Members of the York County Republican Delegation of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives issued the following statement regarding House Democrats’ refusal to bring a budget plan to the House floor for debate before the start of the new fiscal year:
“For the seventh consecutive year, Pennsylvania will begin its new fiscal year with no budget in place. Despite numerous attempts by House Republicans to bring the various spending plans to the House floor for a vote so that negotiations can begin, House Democrats have refused to allow the measures to be considered.
“The state Senate has passed a budget plan that would fund essential services and allow for an increase in funding to every school district in York County without increasing taxes on Pennsylvania families. While Democrats and the governor have spent a great deal of time attacking the Senate plan, they have yet to bring an alternative to the floor for a vote.
“Pennsylvania is confronting the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and state government is facing a projected $3.2 billion deficit this year. Gov. Ed Rendell offered his solution to our fiscal crisis: spend more than $1 billion more than last year and raise your taxes to pay for it.
“We do not believe that increasing spending and raising taxes during a recession is sound economic policy and we encourage Pennsylvanians who oppose a tax increase to visit StopPATaxHike.com to make their opposition known. However, if that is the approach the governor and House Democrats believe we should take, then they should bring their plan to the floor for a vote and allow for a public discussion of our visions for Pennsylvania’s future.
“These discussions should have begun months ago, not today, with the end of the fiscal year just hours away. It is well past time for the governor and House Democrats to bring their plan to the floor for debate so that we can begin crafting a compromise we can all live with.”
The York County Republican delegation includes: Reps. Stan Saylor (R-Red Lion), Will Tallman
(R-Hanover), Seth Grove (R-Dover), Keith Gillespie (R-Hellam), and Ron Miller (R-Springfield Township).
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
York County Republican Delegation
Contact: Sean Yeakle
(717) 787-3406