7/2/07
July 01, 2007 10:42 pm
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Three Pennsylvania state representatives and Sen. Bob Robbins voiced their thoughts on the efforts to approve a new state budget.
The House debated House Bill 1286, the proposed spending plan, Saturday and did not agree on the Senate’s version of the budget. If the House had agreed, it would have gone to the governor for his signature.
Republican state Rep. Michele Brooks, who said she does not support a tax increase, would like the House to also approve the version of the budget.
“It was my hope that it would come back to the House and that we could do the same in the House of Representatives, so that we could pass the state budget on time this year,” said Brooks, whose 17th District includes southwestern Crawford County and parts of Mercer and Lawrence counties. “This budget had no tax increases and had spending growth near the cost of living, while incorporating back into the budget some of the cuts the administration had made regarding agriculture, cancer outreach in rural areas, business development programs and an increase in educational funding.”
Republican Rep. Brad Roae voted in favor of the general fund budget. “The Senate voted for this version of the budget by a 49 to 1 margin,” so that is proof that it was a good compromise,” said Roae, whose Sixth District includes all of eastern Crawford County. “Almost all of the Republicans and Democrats in the Senate voted in favor of it.”
Republican Rep. John Evans is dissatisfied that the budget was not passed by the June 30 deadline. “Every day, and now almost every hour, the governor has changed his mind on the items the Legislature must address before he will sign a budget,” said Evans, whose Fifth District includes western Erie and northwestern Crawford counties. “Holding the state hostage like this is unfair to the people of Pennsylvania who expect and deserve a spending plan to be done on time.”
The legislature has “no interest at this time to increase taxes,” according to Robbins. “We in the Senate have passed all the major bills and have sent them to the House,” he said. “The transportation bills are ready in the Senate at this time. Now it has to go to the governor who has yet to meet with the legislature to address his concerns and the major issues he has with the budget.”
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