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GUEST COLUMN |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Kevin Murphy |
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Murphy: Quality state budget is worth the fight
by state Rep. Kevin Murphy, D-Lackawanna
Pennsylvanians have rightly been questioning the lack of progress on the 2009-10 state budget, which should have been completed by July 1. I have spoken with many members of our community who have serious concerns – as do I – about how the state budget impasse impacts our schools and our most vulnerable residents.
The state faces a $3 billion funding shortfall this year due to the national recession, which places great stress on state government's ability to provide critical services in the 2009-10 state budget. House and Senate leaders have yet to work out their differences over exactly how the budget ought to deal with that shortfall. And while a prolonged impasse in negotiations is certainly not good for Pennsylvania now, the truth of the matter is that fighting for a quality budget is more important than passing a budget for the sake of expediency.
I and my fellow House Democrats are committed to a responsible, balanced budget that protects our children, seniors, veterans, the disabled and other vulnerable citizens while cutting spending and raising new revenue. However, Senate Republicans favor a slash-and-burn budget that would simply abandon countless Pennsylvanians who depend on state services to survive.
It is my fundamental belief that our top priority must always be the health, safety and welfare of the people of Lackawanna County and across Pennsylvania. I am on the House Children and Youth Committee and the House Aging & Older Adult Services Committee not by chance, but by design. I want a responsible budget that protects services like Meals on Wheels, Assisted Living, in-home care, Children and Youth Services, Head Start and other early education programs, programs for abused and neglected children, and veterans’ outreach programs. But these services are all at risk under the Senate Republicans' proposed plan.
While we must – and already have – cut spending proposals, we cannot simply cut our way out of a $3 billion funding gap while preserving important services. We must find new revenue elsewhere, and there are options on the table that wouldn't harm working-class families. These include, for example, closing corporate tax loopholes, eliminating certain exemptions in the state sales tax, imposing a severance tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction, expanding gaming options, and cuts to less critical programs. Any of these options alone could go a long way toward closing the funding gap, but the Senate Republicans have been unwilling to consider any options besides massive cuts that put many Lackawanna County residents at risk, while at the same time, not balancing the 2009-2010 state budget, leaving it over $ 2 billion short.
I and House Democrats agree that we must not cut spending to merely shift the burden onto our communities, property taxpayers, families and children; that is not responsible government. I believe that is especially unacceptable during a recession in which more people need more help. We cannot go back to nearly 2005-06 school funding levels as the Senate proposes — we must do better than that for our communities (whose property taxes will skyrocket to unimaginable levels), our children and our families.
We need creativity and good faith cooperation from the House, Senate and governor to craft a responsible, working budget.
We also need an engaged citizenry that expresses its concerns and priorities. I encourage everyone to reach out to the Senate Republican leaders and tell them their budget plan is harmful to Pennsylvania – and would hurt people right here in Lackawanna County. The days are passing, and their inaction is hurting real Pennsylvanians.
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