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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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House
Democratic Caucus |
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House Democrats lead charge to pay state workers
House sends "bridge budget" to governor; state workers' paychecks coming soon
HARRISBURG, Aug. 4 – In an effort to remove 77,000 state workers from the middle of a month-long budget impasse, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that would act as a "bridge" budget, ensuring state workers finally get paid and allowing general government operations to function.
The legislation will now go before Governor Ed Rendell, who has promised to line-item veto the vast majority of the bill, stripping all but the core government operations that are essential to paying employees and providing for crucial health and safety functions.
House Majority Leader Todd A. Eachus, D-Luzerne, said it was imperative for the House to pass this measure because state workers should not be held hostage while House and Senate leaders continue to work on a state budget.
"By passing this bill, we found the quickest and most responsible way to finally pay our state workers, who have not received a paycheck for work they've done since July 1," Eachus said. "These workers have needlessly been caught in the middle of this budget crisis. They deserve to be paid for all the hard work they do, and this bill does that."
Speaker of the House Keith McCall, D-Carbon, said paying state workers is an important step forward in reaching a final resolution to the budget crisis.
"Right now there are 77,000 state workers – and hundreds of thousands of people working in businesses that depend on state workers as customers and clients – that will soon see their paychecks restored with full back pay thanks to the passage of this bill," McCall said. "Now the House and Senate will focus solely on one goal: passing a comprehensive state budget that lives up to our responsibilities and doesn’t pass the burden onto local governments and school districts."
The House's vote to pass a "bridge" budget came one day after House Democratic leaders publicly announced their decision to remove a proposal to increase the personal income tax from the budget dialogue. Eachus said this was just the most recent example of how Democrats have tried to find common ground and compromise in negotiating a final budget plan with Senate Republican leaders.
"Senate Republican Leader Dominic Pileggi said on July 30 that if we agreed the personal income tax would not be a part of the budget solution, we could 'wrap this up in two or three days,'" Eachus said. "The clock is ticking. It's time for the Senate Republicans to come back to work and begin to negotiate in good faith.
"House Democrats will continue to fight for a responsible, balanced budget that continues investments in services that matter to Pennsylvanians, while making strategic and responsible cuts to reflect the state's current economic situation," he added. "But we need the Senate Republicans to finally get serious about this budget and begin to compromise."
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