Mar. 16, 2016
HARRISBURG – Citing the urgent need to fund schools, agriculture programs, rural hospitals and child advocacy centers, Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna) voted today to send another budget to the governor to fill in the state funding he vetoed in December – all without an increase in any broad-based tax.
House Bill 1801 seeks to restore the majority of line items that were slashed by the governor’s veto pen, including a total funding increase of $200 million for education. In addition, the budget bill includes funding for agriculture programs, such as the Penn State Agriculture Extension and 4-H Program, among others. Child advocacy centers, critical access hospitals, regional cancer centers and burn centers would also see their state allocations restored.
“All of these programs are vital to the Commonwealth and especially to our rural communities, and Gov. Tom Wolf knew that when he cut their funding,” Pickett said. “Today, we are taking a positive step to help ensure that our schools stay open, that critical agriculture programs continue to help our farming communities and that people are able to get the help they need.”
Pickett pointed out that the Wolf administration has admitted that this tactic was used to leverage support for his massive tax increases, and that just won’t happen.
“We are able to present him this supplemental budget with math that works and without a broad-based tax increase that he so desperately wants,” Pickett continued. “I remain optimistic that the governor will realize that the time to gain support for his tax increase has long since passed for this year, and sign this supplemental funding. It would be irresponsible governing to do otherwise.”
Representative Tina Pickett
110th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jennifer Keaton
(717) 705-2094
jkeaton@pahousegop.com
RepPickett.com / Facebook.com/RepPickett