House passes state budget
The Pennsylvania House of Representative passed a budget Monday, July 14, but its chances at passage in the state Senate may be slim.
The approximately $50.6 billion spending plan increases spending by about $2.8 billion, but still falls short of the $51.5 billion proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro.
The measure made it through the Democratic controlled chamber on a largely party line 105 to 97 vote. Only three Republicans voted in favor of the plan, none of them representatives of Butler County.
In a statement issued Monday, state Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-8, blasted the measure.
“This proposal spends too much, lacks transparency and sets up Pennsylvania for long-term fiscal trouble,” Bernstine said. ““We are being asked to vote on a $50.6 billion spending plan without a full financial sheet, without a tax code and without a fiscal code. That’s not how responsible government works. A budget isn’t just about how much money we spend; it’s about how that money is spent and how it impacts our future. Right now, we don’t even have all the documents to make that judgment.”
The proposal would spend roughly $23.1 billion on education, matching an increase in education spending in Shapiro’s proposal. It also includes increases for the Department of Human Services, also a priority in Shapiro’s plan.
Despite the similar priorities betweeen the House bill and his own proposal, in remarks at the Capitol Monday afternoon, Shapiro noted he doesn’t think the measure will bring an end to the budget impasse. Instead he cautioned the public to view the passage as a starting point to further negotiations.
The state has been past the constitutional deadline to pass a budget since June 30.
The general appropriations bill now heads to the Republican majority Senate, where it may face dim prospects of passing. The House plan was not negotiated with the upper chamber.
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