Feb. 05, 2019
Lawmaker appointed to House Appropriations Committee, putting him at ground zero of budget negotiations
HARRISBURG – State Rep. Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford/Potter), who was recently appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement regarding the governor’s $34.15 billion state budget plan:
“I was encouraged by some of the points of interest the governor highlighted today, such as workforce development, helping our dairy farmers, supporting our rural teachers and dedicating more resources to our schools; however, there were also points which drew my concern, including additional taxes on our natural gas drillers.
“In the Northern Tier, the natural gas industry provides a large number of family-sustaining jobs and many communities have greatly benefitted from funding from the impact fees. To place an even greater tax burden on this one industry would only serve to drive these businesses out of the state, debilitate our area economy and decrease employment opportunities. You can’t love jobs and hate job creators.
“Furthermore, the governor failed to address the opioid epidemic with any specific plan.
“The good news is that being appointed to the House Appropriations Committee will give me a seat at the table going forward on investigating the specifics of the governor’s plan and developing a budget proposal from the House.
“Let’s be real, there is almost a billion dollars in new spending proposed and it was noted that there will not be an increase in your taxes. It’s time to drill down and figure this budget out and start the negotiation process. I will be hitting the ground running next week when I take part in a series of hearings to gain feedback from state agencies on their specific budget needs and requests. This is an important committee within the General Assembly, and I was honored to be asked a part of it and to bring a common sense approach from the Northern Tier to the negotiating table.”
Representative Clint Owlett
68th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Tricia Lehman
717.772.9840
tlehman@pahousegop.com
RepOwlett.com /
Facebook.com/RepOwlett