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    Home News Rapp votes against state budget, cites increase in spending and debt; other local lawmakers vote in favor of spending plan
    Rapp votes against state budget, cites increase in spending and debt; other local lawmakers vote in favor of spending plan
    News
    July 6, 2008

    Rapp votes against state budget, cites increase in spending and debt; other local lawmakers vote in favor of spending plan

    One local lawmaker voted against the state budget for the second
    time in as many years, citing an increase in spending and debt.

    Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Warren, said Sunday afternoon she voted no to
    the ,28.3 billion budget because it continues to drive up spending
    in an economically fragile time.

    “I am concerned with the amount of debt increase, especially
    with the recent downturn in revenues in the state,” Rapp said,
    adding she’s happy there won’t be a tax increase and the rainy day
    fund will remain relatively intact.

    The other three local lawmakers – Senate President Pro Tempore
    Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, and Reps. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint,
    and Dan Surra, D-Kersey, all voted in favor of the budget.

    The new budget represents a ,1 billion increase – 4 percent –
    over last year’s spending plan. While it doesn’t call for an
    increase in taxes, it does use more than ,500 million in one-time
    sources to fill in the gap for declining revenue.

    Meanwhile, millions of dollars in bond issues were approved for
    anything ranging from water and sewer systems to alternative energy
    and infrastructure, including repairing ailing roads and
    bridges.

    Rapp said she’s also concerned with the growing capital budget,
    where there was a “huge increase.” She voted against that portion
    of the budget as well.

    “I’m very leery of voting for stadiums in other parts of the
    state,” Rapp said. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t believe there
    should be capital projects, which require local matches. I have
    supported them in the past. But, I didn’t see a reason to increase
    the capital budget by ,800 million.”

    According to the budget, ,800 million has been allotted for
    civic redevelopment projects over four years, to be repaid from
    general tax revenues.

    Rapp said she did vote in favor of a ,400 million bond to
    improve water and sewer systems in the state, which also must be
    repaid from general tax revenues. However, that bond issue must be
    approved by the voters in an upcoming referendum.

    Before the passage of the budget, Senate officials said a ,1
    billion deficit could appear over the next year, forcing additional
    cuts or tax increases. The failing national economy has also begun
    to hit Pennsylvania, slowing state tax collections.

    For his part, Scarnati said the Legislature provided a budget
    “that meets the times.”

    “I think that once again, we provided a budget that is in those
    parameters I set last year,” Scarnati said, including a controlled
    rate of spending and no new taxes.

    Scarnati said a big push from the Senate Republicans was to keep
    the rainy day funds in tact until they are actually needed.

    The lawmaker also believes the budget includes funding that will
    benefit the state, including investments for bridges, dams and
    water and sewer systems.

    “The communities in the 25th District cannot be saddled with
    this huge infrastructure cost,” Scarnati said, adding some
    residents pay ,65 to ,75 a month for sewage. “It’s just killing
    communities.”

    Causer said while the budget does represent an increase in
    spending over last year, it falls below the anticipated 4.4 percent
    rate of inflation for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

    “House and Senate Republicans were able to work together to
    negotiate a plan that spends more than ,100 million less than what
    the governor and House Democrats were pushing,” Causer said. “Just
    as importantly, this budget includes no new taxes or fees, and we
    were able to stop the administration from raiding the Rainy Day
    Fund to pay for the governor’s pet projects.”

    Causer said given the state of the national economy and recent
    downturn in state revenue collections, it was vital to protect the
    rainy day fund for the future. The state ended the 2007-08 fiscal
    year with a ,167 million surplus.

    The lawmaker also said officials worked with the administration
    to make across-the-board cuts of 1.3 percent of all non-mandated
    budget line items, representing a cut of more than ,500 million
    from the original budget proposal. Causer said some of those funds
    were then shifted to items that had been zero-funded by the
    governor, including the Science in Motion program.

    Meanwhile, Surra believes the budget keeps moving Pennsylvania
    forward.

    “The goal of this budget was to maintain, and even improve on, a
    variety of initiatives that have allowed Pennsylvania to continue
    moving forward even during the national economic downturn,” Surra
    said. “In addition to accelerating our commitment to basic and
    higher education, we are also putting in place an energy strategy
    that will help Pennsylvania reduce its dependence on foreign oil
    and save businesses and consumers money.”

    Surra also said the budget continues investments in the economic
    development and infrastructure improvement projects that have been
    important to northcentral Pennsylvania.

    “Unlike many states that have been forced to cut billions in
    important programs, or raise taxes, Pennsylvania will continue to
    move forward without doing either,” Surra said.

    All the lawmakers agreed that an increase in education funding
    was good for the local area.

    The issue had been a bone of contention for local legislators,
    who felt an original proposal by the Rendell administration – which
    called for investing ,2.6 billion over the next six years – did not
    do enough to help fund small, rural districts, some of which would
    have only received a 1.5 percent increase.

    In the end, the funding plan was lowered from six years to one
    year and provides each district in the region with at least a 3
    percent funding hike for basic education.

    “I felt strongly that the governor’s plan failed to provide a
    fair level of support to many of our rural schools,” Causer said.
    “I believe we still need to do more to ensure our rural students
    continue to get the educational opportunities they need and
    deserve, but this year’s change was a step in the right
    direction.”

    Surra said the budget also calls for increases in funding for
    State System of Higher Education universities and community
    colleges. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency will
    also receive a 5.5 percent increase to help more students pay for
    college.

    “We continue to move in a direction that places more of the
    burden for funding education on the state and less on local
    property taxpayers,” Surra said. “We still have a way to go, but if
    we want to sustain and increase the property tax relief that will
    be delivered this summer to all Pennsylvania homeowners, we have to
    couple that effort with a significant and meaningful education
    funding commitment from the state.”

    Rapp also voted in favor of the education funding, noting the
    idea of graduation competency testing was tabled and excluded from
    the budget.

    Scarnati gave credit to the governor for starting the budget
    negotiations sooner.

    “The tenor and rhetoric was good,” Scarnati said. “Of course,
    there was some partisan bickering with the budget.”

    Tags:

    news
    MIKE SCHREIBEREra Associate Editor

    The Bradford Era

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