House Democrats applaud investments in people put forth in governor’s budget

HARRISBURG, Feb. 8 – PA House Democratic leadership released the following statement today praising Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal that invests in Pennsylvania without raising taxes:

“Governor Wolf’s sound fiscal stewardship has resulted in a historic budget surplus, while making thoughtful and targeted investments in education, infrastructure and our workforce. A budget is a statement of priorities, and once again the governor has shown that our first priority must be investing in both our pandemic recovery and our long-time growth.

“The governor’s vision for this budget mirrors many of the ideals we’ve been fighting for that will lead to better schools, better jobs and a better Pennsylvania. Last year we took a historic step through the Level Up initiative to provide more resources to our most underfunded schools. This year, we look forward to continuing to work toward equity for all students as we invest in their futures from pre-K through postsecondary education.

“It’s also long past due that we make Pennsylvania a better place to work by raising our minimum wage to ensure workers get fair pay for a fair day’s work. Investing in early childhood education will strengthen our workforce and lowering the Corporate Net Income Tax will attract new employers to do business in the commonwealth. All of this, combined with investments in higher education, will help attract the high-skilled employees and successful businesses necessary to strengthen our economy from the ground up.

“Finally, this budget prioritizes our must vulnerable citizens through increased funding for skilled nursing facilities, behavioral health providers, our public health workforce and SNAP benefits. Investments in criminal justice reform will ensure that Pennsylvanians reentering their communities have the resources necessary to succeed. Increased funding for gun violence prevention grants will help fight the scourge of gun crime plaguing our state.

“The bottom line is simple: We’re faced with the unique opportunity to responsibly invest in our state. We share Governor Wolf’s belief that the best investment we can make is an investment in Pennsylvania’s future. We look forward to seeing this budget become reality.”