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GUEST COLUMN |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Josh Shapiro |
  
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State budget: Invests in education, infrastructure and energy; no tax hike
By State Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery
Since I was first elected, I have been focused on improving education and making important investments that will grow and protect our communities. That’s why I supported this year’s state budget, which includes historic increases in education funding, funding to rebuild our infrastructure and an unprecedented commitment to securing our energy independence without raising taxes.
This year’s budget continues Pennsylvania’s commitment to education with an unprecedented $274 million increase in the basic education subsidy for K-12 education. This year, our local school districts will receive a 3 percent increase in their basic education subsidy -- above the 2 percent increase they received last year. This is particularly significant in the context of a state budget that slashed spending across the board at a rate of 1.3 percent. Overall, Abington School District’s education funding will receive a $193,271 increase for a total of $9.08 million, and Upper Dublin’s funding will rise by $91,700 to $4.4 million.
I fought for these increases, because local school districts need funding to ensure that students learn the skills they need to compete in a global economy. Not only will the increase in state funding help students succeed, but when combined with gaming revenues, they will also go a long way toward reducing property taxes. This year, on your property tax bill, Abington homeowners will receive a $316 tax cut and Upper Dublin residents will get a $323 tax cut.
In addition to basic education, this budget builds upon the important investments in early childhood education which I have worked for along with Gov. Rendell. This budget increases the appropriation for Pre-K Counts by $11.4 million. Pre-K Counts has opened pre-kindergarten programs to 11,000 children across our state. We will also continue to fund accountability block grants so schools can continue to establish and expand programs including full-day kindergarten, as Abington and Upper Dublin recently did.
Just as we invest in our children to prepare for the future, so too must we invest in our Commonwealth’s infrastructure to ensure our safety and security for future generations. The American Society of Civil Engineers report card on the nation’s infrastructure gave Pennsylvania a "D." Unfortunately, we now lead the nation with our number of structurally deficient bridges. This budget recognizes these shortcomings and invests $1.6 billion to modernize our aging roads, bridges, rails and airports, as well as water supply and sewage systems. The Rebuild Pennsylvania component of this budget assures improvements to our infrastructure and helps create thousands of good-paying jobs. I will continue to work to bring these funds back to Abington and Upper Dublin to ensure that we have safe roads and bridges at home.
This budget will also help create jobs in the "green economy" by creating the $650 million Energy Independence Fund that will help consumers and businesses lower their energy costs and expand renewable and alternative energy sources. Five hundred million dollars is committed to the development of alternative energy sources, and $150 million will go to direct spending on energy programs. The Commonwealth’s current energy investment programs have created more than 2,500 jobs in the state, but since funding is limited, the state can only support 10 percent of the requests for energy dollars. With the national growth in this sector, the Energy Independence Fund will attract more green research, development and manufacturing jobs to Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania was able to make these critical investments while our neighboring states and states across the nation struggled to pass a balanced budget. Squeezed by high inflation, dwindling tax revenues and a national economic downturn, states have struggled to close enlarging budget gaps while bracing for another difficult fiscal year. In fact, 29 states plus the District of Columbia faced an estimated $48 billion in combined shortfalls. To bridge this gap, New York was forced to raise $1.5 billion through additional taxes, while New Jersey cut property tax rebates for homeowners in order to close a $600 million budget gap.
While I am thankful that the sound decisions and prudent budgeting of last year has left Pennsylvania more financially stable than other states, there is still work to be done when the House reconvenes in September to help the 12.5 million Pennsylvanians who depend on us.
The General Assembly recessed for the summer without taking up debate on improving accessibility and affordability of health care. I am very disappointed that we have not yet helped the nearly 800,000 uninsured Pennsylvanians find affordable health insurance and decrease the cost for those struggling to pay their bills. I am also very troubled that we did not support our doctors by renewing the Mcare abatement - legislation that I sponsored. There is so much of our health-care system that needs to be fixed, and I will return to Harrisburg more committed than ever to address these issues.
I will also continue my fight to make Pennsylvania’s roadways safer by disconnecting distracted drivers. My legislation to ban the use of hand-held cell phones will be considered in the fall, and I anticipate a strong vote to prohibit this dangerous practice. I will complete my efforts to cut Pennsylvania’s ties to terrorists by enacting my legislation to divest Pennsylvania’s pension and treasury funds from companies that conduct business in Iran and Sudan. The House overwhelmingly passed my legislation in June, and I have been working with the leaders of the Senate to pass the bill.
In sum, we passed a good budget that makes critical investments in our people and our infrastructure while holding down taxes. There is much work left to be done and I am more inspired and driven than ever before to deliver for my community and make Pennsylvania even better and stronger.
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