Ellis: Restarting Our Budget Process Starts Now
HARRISBURG – Rep. Brian Ellis (R-Butler) joined his House colleagues in a joint session of the General Assembly on Tuesday to listen to the governor’s budget address for the 2017-18 fiscal year. Following the address, Ellis detailed what he hopes to see throughout this budget process:
“Every year, the governor’s budget address marks the beginning of the budget process. This year, we have a brand new opportunity to work together to create a budget that respects our taxpayers, provides appropriate funding for our core government services, and finds new sustainable revenues to responsibly fund our budget. With sales and income tax increases off the table, I am cautiously optimistic that the governor finally understands that the people of Pennsylvania have no appetite for higher taxes. We do have a large budget deficit to fill this year, and I will work with my legislative colleagues and the governor to complete a responsible budget for our taxpayers.
“The status quo when it comes to our budgeting at the state level is quite frankly outdated. We need to bring Pennsylvania into the 21st century and hold our agencies and programs accountable for their success, and allocate our funding accordingly. We should reprioritize our spending by going through our budget line by line, and seeing where the strengths and weaknesses lie.
“My colleagues and I are focused on growing Pennsylvania’s economy, and our vision includes supporting businesses – our job creators – so that more people can get back to work where they can earn family-sustaining wages. The House Commerce Committee, of which I am chairman, is focused on large-scale, legislative issues that affect many companies and businesses in our state, as well as the overall economy and our citizens. Free enterprise is the strongest anti-poverty measure that government can encourage, and every Pennsylvanian should have the chance to achieve their version of the American Dream. These thoughts and more will remain on my radar as we proceed with this year’s budget process, and as we make more detailed-decisions moving forward.”
For more information about this statement, or any other state-related issue, contact Ellis’ district office in Lyndora located at 6 Chesapeake St., Suite 200, by calling 724-283-5852. Information can also be found online at
www.RepEllis.com, or
www.Facebook.com/RepEllis.
Representative Brian Ellis
11th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Krisinda Corbin
717.705.2032
kcorbin@pahousegop.com
RepEllis.com /
Facebook.com/RepEllis