|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
|
State
Rep. Chelsa Wagner |
  
|
Wagner says budget is a win for schools, economy, energy
HARRISBURG, July 4 – State Rep. Chelsa Wagner issued the following statement in response to the 2008-09 state budget, which the House passed today:
"While the budget process isn’t the prettiest, the end result this time around is a budget that I believe invests in the three most important parts of Pennsylvania's future: Our schools, our economy and our energy independence.
"The state's investment in education will increase by nearly $275 million, a massive step toward providing adequate financial support to our school districts while reducing the need for increasing property taxes. To ensure our state's future prosperity, we must always place a priority on providing a first-rate education to each and every student. However, homeowners in our communities desperately deserve more breathing room when it comes to funding the school system, and I believe this budget is another step in that direction.
"By infusing more than $2 billion into our economy through investments in infrastructure improvements – such as repairing our worst bridges, improving our water and sewer systems, and providing redevelopment capital assistance – we can help Pennsylvania's economy by creating countless good-paying jobs while the national economy falters.
"In the long run, it's also critical that we act now to begin conserving energy, which will save consumers money, and invest in cultivating our own homegrown energy sources. As energy costs soar, our efforts today to ensure our own energy independence are more necessary than ever before."
###mds/2008/agh
l:'print'releases'BudgetReaction.022