Feb. 06, 2018
HARRISBURG – State Rep. Lee James (R-Venango/Butler) – who recently was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for helping to craft state spending plans – today issued the following statement after Gov. Tom Wolf delivered his annual budget address in Harrisburg to a joint session of the state House and Senate:
“The governor’s continued calls for a new tax on natural gas harvested in Pennsylvania threatens the economic growth and jobs that have been created through the expansion of the Commonwealth’s energy sector. Pennsylvania workers cannot afford to lose their jobs and Pennsylvania energy customers cannot afford to pay higher heating and electricity bills.
“We need to enact more pro-growth economic policies in Pennsylvania. New taxes and new, excessively burdensome regulations will only deter job creation and harm Pennsylvania workers. If we want to create more jobs, we need to enact policies that empower Pennsylvania’s job creators.
“The governor proposed increasing investments in Pennsylvania veterans homes and Pennsylvania State Police. I think those are areas where we may be able to find some common ground with the governor. We obviously would have to negotiate the details and identify agreeable revenue sources, but those proposals overall seem to be areas where we can hopefully work together. I also was pleased to see his budget proposal would increase funding for the retirement system for our teachers and school administrators.
“I look forward to digging into the details of the governor’s proposal as my colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee and I have a chance to hold hearings and pose questions to members of the administration.”
Representative Lee James
64th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives