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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT:
Matthew Vahey |
State Rep. Josh Shapiro |
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To: Editorial page editor
From: State Representative Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery
Deputy Speaker of the House
Subject: 2007-08 state budget agreement
Please consider the following commentary for your Editorial/Op-Ed section. If you have any questions, please contact Matt Vahey at 215-517-6828 or by e-mail at mvahey@pahouse.net
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State budget: Invest in our future; no new taxes
On July 16, I voted for a $27.16 billion state budget package which makes significant investments in education, transportation and human services, and does not raise taxes. While I regret that our deliberations extended two weeks into the new fiscal year, we accomplished a great deal for the citizens of our Commonwealth with this budget.
The budget continues Pennsylvania’s commitment to education. This year, Abington School District’s education funding will receive a $209,277 increase for a total of $8.99 million, and Upper Dublin’s funding will rise by $107,820 to $4.4 million.
I also successfully fought for an additional $70 million for the “Classrooms for the Future” program. Through Classrooms for the Future, school districts can purchase laptops for students in every high school math, science, English and social studies classroom. Abington became a pilot high school for the program last year. Upper Dublin is currently seeking to become part of the program and with the additional funding available will have a better chance to equip their students with laptops.
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. In the coming year, the Commonwealth will invest $75 million to launch “Pre-K Counts,” which will open pre-kindergarten programs to 11,000 children across our state. We will also invest an additional $25 million for a total of $275 million a year so schools can continue to establish and expand full-day kindergarten programs, as Abington and Upper Dublin recently did.
After years of facing a statewide crisis that threatened to curtail or eliminate mass transit services, we acted. We now stand ready to keep our economy thriving with a new mass transit plan that increases state and local funding for mass transit. On average, $300 million will be generated annually over the next decade for transit. SEPTA alone will receive $147 million in new funding this year. In exchange for this dedicated funding stream we are demanding real accountability and performance from our mass transit agencies.
Nearly 6,000, or 26 percent, of Pennsylvania’s bridges are in need of immediate repair. Additionally, 32 percent of our 21,000 miles of secondary roads are rated poor. This budget infuses $450 million a year into our roads and bridges for these needed repairs. I will work closely with the administration to make sure these dollars come home to our community to improve our roadways, as I recently did for a stretch of Fitzwatertown Road.
This budget invests in youth, our seniors and those with disabilities. We devote $71.5 million in new funding to support a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment for human service programs – the largest COLA in 15 years. A $25 million increase for community mental retardation services will remove 3,428 individuals from the MR waiting list, and an infusion of $28 million will expand community-based services for an additional 1,300 disabled individuals. This represents the largest number of people served in a decade. In addition, I am very proud of my partnership with Speaker Denny O’Brien to increase funding threefold for autism services to nearly $10 million.
As part of the budget agreement, the governor will convene a special session on energy independence in September. During that session, I will continue to advocate for legislation which increases Pennsylvania’s use of renewable energy, biofuels, solar and other non-fossil fuels and saves consumers money on their energy bills.
We also need to continue our search for a permanent funding source for the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund, which is used to clean up sites where hazardous substances have caused contamination. In an initial draft of the budget, a proposed funding source was to take money from the Keystone Fund which provides millions of dollars for public parks, libraries and open space preservation in our communities. I fought those efforts and helped stop the raid. In our special session this fall, I will work to find a permanent funding solution for the HSCF which will not take from one environmental fund to pay for another.
Improving accessibility and affordability of health care for Pennsylvanians is an issue that cannot be pushed aside. As part of the final budget package we took strides towards that goal by expanding the scope of practice for nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives and dental hygienists to help lower health-care costs and increase patient accessibility. We also passed landmark legislation that will reduce hospital-acquired infections which harm patients and add $3.5 billion in costs to our health-care system in Pennsylvania. While these are two significant actions, I will continue to work hard to ensure health-care accessibility for all Pennsylvanians.
As we close the book on this budget, I am already looking forward to the fall session to continue my efforts to bring transparency and reform to Harrisburg, to lower the costs of health care and to make Pennsylvania more energy independent. As I rededicate myself to this challenge, I will continue to strive to do what is best for the future of our Commonwealth and for you, my constituents.
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Rep. Josh Shapiro is the deputy speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He represents the 153rd Legislative District in Montgomery County which includes parts of Abington and Upper Dublin townships.