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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Deberah Kula |
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Kula reacts to governor's budget address
HARRISBURG, Feb. 9 – State Rep. Deberah Kula, D-Fayette/Westmoreland, today released the following statement in response to Gov. Ed Rendell's 2010-11 budget address to the state legislature:
"I am pleased that there are no new broad-based taxes in the Governor's proposal, and that education funding will continue to be a top priority. Last year, Pennsylvania was the only state that increased education funding, and this proposal builds on many of those allocations. I believe there is no wiser investment we could make.
"Based on feedback I have received from local residents, people have mixed feelings about who should benefit from drilling in the Marcellus Shale formation. The governor said he foresees that leasing state forest lands coupled with imposing a severance tax on natural gas extractions would generate a significant amount of revenue for the state. However, it remains to be seen if that is the best approach. It is my hope we can learn more about how the severance tax would impact local landowners in coming months.
"What the governor unveiled today is a proposal based on the direction he thinks we should take to balance our state budget in conjunction with funding we will receive from federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It will take some time to dissect the numbers and ensure local residents understand how those dollars will impact their access to health care and public safety services. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I fully intend to communicate with my constituents about how this budget proposal and others will impact them in the upcoming fiscal year."
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