by vetoing the ENTIRE budget, was the first governor in over 40 years to do so.
Leaders from the House and Senate worked throughout the summer with the Governor to discuss details and get the entire budget approved—without success.
On Aug. 19, the leaders of the House and Senate offered the Governor $400 million more to meet his request for education funding, but needed liquor privatization and pension reform to start our state on the path to fiscal responsibility. He refused this offer.
On Aug. 25, the House cast votes to override the Governor’s veto on non-controversial items such as: school lunch programs, school bus transportation, rape crisis, domestic violence programs, pre-school programs, etc. This vote needed a two-thirds majority to pass. Not one Democrat voted in favor of this effort to help social service agencies, school districts and local governments.
More recently, the Senate introduced SB 1000 that would provide emergency funding to human services agencies, drug treatment programs, schools, PHEAA loan programs, libraries, and more. It was passed along party lines in the Senate 30 – 19 and in the House 117 – 83. On September 29, the Governor vetoed this effort to address the critical needs of Pennsylvanians. This veto continues the impasse and portends more harm for our children, the elderly and those less fortunate.
Mr. Wolf has clearly adopted a policy of holding all education and social services funding, and much else, as hostages for his desire to get his way, in full, and without compromise. Simply put, he has shown no interest in bargaining in good faith. His callous behavior is unnecessary, unacceptable, and unbefitting the citizens of the commonwealth.
As your local legislators, we urge the Governor to reconsider his dismissal of emergency funding needed by so many Pennsylvanians and ask that he come to the budget table with realistic funding requests that will help all Pennsylvanians prosper, not just his special interest supporters.
Representative Judy Ward
Representative John D McGinnis
Senator John H. Eichelberger, Jr.
Representative Judy Ward
80th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Tricia Lehman
717.772.9840
tlehman@pahousegop.com
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