budget

Who is going to bail out Pennsylvania?

October 1st, 2008, posted by Tony Phyrillas

It’s not looking any better for Gov. Ed Rendell’s deficit budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

For the third month in a row, the state took in less than it spent.

The three-month deficit in Rendell’s $28.3 billion budget now totals $281.4 million.

The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue released its monthly revenue figures, showing Pennsylvania collected $2.3 billion in General Fund revenue in September, $163.8 million, or 6.5 percent, less than anticipated.

Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $5.8 billion, which is $281.4 million, or 4.7 percent, below estimate, Revenue Secretary Tom Wolf said in a written statement.  read more »

PA-05: McCracken for Congress -- Turning Around This Country Will Require Tough Choices and Leaders

September 15th, 2008, posted by vmo1701

This past Friday morning in Venango County all 3 candidates for the 5th Congressional District appeared at the Venango County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Candidate Forum. During this event, the issue of fiscal responsibility, the $482 billion budget deficit and the $9.7 trillion federal debt came up several times. Fiscal responsibility is perhaps the single issue that clearly defines the difference between me and my opponents in this campaign.  read more »

PA-05: McCracken for Congress -- Weekly Update -- August 3, 2008

August 4th, 2008, posted by vmo1701

White House Announces Bush Administration to Leave a Record Budget Deficit of $482 Billion.

Since January when we began our campaign for the 5th District seat in the US Congress, I’ve consistently stressed that my biggest concern is the fiscal mess that has happened in Washington. This week, White House officials admitted the Bush administration would leave office in January 2009 with a record budget deficit sitting on the books of $482 BILLION. This record $482 billion deficit is coupled with a record debt of $9.5 trillion.  read more »

Health Care Advocacy Group Could Shut Down

July 1st, 2008, posted by RobHop

A state health care group that works to save Pennsylvanians money on health care could be out of a job.

The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council employs more than 40 people in its Harrisburg office.

The group studies and compiles healthcare options without bias and is funded through the state budget.

The House and Senate have passed different bills authorizing the renewal of the group, but neither bill may make it into the budget in time.

Without state funding, the workers could be jobless until the General Assembly reconvenes in the fall.
Full Article and Source

Education funding a casualty amid state budget talks

June 19th, 2008, posted by RobHop

The Republican-controlled state Senate on Wednesday put down its marker in this year’s budget debate, passing a spending plan that slashed nearly $118 million in basic education funding proposed by Gov. Ed Rendell.

Senate GOP leaders insisted the 28-21 party-line vote was merely an attempt to meet a June 30 deadline to pass a new state budget and not an effort to derail negotiations between legislative leaders and the governor’s office.

The Senate-approved plan would increase spending by 2.8 percent to $27.9 billion for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The plan cuts more than $457 million from the governor’s proposal announced in February.  read more »

Tax cuts pass PA Senate, likely to fade

June 17th, 2008, posted by RobHop

The Republican- controlled Senate approved a $240 million taxcutting package Monday as a way to help the working poor pay rising bills for food and gas while giving long-term incentives to businesses to invest in Pennsylvania.

But Democrats argued against the Republican-penned bills, saying the cost of the cuts would force program reductions at a time when the state is scrounging for money to support a new budget.  read more »

State Will Again Suspend Workers if Budget Isn't Finished by June 30th

June 9th, 2008, posted by Greg Palmer

This is interesting – furloughs would start immediately after the deadline this year rather than being delayed.

The state would furlough more than a quarter of its employees if the governor and lawmakers don’t agree on a budget by midnight June 30, according to an e-mail sent to about 90,000 workers Friday.

A furlough would grind the state government to a stop and shut down campgrounds, driver’s license centers, historic sites and other services. As a result of a court decision last year, casinos could remain open.  read more »

Lawmakers Speak on Budget Priorities for 08-09

March 20th, 2008, posted by Greg Palmer

For roughly two hours Wednesday, lawmakers from across Pennsylvania took part in an annual rite of the budget season — telling their colleagues who shape state spending how to do it.

