Pennsylvania lawmakers are back in session, as House Democrats are advancing a spending plan that could test Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro's ability to manage a politically divided Legislature in his freshman year.
“That has to be a central theme in whatever we do on June 30," said Sen. Vince Hughes of Philadelphia, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee.
The plan envisions no increases in income or sales taxes, the state’s two main revenue sources, and most of the new money in it would go to education, health care and social services. Like Shapiro's plan, it relies on roughly $2 billion in reserves to balance. However, many Democrats said it did not go far enough and public school advocates say the poorest school districts should get billions of dollars more to live up to the spirit of the court decision.
Senate Republicans were waiting to see what passed the House before they begin discussing it with Shapiro or Democrats. “Anyone talking about spending a lot more than we're generating in revenue right now is not something our caucus and our body will support,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Scott Martin, R-Lancaster.
“The numbers that I want to focus on are all the missed opportunities we’ve had over the years by not investing the money that should be invested in the programs that we know benefit Pennsylvanians,” Harris said.Also, this week, legislators in the state house overwhelmingly approved a bill to increase the state’s property tax and rent subsidy for seniors and people with disabilities, plus raise the income eligibility cap to expand the program.
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