Burns refuses paycheck until state passes budget
‘I can’t in good conscience accept a paycheck right now’
Rep. Frank Burns July 1, 2026 | 11:13 AM
HARRISBURG, July 1 — As the state begins a new fiscal year without an approved budget, state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, said he is voluntarily refusing to accept a state paycheck until a budget is passed.
The new fiscal year for 2026-27 began today, and Burns said he strongly believes that legislators should set an example, especially at a time when workers are struggling to keep pace with rising prices.
“My feelings about this are really pretty simple,” Burns said. “If my Cambria County neighbors don’t get paid when they don’t do their job, why should legislators? I can’t in good conscience accept a paycheck right now.”
Burns has traditionally gone without a paycheck for as long as the state budget is unfinished, most notably during the nine-month impasse of 2015-16 and the four-month impasse last year.
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“If my Cambria County neighbors don’t get paid when they don’t do their job, why should legislators? I can’t in good conscience accept a paycheck right now.” – Rep. Burns
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