Causer Issues Statement Regarding 2018-19 State Budget Address

2/6/2018

HARRISBURG – Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint) issued this statement following Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2018-19 budget address before a joint session of the General Assembly on Tuesday:

“Today marks the start of the annual state budget process, and I am encouraged by the focus on education, specifically career and technical education, as well as the need to bring more jobs and economic opportunity to our Commonwealth. These are issues we have been working on in the House for some time, and they are vital to our future, especially in rural Pennsylvania.

“It’s also encouraging to see the governor is not calling for any broad-based income or sales tax hikes in this year’s plan.

“However, looking at the budget from the perspective of the rural communities I represent, I do have some concerns. First, the governor is proposing to increase spending to $33 billion in the next fiscal year, an increase of $1 billion over the current year. We need to do a better job of keeping spending in check and respecting the taxpayers who foot the bill.

“Another concern is the governor is continuing his call for a severance tax on natural gas drilling, again targeting one of the top industries in rural Pennsylvania. He claims Pennsylvania is the only drilling state without a severance tax, but ignores the fact the industry pays impact fees – probably because the bulk of those fees are directed to supporting the needs of communities where drilling takes place, rather than being sent back to Harrisburg for the governor to spend on his programs of choice.

“The governor is also resurrecting his plan to impose a $25 per person annual fee in communities that rely solely on the Pennsylvania State Police for law enforcement services, an unreasonable and costly burden for rural communities where the demand for law enforcement services is generally very low.

“As chairman of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, I am concerned by some of the cuts the governor has proposed, particularly the elimination of funding for hardwoods development, which plays an important role in the advancement of our timber industry.

“As always, my goal is to work toward a fiscally responsible state budget that funds the core functions of government, including education and public safety. The House will soon start the next step of the process by holding a series of budget hearings to examine the details of the governor’s proposal, followed by the development and debate of budget legislation. Throughout that process, the impact on the rural communities and people I represent will be foremost in my mind.”

Representative Martin T. Causer
67th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives