Kazeem applauds Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget plan
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus February 6, 2025 | 12:54 PM
HARRISBURG, Feb. 6 – State Rep. Carol Kazeem, D-Delaware, issued this statement in support of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal:
“The budget plan that Governor Shapiro unveiled yesterday would change life for the better for many residents in the communities I represent, and I am excited to help push it over the finish line.
“I wholeheartedly support Governor Shapiro’s increased investments in our public school system. Countless studies have shown that a strong public school system can lift up individuals and their communities, but historic inequality in our funding system left richer school districts better funded at the expense of poorer ones, creating a legacy of structural inequality in our schools and across our commonwealth. Though last year’s historic investments in education made headway in rectifying this imbalance, there’s still a lot of work to be done to roll back years of neglect. This budget would deliver a needed $75 million increase in basic education and a $40 million increase in special education.
“The governor’s plan to recruit and retain teachers lays the foundation for a great school system. I approve his plan to provide stipends to student teachers and invest in professional development for current teachers to help them stay on the cutting edge of education.
“Studies have also shown that starting to educate kids in daycare helps them to acquire the social and intellectual skills to succeed in school. But for many working parents, childcare is not affordable, leading many to drop out of the workforce altogether, negatively impacting their careers, their families’ income and even Pennsylvania’s economic growth. And despite the high cost of childcare, most childcare employees are severely underpaid. This year’s budget would both help make childcare more affordable for parents and provide higher wages for childcare workers by investing $50 million to help childcare centers hire and pay the best teachers.
“I’m glad to see the governor believes that our caregivers, a crucial segment of our healthcare system, are another group of people who deserve to earn a living wage. I support the governor’s plan to invest $21 million to increase direct care worker wages for those who provide services to adults with physical disabilities and seniors. The investment includes a wage increase, paid time off, and increases access to affordable insurance for approximately 8,500 workers.
“One issue plaguing Pennsylvania is a lack of affordable housing. I like the governor’s holistic approach to tackling this issue, beginning with delivering over $1 billion in property tax relief through the homestead and farmstead exclusion in this budget for the first time ever. This will cut property taxes for the average Pennsylvania homeowner by over $160 this year, representing a 71% increase in the average savings taxpayers receive.
“The governor also wants to invest $10 million to help first-time home buyers cover closing costs which would enable the building of generational wealth in the commonwealth and invest $50 million to create a new statewide housing repair fund to help homeowners struggling to make needed repairs to their aging homes.
“I also completely support the governor’s plan to build veterans’ homes for those seniors who served our nation. Pennsylvania is home to over 800,000 veterans and they deserve great care, whether its going to the doctor or having a roof over their head.
“We also need to make it easier for Pennsylvanians to rent by sealing eviction records for people who were not actually evicted. Right now in Pennsylvania, an eviction becomes a permanent mark on someone’s record, regardless of whether the case eventually gets ruled in the tenant’s favor. Eviction records prevent vulnerable Pennsylvanians from securing housing or employment. Sealing no-fault eviction records would help increase housing security and improve access to affordable housing and employment opportunities.
“As the cost of housing and basic necessities goes up, so too should the minimum wage. Our current minimum wage of $7.25 hasn’t been raised since 2009, which leaves our state in the dust, unable to compete for workers with our neighbors--Maryland, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey--who are all over $15/hr. The budget plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, would generate economic activity, reduce reliance on state agency support, increase the purchasing power of Pennsylvania residents, and add roughly $100 million annually in increased revenue to the commonwealth once fully implemented. Raising the wage is the smart thing to do and it’s the right thing to do.
“I share the governor’s concern that we need to support our volunteer fire companies so they can keep our communities safe. The budget would expand the administration’s massively successful grant program by $30 million for grants for volunteer fire companies.
“Lastly, I wholeheartedly support the governor’s plan to cut costs for Pennsylvanians by modernizing and simplifying Pennsylvania’s tax structure. By expediting the Corporate Net Income Tax by two years and eliminating the Delaware loophole that allows large corporations to shift their Pennsylvania-based income or intangible assets to out-of-state subsidiaries, Pennsylvania businesses would realize $10.5 billion in total savings as a result of these tax cuts by 2029-2030.
“Gov. Shapiro’s plan puts the commonwealth on track for a bright future for all Pennsylvanians.”