Jun. 21, 2018
HARRISBURG – State Rep. Mark Gillen (R-Berks/Lancaster) yesterday in Harrisburg voted for the balanced budget bill approved through a bipartisan vote by the House that would fund the core functions of government and increase funding for local schools without raising or enacting new taxes.
“The general takeaway and good news for taxpaying Pennsylvanians is that this spending plan will place no additional burden on them in terms of new taxes or tax rate increases,” Gillen said. “By avoiding tax increases during the past several years, we have enabled Pennsylvanians to keep, spend and invest more of their own money.”
The spending plan calls for hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding support for educational initiatives from pre-kindergarten through high school and also for colleges, universities and other forms of advanced education.
The budget calls for a $100 million increase in funding for schools across the Commonwealth as well as a new, $60 million block grant program designed to fund school safety initiatives.
“We want to empower schools to provide a safe learning environment for our students,” Gillen said. “The program includes an element of flexibility because we realize the security needs of an inner-city Philadelphia school may be drastically different than a suburban or rural school in Berks or Lancaster counties.”
The budget also for the first time since the Great Recession would put money into the state’s equivalent of an emergency savings account.
“As the economy and the Commonwealth’s revenues continue to rebound, we need to rebuild that savings account so we will have some reserves to address any future emergencies,” Gillen said. “Setting money aside for future emergencies shows a level of fiscal restraint that is important for the long-term financial health of our Commonwealth.”
The budget legislation –
House Bill 2121 – now heads to the state Senate for consideration.
Representative Mark Gillen
128th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Dan Massing
717.772.9845
dmassing@pahousegop.com
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