Republicans Agree On A General Fund Spend Number, Now The Hard Part
Senate and House Republicans and Gov. Corbett Wednesday announced an agreement on a General Fund spend number-- $27.656 billion, taking the first major step toward resolving their differences over largest portion of the state budget.
This spending cap is about $500 million more than the Governor’s request and almost identical to what Senate and House Republicans have been advocating.
In return, the Governor received a commitment from the Leaders to adopt the $1.65 billion tax credit initiative he proposed to attract the Shell ethane plant to Beaver County.
There is no word yet on whether the Keystone Fund will be restored to the Senate’s level of $19 million or the House proposal of full restoration of all $38 million. There is also no word yet on whether other environmental funding will be restored.
In addition, there is also apparent agreement on at least some funding increases over the Governor’s budget request--
-- $245 million for higher education restorations;
-- $100 million for K-12 accountability block grant programs;
-- $82 million for county welfare programs, restoring half the funds that were removed; and
-- $25 million for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit.
Senate and House Republicans and Gov. Corbett Wednesday announced an agreement on a General Fund spend number-- $27.656 billion, taking the first major step toward resolving their differences over largest portion of the state budget.
This spending cap is about $500 million more than the Governor’s request and almost identical to what Senate and House Republicans have been advocating.
In return, the Governor received a commitment from the Leaders to adopt the $1.65 billion tax credit initiative he proposed to attract the Shell ethane plant to Beaver County.
There is no word yet on whether the Keystone Fund will be restored to the Senate’s level of $19 million or the House proposal of full restoration of all $38 million. There is also no word yet on whether other environmental funding will be restored.
In addition, there is also apparent agreement on at least some funding increases over the Governor’s budget request--
-- $245 million for higher education restorations;
-- $100 million for K-12 accountability block grant programs;
-- $82 million for county welfare programs, restoring half the funds that were removed; and
-- $25 million for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit.
