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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Tim Briggs |
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Briggs comments on Gov. Rendell’s budget address
HARRISBURG, Feb. 9 – State Rep. Tim Briggs, D-Montgomery, released the following statement regarding Gov. Rendell’s 2010-11 budget proposal offered to members of the General Assembly today:
"While we are still facing the most challenging economy since the Great Depression, I am pleased that Governor Rendell remains committed to protecting the Commonwealth's commitment to our children's education. We have come a long way over the past decade and must not begin rolling back that progress.
"Gaining positive attention nationwide, the improvements Pennsylvania students have made in reading and math have been the direct result of our continued investment in quality education. The proposed $354.8 million increase in the state's basic education funding will ensure every student in every Pennsylvania school has the necessary resources to learn.
"Moreover, continuing our strong commitment to our wonderful early childhood education programs is a priority that I wholeheartedly support. I have said it before and will say it again: the most fiscally sound investment we can make is to invest in our children's education, and the earlier that we can give them the tools they need to grow, the better.
"I am also pleased with the governor's fiscal responsibility in addressing the issue that Pennsylvania and other states will be facing when federal stimulus dollars run out. Unless we take action now, the end of federal stimulus funding, combined with the lingering economic crisis, will lead to a string of record budget deficits.
"The governor reiterated what I and my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus fought for during prior budget negotiations: the implementation of a severance tax on gas and oil companies for the extraction of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale. We passed the severance tax in the House last year and we will do it again this year.
"My preference would be that revenue generated from a severance tax should be used for the environmental protection of our state forest lands and job training. We need to uphold our commitment to Pennsylvania’s natural environment by using these funds as an opportunity to roll back last year’s devastating cuts to the departments of Environmental Protection and Conservation and Natural Resources. Also, we need to make sure that our citizens are properly trained so that the jobs that are created by natural gas extraction go to Pennsylvania residents.
"I support the reduction of the sales and use tax rate from 6 percent to 4 percent, particularly with the broadening of the tax base by eliminating many sales and use tax exemptions. While I do not support eliminating all of the exemptions that were proposed today, I look forward to the discussion about what plan will be best for all Pennsylvanians.
"I also support the governor’s stance that it is time that state start taxing cigars and other smokeless tobacco products. Last year, the House stood up to big tobacco and passed this tax, and we will do it again this year.
"I applaud the governor’s effort to decrease the Corporate Net Income Tax by finally closing the Delaware loophole. Enacting combined reporting will make the Commonwealth's tax structure much fairer for Pennsylvania businesses by ensuring that large, multi-national corporations pay their fair share of business taxes.
"The governor's budget plan holds the line on spending in most areas where cost increases are not mandated by law. It keeps the state on pace to meet its target to adequately fund our schools, and it continues Pennsylvania's commitment to meet the health-care needs of seniors, those with disabilities, and children. We in the House Appropriations Committee have already begun the process of negotiations by starting our budget hearings early. My colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus and I are committed to doing everything we can to produce a budget that is on time and both fiscally and morally responsible."
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