Murt Backs Budget to Increase Education Funding
HARRISBURG — Rep. Thomas Murt (R-Montgomery/Philadelphia) joined a majority of his House colleagues in passing a supplemental budget to increase funds to schools without raising taxes.
House Bill 1801 would fund state services through June 30, including portions of the budget vetoed in December by Gov. Tom Wolf.
“This is an important supplemental budget bill that would allow us to fund the programs vetoed by the governor last year,” Murt said. “Altogether, this budget would add $200 million in new money for basic education and the Ready-To-Learn Block Grant program. It also would fund the social service agencies that have been operating without money or by taking loans. That cannot continue.”
Since Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed more than $6 billion in funding from the General Assembly-approved budget in December, the Legislature has fought to close the 2015-16 budget and send needed funds to local schools, universities and hospitals.
The March supplemental budget would complete the 2015-16 budget by providing an $872.6 million increase over the 2014-15 budget, yet spend within available revenues without relying on new taxes.
The budget that Wolf partially vetoed in December provided record funding for Pennsylvania schools. This bill would further grow that investment. The Basic Education Funding line item would see $5.93 billion in funding, an increase of $200 million over 2014-15 when including the Ready-To-Learn Block Grant.
House Bill 1801 also would reverse the governor’s vetoes for community colleges and the State System of Higher Education, and fully fund Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Lincoln University. As in House Bill 1460, this plan would provide a minimum 5 percent increase in funding for these institutions over what was provided in 2014-15.
Wolf’s vetoes also eliminated funding for vital community assets like critical access hospitals, hospital-based burn centers and child advocacy centers. The supplemental legislation would restore those funds.
“I ask the governor to sign this supplemental budget so we can get money to those who have been hurt by the vetoes to the 2015-16 budget,” Murt said. “Let’s end this and begin the work on passing the 2016-17 budget.”
Representative Thomas P. Murt
152nd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: David Foster
267.207.0207
dfoster@pahousegop.com
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