Aug. 26, 2015
HARRISBURG – To ensure residents can use the programs they desperately need as the quest for a budget that won’t devastate them continues, Rep. Harry Lewis Jr. (R-Chester) yesterday voted in favor to override Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget veto. He voted to fund vital human services, education, agriculture and health line items of the budget that have remained unfunded since the governor vetoed the state budget in full on June 30.
“My goal is to direct money to the organizations that care for my neediest constituents. They should not be subjected to borrowing money and the costs that are associated with it,” Lewis said. “Instead, yesterday I voted to solve issues and side-step any further hardship for the groups that do so much good in our Commonwealth.”
A full budget veto has grave consequences. When $13 million of state funding is not released on schedule, the effects are devastating. Not only is state funding not being passed to the entities that provide the most valuable services to our constituents, but without a state budget, those entities also are unable to benefit from the federal funding that they typically receive.
“The most disappointing part of this situation is that it could have been avoided if the governor would have line-item vetoed the budget, especially since 68 percent of the budget was funded at the level of the governor’s budget or higher. Yet, many entities are financially unable to care for residents in need.”
If the governor would have enacted a line-item veto of the budget, 274 line items would have survived, including the line-items were voted on today. Without support from the Democrats today, no funding will be released to aid Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable citizens.
“As budget negotiations continue, critical services that Commonwealth residents depend on should not be suspended,” Lewis said. “We refuse to agree to a budget that will financially suffocate our constituents and handicap them for years to come. To give them relief in the interim as we work toward a fair budget, we need the governor to stop holding vital funding for our most vulnerable citizens hostage.”
Representative Harry Lewis
74th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Alison Evans
717.260.6206
aevans@pahousegop.com
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