Feb. 05, 2019
HARRISBURG — Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-Washington/Allegheny), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement in response to Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal:
“For the fifth-straight year, the governor is calling for a severance tax, but this time is planning to use it for a wide range of infrastructure improvements. Our impact fee has already generated $1.7 billion since 2012. It supports a variety of important projects, including infrastructure development and environmental stewardship programs. While more infrastructure improvements are always needed, it cannot come at the expense of future generations being saddled with debt. Part of his plan will float a bond. This means our kids and their kids will be paying the cost back for decades, hamstringing future budgets and economic growth.
“I also have concerns about how he is balancing the budget and shifting money around. He is taking more of the budget ‘offline’ and placing it in the ‘shadow budget’ with virtually no oversight. He plans to increase spending by $1.4 billion over last year, approximately a 5 percent increase. The revenue estimates used have already been classified by the Independent Fiscal Office as ‘high.’ In reality, the governor’s budget estimates are off by an estimated $450 million, which creates a budget deficit and the need for more money from taxpayers. He also spent an additional $500 million over last year’s budget. The recurring theme of Gov. Wolf's budget is ‘spend, spend, spend.’
“As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I look forward to a deeper examination of the details of his proposal and developing a budget that actually works for the people of Pennsylvania.”
For more information on Wolf’s 2019-20 proposal, visit
pahousegop.com.
Representative Jason Ortitay
46th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Tracy Polovick
717.260.6358
tpolovick@pahousegop.com
RepOrtitay.com /
Facebook.com/RepOrtitay