Sep. 24, 2015
HARRISBURG – In an effort to help families and senior citizens receive important human services and to keep schools open, Rep. Tedd Nesbit (R-Mercer/Butler) today voted in favor of legislation to allow emergency funding to be sent to service providers and school districts.
“Even though a final state budget hasn’t been enacted yet, state tax money is still coming into the Treasury, and it’s a shame that families may not be able to access the services they need or schools may be forced to shut down, all because of the governor’s veto,” Nesbit said. “The emergency funding bill we put on his desk today would allow state money to flow to the service providers so they can continue to do good work in our communities. I remain optimistic the governor will change his mind and sign the legislation. It’s the responsible thing to do.”
Nesbit voted to approve Senate Bill 1000, which includes emergency state funding amounting to roughly $11 billion, retroactive to the start of the fiscal year on July 1 through to Oct. 31. The amounts are based on the Legislature’s budget proposal, which includes higher levels than the 2014-15 fiscal year and which was quickly vetoed.
In addition to four months of state aid, the emergency funding bill would allow $24.3 billion in federal dollars to reach their intended recipients, and PHEAA grants and county child welfare lines would be dispersed at 50 percent.
“Providing this emergency funding is a step toward ensuring the continuity of critical services and education, and it further emphasizes the importance of reaching an agreement on a responsible, realistic state budget,” Nesbit added. “We’re working hard on that, but we also don’t want to saddle hard-working taxpayers and small businesses with unaffordable sales and income tax increases that will only set our state back.”
Representative Tedd Nesbit
8th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jennifer Keaton
jkeaton@pahousegop.com
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