May. 26, 2020
HARRISBURG – The House of Representatives today approved a responsible, short-term $25 billion budget that runs through November. State Rep. Lynda Schlegel Culver (R-Northumberland/Snyder) issued the following statement in response:
“These unusual times have led to an unusual process. The Legislature will approve two short-term spending plans for the 2020-21 fiscal year instead of the usual single 12-month budget. We believe this is the responsible approach to managing taxpayer dollars.
“The short-term budget we approved today keeps spending at the same level it was during the 2019-20 fiscal year, ensuring core government services will continue without stoppage. The budget also provides a full 12 months of funding to our schools so that students will have the needed resources when they return to the classroom.
“The past few months have been hard for all Pennsylvanians, especially when it comes to their finances. As such, the budget does not include broad-based tax increases.
“A measure associated with the budget, however, does include the elimination of cost-of-living increases for members of the General Assembly, the governor, lieutenant governor, cabinet secretaries and other senior staff, and all judges for two years.
“Because we have pushed back deadlines for state and local taxes, we don’t yet know for sure what our revenue levels will look like over the next year. With this temporary budget, we believe we are putting Pennsylvania in the best position to emerge from this pandemic as efficiently and effectively as possible.”
Representative Lynda Schlegel Culver
108th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives