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Pa. House Democrats passed a budget with more spending than Shapiro proposed
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette link: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2023/06/05/pa-house-democrats-pass-expanded-budget-bill/stories/202306050088
The Democrat-controlled state House Monday evening passed a bill for proposed state budget spending in 2023-24 that is well over $1 billion more than what Gov. Josh Shapiro outlined in his budget address, triggering immediate and harsh criticism from Republicans.
The party-line 102-101 vote in the chamber where Democrats have a one-seat majority came in the first House voting in June, which traditionally is the busiest month in Harrisburg as lawmakers and the governor attempt to pass a budget by the end of the fiscal year on June 30. It came about three months after Mr. Shapiro unveiled his $44.4 billion proposed spending plan. The bill now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate for consideration, but lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said changes are likely as negotiations begin.
Top Democrats said more money could be spent because of unexpected increases in revenue that had occurred after Mr. Shapiro’s budget proposal was prepared. Republicans said they only learned Monday morning of Democrats’ plans to propose a larger spending increase. After the bill cleared a Democrat-controlled committee early in the afternoon, House Republican leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, described the package as being created with a “complete lack of transparency” and — because of its proposed drawdown on state reserves over a period of years — is likely to “bankrupt Pennsylvania.”
Among the major spending items that were not in Mr. Shapiro’s budget is a dedicated stream of $225 million in so-called “Level Up” funding for the state’s most financially strapped school districts. Democratic Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said that all told, the Democrats’ new proposal will boost education spending by $1.7 billion beyond the current year.
The party-line 102-101 vote in the chamber where Democrats have a one-seat majority came in the first House voting in June, which traditionally is the busiest month in Harrisburg as lawmakers and the governor attempt to pass a budget by the end of the fiscal year on June 30. It came about three months after Mr. Shapiro unveiled his $44.4 billion proposed spending plan. The bill now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate for consideration, but lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said changes are likely as negotiations begin.
Top Democrats said more money could be spent because of unexpected increases in revenue that had occurred after Mr. Shapiro’s budget proposal was prepared. Republicans said they only learned Monday morning of Democrats’ plans to propose a larger spending increase. After the bill cleared a Democrat-controlled committee early in the afternoon, House Republican leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, described the package as being created with a “complete lack of transparency” and — because of its proposed drawdown on state reserves over a period of years — is likely to “bankrupt Pennsylvania.”
Among the major spending items that were not in Mr. Shapiro’s budget is a dedicated stream of $225 million in so-called “Level Up” funding for the state’s most financially strapped school districts. Democratic Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said that all told, the Democrats’ new proposal will boost education spending by $1.7 billion beyond the current year.
- more at link -
Thank you House Dems for supporting Governor Shapiro's budget objectives. There's still a lot of yadda-yadda going on, so the budget bill is a long way from completion.
