Feb. 03, 2021
HARRISBURG – Rep. Tarah Toohil (R-Luzerne) today joined her House colleagues in watching Gov. Tom Wolf outline his budget proposal for the 2021-22 fiscal year during a videotaped virtual address.
Toohil issued the following statement in reaction to the governor’s $40 billion spending plan:
“I will be dissecting the governor’s proposals through the lens of needing to prioritize kids and communities, but his $7 billion tax increase is certainly a nonstarter for me. Raising the Personal Income Tax (PIT) by 46 % for middle class families and small business owners who are struggling to overcome the hardships created by the pandemic just makes no sense.
“Last year, in the middle of a global pandemic, we kept our commitment to funding education without raising taxes. We plan on keeping that commitment again this year.
“Instead, our shared priority should be an efficient and effective vaccine delivery program. The faster that happens, the sooner we can all go back to work and get Pennsylvania’s economy rolling again. We are doing our part in the House of Representatives by advancing a bill, which I am co-sponsoring, that would involve the National Guard in vaccine distribution. This will save the lives of senior citizens in particular, who are still most at-risk and are not getting their shots.
“Finally, the governor’s call to legalize recreational marijuana shows a disconnect with families and sends the wrong message to our youth. It only serves to promote vaping, smoking and getting high, and is counter to our efforts to help young people stay healthy and safe during the pandemic. I get that legalizing marijuana would be a revenue source, but it should not be at the expense of Pennsylvania’s children.”
Toohil added that the governor’s address is just the beginning of the annual state budget process. The House Appropriations Committee will conduct a series of hearings starting Tuesday, Feb. 16, to examine the details of the governor’s plan and how state agencies are spending their funding. A schedule of the hearings is available at www.pahousegop.com.
Representative Tarah Toohil
116th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Contact: Rep. Toohil’s Office
717-260-6136
RepToohil.com /
Facebook.com/RepToohil