HARRISBURG, Pa. — The 2022-23 State Budget passed the Senate Friday and now moves to Governor Wolf's desk for final approval.
Across the midstate, reactions poured in from lawmakers and advocacy groups on its passage.
Senator Doug Mastriano (R-33) voted in favor of the budget and released the following statement:
We held the line on the governor’s prior budget proposals that would have inflated the budget and hiked taxes. That’s why we’re in position today to put forward a budget that improves education, cuts taxes, fully funds our law enforcement, and takes care of our veterans and our elderly.
This budget makes crucial investments in our commonwealth without jeopardizing our financial future and transfers $2.1 Billion to the Rainy-Day Fund, bringing the total balance to $5 billion. I`m also pleased that several of the proposals I spearheaded were passed as part of the final budget.
State Senator Scott Martin (R-13) released the following statement:
This budget holds the line on tax increases and invests responsibly in our children, families and our economic future. A reduction in corporate net income taxes will spur economic growth and competitiveness and bring more job investments into Pennsylvania over the next decade, helping to reverse a migratory trend that’s undermined our state’s prosperity for many years.
This budget aligns with my commitment to steward taxpayer money sensibly and discourage reckless spending. It places Pennsylvania in a strategic budget position in preparation for the economic uncertainty that lies ahead, and competitively positions the Commonwealth for economic and demographic growth in the years to come.
Representative Mike Jones (R-York) called the state budget too big, too costly, and not responsible, as released in the following statement:
While there are many worthy components to this budget, such as modestly cutting taxes on large job creators, expansion of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit, and much-needed investments in senior care, childcare and mental health services, this budget is too big, too costly and not responsible. There are serious economic challenges facing Pennsylvania taxpayers, and with economic forecasts projecting declining revenues and potential recession, exercising more discipline in controlling spending would have been prudent.
This budget totals out at $42.8 billion. State spending last year was $38.5 billion. That’s an 11% increase, and no matter how you look at it, that’s not a good deal for taxpayers, and that is why, in spite of the many positives in the budget, I was obligated to vote ‘no’ on this budget.
The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) commended lawmakers on the historic education funding increases included in the state budget. Rich Askey, the President of PSEA released the following statement in a press release:
This is a historic budget that will benefit the students of Pennsylvania. It includes more than $1 billion in state funding increases for public schools, which will go to support educational programs that make a difference in the lives of our state’s 1.7 million students.
Gov. Tom Wolf has made public education his number one priority since the day he took office. In this budget, he made it very clear that a significant funding increase in public schools is necessary to meet the needs of students and educators, improve the availability of mental health services, and keep school buildings safe. Because of his unwavering commitment to public education, that’s exactly what Pennsylvania public schools will get.
We are very pleased that the lawmakers who voted for this budget joined Gov. Wolf in making public education and Pennsylvania students a priority. Our students need all the supports and resources that they can get, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This budget takes a big step toward putting our students on a path to success.
Policymakers clearly recognized that in order to improve the availability and delivery of mental health services to students, we need more mental health professionals in schools. The internship stipend program will financially support future professionals as they prepare to work in our schools. This is a small but mighty step forward, and one we hope to build on in the future.
Senator John DiSanto (R-Dauphin/Perry) released a statement opposing the "massive spending increases" in the budget:
While the Governor and many legislators are trying to portray this budget proposal as a modest increase, in fact spending is up nearly 11%to $45.2 billion, and the recurring demands mean in a few short years the state, when the federal pandemic money has run out, will be facing multi-billion dollar deficits that require big expenditure cuts or tax increases. The legislature should have passed a budget that provided appropriate support for education and human services while being sustainable over the long term.
DiSanto pointed to a new program as a "particularly egregious example" of excessive government spending, the Whole Home Repairs Program
DiSanto said the program, “is an insult to the low-income homeowner who has worked and saved for years to maintain their home and to the tax-paying family that won’t qualify because they just miss the income cutoff. Rather than creating new welfare programs, we should be using our one-time federal pandemic funds for existing public infrastructure needs, like roads and bridges, for which the Governor is pushing new taxes and tolls.”
All of the public schools in my district will be receiving significant funding increases intended to help them boost student achievement and enhance school safety, and financial support provided to the state-related universities will keep tuition affordable for our state residents. With this additional state subsidy, I expect public schools to do their part and not levy higher property taxes in 2023,” DiSanto said in a press release.
Of the budget package overall, DiSanto said, “While there are certainly fiscally responsible and beneficial components of this budget package that I endorse, such as significant contributions to the state’s Rainy-Day Fund and Educational Improvement Tax CreditProgram, the overall budget will worsen the state’s structural overspending problem and grow the size and scope of state government, and I don’t want to burden future taxpayers with this debt.”
Senator Camera Bartolotta (R-46) voted in favor of the budget and released the following statement:
This budget rightly prioritizes initiatives to benefit Pennsylvania’s workers, who were hurt by Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic closures and still have not recovered. From being displaced from their industries to struggling to find affordable child care, people need help. This funding will better position them for long-term success and financial independence.
As chair of the Labor and Industry Committee, I was also pleased to see important investments to boost our workforce. This budget includes more funding dedicated to apprenticeship training to continue a proven job training model that allows individuals to earn while they learn on a pathway to family-sustaining careers. It invests more in New Choices/ New Options, a program designed to help individuals re-enter the workforce.
Senator Ryan Aument (R-36) also voted for the measure and released the following statement:
Positioning Pennsylvanians for growth, upward economic mobility and competitiveness through forward-thinking public policies has long been a priority of mine.
Lowering our Corporate Net Income Tax will bring more high-quality jobs to our state, raise worker wages, elevate home values, and increase economic opportunity for Pennsylvanians in every class, sector, and corner of the Commonwealth.
Likewise, redesigning our education system to align the skills taught in our schools with the future needs of our job market will enable Pennsylvania students to go on to enjoy fulfilling work, stable incomes and lifelong careers.
Every year Senate Republicans fight to put Pennsylvanians first in our state budgets by ensuring the services they rely on can continue without adding to their economic troubles with a tax hike or onerous regulations.
This year is no different – we’ve held the line and prevented tax increases; we’ve increased funding for programs to help our most vulnerable residents during this period of historic inflation; we’ve protected our state from potential future economic downturns by adding money to our Rainy Day fund; and we’ve invested in the future of our Commonwealth and its residents by rejecting inflationary policies and band-aid solutions that don’t target the root causes of the economic troubles facing Pennsylvanians.
In short, this budget plan will give Pennsylvanians relief today and it will position them for success for generations to come.
School districts and communities must have the resources necessary to offer adequate mental health services to their students, especially during the aftermath of negative unintended consequences stemming from the COVID-19 shutdowns and school closures that have only worsened student instances of mental health crises around the country.
In addition to the $100 million to address school-based mental health programs, an additional $100 million of ARPA funds will support mental health services in the broader community through programs administered by the Department of Human Services.