Legislators React to State Budget Cuts

Whether Tuesday’s vote in the state House of Representatives to approve the $27.3 billion state budget plan is viewed as “prioritized spending…responsible spending” or as inflicting “excruciating pain” on the Commonwealth’s “most vulnerable citizens” seems split clearly along party lines.

The budget passed the House by a vote of 109 to 92. The bill now goes to the state Senate, which is expected to restore some of the cuts made by the House. The budget is required by law to be adopted by June 30.

The House Democrats stood firm against the Republican budget, which they say would include $976 million in cuts to K-12 education funding, nearly $300 million in cuts to higher education and about $500 million in cuts to health care and human service programs for women, children, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and the chronically ill. They claim the state is sitting on unexpected tax revenues of more than $1 billion.

Republicans, who control both chambers of the Pennsylvania General Assembly by large margins, as well as the Governor's office, have a different viewpoint.

House Majority Leader Mike Turzai said the budget, which includes no tax increase, represents a 3-percent reduction in spending compared to the current budget that was supplemented by nearly $3 billion in federal stimulus dollars. The House budget restores more than a half-billion dollars to basic and higher education, which was reduced in Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget plan, Turzai said.

Here’s what area legislators who represent the communities covered by local Patch sites have to say about Tuesday’s vote...

Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, 12th District

On the "Metcalfe Minute" video featured earlier this week on his website, State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe said he was in favor of the budget, which was proposed by the House Republican majority.

While the plan maintains Governor’s Tom Corbett's bottom line, it shifts money earmarked for public welfare programs to public education. In his Metcalfe Minute, Metcalfe said he applauded Corbett's spending projections because of its reduction to government spending.

"Our budget stays within those same spending limits the governor had set in his proposal, although it re-prioritizes the spending," he said in the video.

Joe Markosek, D-Monroeville, 25th District

"When we have $1 billion available, there is no rational reason for choosing to make Pennsylvania's working and middle-class families suffer when we can avoid much of the pain in this Republican budget," said Joe Markosek, Democratic chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. "This is a crystal-clear example of extreme ideology run amok, and it's an embarrassment to the people of this Commonwealth."

Mike Turzai, R-Bradford Woods, 28th District

"It is prioritized spending, it is responsible spending, and it does not increase taxes, it does not borrow and it will be done on time,” House Majority Leader Turzai said. 

“Under the House budget, K-12 education would receive a $210 million net funding increase when compared to the governor’s budget,” he said. “The proposal would allot $100 million for the Accountability Block Grant program that provides school districts with flexible funding often used for pre-kindergarten, full-day kindergarten and tutoring programs. The House budget also gives an historic investment of state dollars to the Basic Education Funding line item, as it redirects an additional $100 million back into the fund.”

“The House budget also restores substantial funding for higher education—an additional $387 million. The House budget invests $4.2 billion for medical assistance benefits, $1.3 billion for programs serving children and $2.1 billion for mental health and mental retardation services. 

The House budget identifies savings within (the Department of Public Welfare) by instituting co-pays for transportation programs and adjusting child care program co-payments, increased use of generic drugs, and the implementation of new welfare reform legislation that will reduce fraud and abuse in medical assistance programs.”

Frank Dermody, D-Oakmont, 33rd District

"This Republican budget is driven by ideology and is a direct assault on middle-class families," said Democratic House leader Frank Dermody. "It will inflict excruciating pain on women, children, the elderly, the disabled and the chronically ill. And it will shift the burden to local property taxpayers, many of whom are already just scraping by to keep their homes."

Bill Kortz, D-Baldwin, 38th District

State Rep. Bill Kortz voted against the House Republican-proposed budget bill, H.B. 1485, citing drastic cuts to local schools, the University of Pittsburgh and services for children, women and seniors.  

"House Bill 1485 is a step backwards for Pennsylvania." Kortz said. "Our children will become the collateral damage from these draconian cuts to education."  

Further, Kortz said the governor and House Republicans refuse to tap available revenue streams that would prevent these looming education cuts, layoffs, tuition increases, property tax increases, and forced school closures.

Matt Smith, D-Mt. Lebanon, 42nd District

"I rejected the House GOP budget because decreased education investment and unsubstantiated claims of savings will harm a generation of Pennsylvania's children while taking no real measure toward fiscal responsibility,” said state Rep. Matt Smith.

"The House Republican budget is constructed on a faulty foundation. Their estimated $460 million in unsubstantiated savings have been questioned by Gov. (Tom) Corbett's Republican (Department of Public Welfare) Secretary Gary Alexander and Budget Secretary Charles Zogby. Rather than hoarding the 2010-11 tax revenue that exceeds previous projections, we need to use the funds to fully invest in pre-K, full day kindergarten, basic education and higher education. Research consistently demonstrates that investments in education represent one of the best returns on that investment for taxpayers.”

Rep. Nick Kotik, D-Robinson, 45th District

State Rep. Nick Kotik is especially concerned about the future of some of the poorer school districts in his area. He thinks districts such as Sto-Rox and Carlynton will be forced into impossible decisions that will negatively affect the students.

“It’s much more than just party lines. They really hurt a lot of the poor school districts in my area and they’re going to go belly up. And none of the other districts are going to take these kids, so what’s going to happen to them?”

He thinks if some of them are not able to cuts costs or merge, they will be forced to go into distress, forcing a state-takeover that will prompt higher taxes and massive layoffs. His only hope is that the Republican-controlled Senate will take a “more even-handed approach” and put the brakes on some of the most painful school cuts.

“We have a lot of hopes that the Senate is going to change a lot of things. I think the Senate is going to make adjustments because what the House republicans did was take it out of public welfare under the guise of waste and abuse.”

 Jesse White, D-Cecil, 46th District

State Rep. Jesse White said a budget bill that passed the House Tuesday contains cuts that will raise local taxes and disproportionally hurt middle-class Pennsylvanians.

White said he voted against the budget bill, which cuts funding for public education by nearly $1 billion and has forced nearly every school in his legislative district to cut critical programs and raise school property taxes. He said the Legislature should use an estimated $1 billion in surplus tax revenue for the 2011-12 budget to restore public education cuts and help avoid local tax increases.

"Pennsylvanians do not want their hard-earned tax dollars stashed away in reserves for a later day. It is beyond comprehension why we are not giving this money back to the taxpayers and using it to avoid property tax increases. I understand we have to spend within our means and we have to cut the fat, but we can't expect working families, seniors and children to bear the brunt of this burden alone, which is what will happen if these cuts are not restored," White said.

"What does it say about our priorities when education is cut across the board, yet the governor allocates more increases for the Department of Corrections and Public Welfare," White asked. "It's absolutely mind boggling that the governor and House Republicans refuse to use the $1 billion surplus, or close tax loopholes for large corporations, yet they feel no shame in cutting programs that middle-class families and seniors rely upon every day."

Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane, 48th District

State Rep. Brandon Neuman said he voted “no” to the budget bill Tuesday in part because of the steep cuts in education funding. Neuman said he hopes the Senate will “see this bill can do more harm than help.”

“I voted no mostly because the budget puts an unnecessary burden on schools, local property owners and even our youth,” he said. “I believe we should be investing in our future, which is our kids. Instead, the budget calls for cuts in education with no goal to make education better. If education is our top priority then we should have a goal to make it better."

Neuman said he hopes the Senate will “see this bill can do more harm than help."