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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Jennifer L. Mann |
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Mann comments on completion of state budget
HARRISBURG, Oct. 9 - State Rep. Jennifer Mann, D-Lehigh, issued the following statement after the House completed its work on the essential parts of the 2009-10 budget. The budget bill, along with the accompanying tax code and fiscal code bills, are expected to be completed in the Senate and signed by Gov. Ed Rendell tonight.
"It has been very difficult for the schools, local child-care providers, county governments and human service agencies that rely on state funding to endure the budget impasse and meet the needs of the people they serve. It is a relief that we have reached a conclusion so that these providers can be paid and the people who rely on them can be served.
"But it is important to note that the funding provided in this year's budget was hard-fought. For months, House Democrats stood our ground to make sure education was not undercut and to make sure programs for the elderly and people with disabilities were preserved.
"We also fought hard to make sure the Senate Republicans' proposed taxes on volunteer fire departments, veterans' groups and arts and cultural organizations did not make it into the final revenue agreement. Negotiation, when attempting to balance the necessary recurring revenue with choosing the sources, requires both resolve and cooperation.
"This plan allows us to raise the sustainable revenue necessary to fund important programs. It also contains no broad-based tax increases, something an overwhelming majority of Commonwealth residents made clear they did not want.
"Not everybody got what they wanted, and nearly every line item was cut. This budget is not ideal, but it is realistic and it will serve our Commonwealth as we weather the recession," Mann said.
Mann is a member of the House Democratic Caucus leadership team. She serves as caucus secretary.