Some, like Metcalfe and Rep. Scott Perry, R-York, appeared before the spending panel to tee off on Rendell’s proposed $28.3 billion budget and to plead for fiscal sanity. Others, like Reps. John Evans, R-Erie, and Tom Murt, R-Montgomery, sought more money for favored programs or hometown issues.

And after stepping away from the microphone, they expressed hope that at least some of what they sought will pass muster with the small cadre of senior leaders who decide such things here.  read more »

On State Budget, Expect a Bitter Battle

February 11th, 2008, posted by Greg Palmer

Dozens of House Republicans greeted Gov. Ed Rendell’s sixth budget proposal last week with a plan of their own, suggesting the state adopt a “no growth” budget that restricts spending to this year’s level.

That would be more than $1 billion below the Democratic governor’s $28.3 billion spending plan. The gap would widen by hundreds of millions more if legislative priorities left out of Rendell’s budget get added back in.

The gulf between the two is an ominous sign that the partisan brinksmanship that has characterized budget talks during the Rendell era could return with a vengeance this summer.

Hold on to your wallet, Ed Spendell is back

February 6th, 2008, posted by Tony Phyrillas

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Gov. Ed Rendell wants to spend more of your money.

He also wants you to pay a higher tax on your electric bill to help the state find alternative sources of energy. The governor calls it a “public benefits charge,” but it’s a tax on electricity.

He wants you to pay more for property insurance premiums so he can pay for flood-control projects in areas where people built their homes in flood plains.

And if you smoke, Rendell wants you to pay another 10 cents per pack on cigarettes and users of other tobacco products will pay new taxes so Rendell can build medical research facilities.

The additional $230 million in higher taxes and fees is just the tip of the spending iceberg.  read more »

Rendell Wants $2.6B for Education Improvements

February 6th, 2008, posted by Greg Palmer

Gov. Ed Rendell yesterday proposed a new education funding formula that would funnel an extra $2.6 billion over six years to school districts that a study claimed aren’t spending enough on students.

Mr. Rendell and Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak want to more closely tie the basic education subsidy to each district’s poverty level, millage rate, living costs and number of students learning English as a second language, among other factors.

They would kick off the effort by increasing the 2008-09 basic education subsidy to $5.2 billion, up $291.3 million, or 5.9 percent, over the current fiscal year. The proposal must be approved by the Legislature.

Rendell Budget Includes $400 Tax Rebates for Some

February 5th, 2008, posted by Greg Palmer

In his annual budget address today, Gov. Ed Rendell will propose tax rebates of up to $400 for nearly a half-million low-income families.

Rendell also wants to borrow millions toward a public building and economic stimulus package he says would inoculate Pennsylvania against an expected downturn in the state and national economies.

‘‘To protect the progress we’ve made, we need our own Pennsylvania economic stimulus plan,’‘ he said Monday, noting the federal plan that’s being assembled on Capitol Hill.


Micek has a more detailed look at the budget here.

Rendell Wants More Cops on Philadelphia Streets

February 4th, 2008, posted by Greg Palmer

Gov. Ed Rendell proposed funding for 100 new Philadelphia police officers at a press conference in City Hall this morning, which would double the state’s support of the city’s police force.

“The budget I will unveil tomorrow in Harrisburg will help make Philadelphia safer,” Rendell said in a statement.

Rendell on Budget: Let's Tighten Our Belts

January 16th, 2008, posted by Greg Palmer

Gov. Rendell delivered a warning to top legislators last evening that the slackening economy will mean a tough budget year in which spending will have to be restrained, but said he expected not to raise taxes.

Legislative leaders met with Rendell at his offices for almost an hour, during which he raised the subject of the budget and economic forecasts.

“I’m just going to tell the boys that massive surpluses don’t live here anymore,” Rendell said on his way into the meeting.

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