Harrisburg, July 12, 2024 – State Senator Jim Brewster released the following statement today regarding Pennsylvania’s new budget proposal, which passed the State Legislature late last night with strong bipartisan support: This budget proposal will be his last, as Senator Brewster is retiring after 14 years in the Senate.
“As I look back to where we were when I first entered this process 14 years ago, I recognize that we have made great strides in stabilizing Pennsylvania’s finances while making historic investments in education, even as we battle a debilitating pandemic.
“In my first budget, we projected the fund balance to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, but this year we were able to deploy $14 billion in reserves and return a significant portion of that to taxpayers through programs designed to help those in need, stimulate our economy and help businesses grow and thrive in our state.”
“After years of declining public school quality, this budget takes the largest step yet — more than $1 billion in additional funding — to fix a funding system that has been found by courts and experts to be inadequate and unconstitutional.”
“At the same time, we have reduced our corporate net income tax rate and provided $500 million for programs to attract businesses and grow jobs across our vast and diverse state.
“I have dedicated a lot of time and energy in this Congress to improving school safety through infrastructure improvements as well as mental health and counseling programs to stem the rise in crises and violence, and this budget delivers on that effort with more than $100 million in additional funding.”
“Most importantly, this budget was passed through the least contentious and most bipartisan and collaborative process we’ve seen in years, thanks to Governor Josh Shapiro’s leadership and vision, and the recognition by leaders in both parties and both chambers of Congress that our most pressing issues transcend party line, race, socioeconomic background, geography and age.”
We followed Governor Shapiro’s lead through this process. The Governor has a visionary plan, and that’s what matters. This budget reflects the Governor’s visionary plan to increase funding for our schools, provide relief to taxpayers, reduce costs for working families, and increase funding to create jobs on Main Streets across our state.
“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and optimistic that we’ve improved the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians.”
For more information on the budget, visit www.pasenate.com/budget.
