Governor Tom Wolf detailed what he would like to see from the 2019 budget Tuesday and local lawmakers are responding with mixed reactions. Republican Representative Lee James:
“The Governor was a little more upbeat than he has been in past years. There are some interesting things in his budget that will be some additional funding spent for education. This is a good thing.”
Wolf’s proposal totals $33.2 billion which is an increase of $1.2 billion compared to the current budget. Republican Representative Jim Marshall agrees with workforce development but believes enacting a severance tax ignores the fact that the state already has an impact fee. The Wolf proposal would also increase revenue from fees charged to municipalities that rely on State Police for local police coverage.
Although Wolf’s proposal does not call for any broad based tax increases to cover the additional spending, State Senator Elder Vogel is disappointed to see any additional tax increases. State Senator Scott Hutchinson maintains that current spending is too high.
“My initial reaction is that I am pleased to see that the governor trimmed his sails a little bit but he is still asking for more taxes and that is concerning to me. We are spending too much money. We are spending faster than the rate of inflation and there are taxes proposed in here that I think are bad for the job climate in Pennsylvania,” Hutchinson explained.
The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a three week session of Departmental Budget Hearings beginning February 20th.