Feb. 06, 2018
HARRISBURG – Rep. Tom Mehaffie (R-Dauphin), along with other members of the House and Senate, today heard Gov. Tom Wolf’s state budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018-19.
The governor’s proposed budget totals $33.1 billion, which is a $1.1 billion increase over the current year.
“Based on his comments today, the governor seems willing to work cooperatively with the Legislature on this year’s budget, so I’m optimistic that we can get a balanced bipartisan budget plan passed by the June 30 deadline this year,” Mehaffie said.
Wolf called for an additional $225 million in education spending, including an $100 million increase in basic education funding, an increase of $20 million in special education and a $40 million boost to PreK Counts and Head Start programs and a $50 million increase in funding to career and technical education programs.
“As we examine the details of the governor’s budget proposal and move forward in the process, the specifics and the numbers will undoubtedly change. However, I want to ensure we preserve his increased investment in education and especially in our Pre-K and early learning programs, which would receive $40 million more under his proposal. Early childhood education is incredibly important to the long-term success of Pennsylvania’s students, and added investments in education at all levels are an investment in the future of our Commonwealth,” Mehaffie said.
The House Appropriations Committee hearings, which are the next stage in the budget process, will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
Representative Thomas Mehaffie
106th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives