Jul 1, 2014 4 min read

Supporters and opponents of the $29.1 billion state budget passed by the Legislature this week were divided sharply by party lines. The state Senate, which has a narrow Republican majority, approved the budget 26-24 Monday night. All Democrats in the Senate opposed the bill, and all Republicans voted in favor of it, except for Sen. Charles McIlhinney, R-Bucks.

Rep. Rick Saccone, R-Elizabeth, and Rep. John Maher, R-Upper St. Clair, were the only representatives in the Legislature whose districts include part of Washington or Greene County to vote for the budget. Saccone called it a “major victory” for taxpayers.

“It limits the growth of government to less than the rate of inflation, it funds K-12 education at record levels, and, importantly, it contains no tax increases,” Saccone said in a news release Tuesday.

Democrats questioned the methods by which Gov. Tom Corbett and House Republican leaders achieved that feat. Sen. Matt Smith, D-Mt. Lebanon, said the bill contains “budget tricks” to close the projected $1.5 billion deficit.

“Constructed on a foundation of quicksand that is unsustainable and pushes difficult decisions to a future day, this budget rejects thoughtful and smart investments in favor of shortsighted budget tricks,” Smith said Monday. “This budget continues Pennsylvania’s inadequate investment in education at all levels, slashes economic development and workforce training programs, and makes cuts to programs serving our most vulnerable populations.”

Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, said the budget isn’t sustainable, and Pennsylvania could be “more than a billion dollars in the hole” by the end of the year.

“Even with the overly optimistic calculations, this budget again shortchanges schools and passes difficult funding problems down the line to local government and school districts,” Solobay said. “Students, teachers and local school administrators will be forced to deal with the aftermath.”

Corbett defended the budget in a statement Monday, citing “significant investments” in education, jobs and human services. But the governor held off on signing the bill Tuesday with the hope that pension reforms would be enacted. The House effectively killed just such a measure Tuesday.

“It leaves pensions, one of the largest expenses to the commonwealth and our school districts, on the table, leaving the weight on Pennsylvania taxpayers and perpetuating the tug of war over state funding every single year,” Corbett said. “Pension costs are consuming more than 60 cents of every new dollar of general fund revenues.”

Rep. Jesse White, D-Cecil, said the budget bill had more to do with “repaying political favors” than fiscal responsibility.

“Unfortunately, (the Corbett administration has) given to their corporate friends by way of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax cuts, and have catered to the Marcellus Shale industry so much that we remain the only gas-producing state in America without a severance tax,” White said Tuesday. “It’s Robin Hood in reverse, and it’s just not right.”

Both Rep. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane, and Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, opposed the budget’s “unsustainable revenue sources,” including the diversion of $30 million from the Volunteer Fire Companies Loan Fund and cuts totaling $1.9 million from the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

“Speculation has already begun on how soon the budget gimmickry will force Pennsylvania to freeze spending or cut programs,” Snyder said. “I could not support yet another year of Republican budget choices and policies which are unfair to most Pennsylvanians, especially every student in the commonwealth.”

Neuman cited the impact of transferring $100 million each from the Small Business First and Machinery and Equipment Loan funds.

“Under this administration, job creation rates have plummeted to 47th in the nation from seventh, yet their budget raids loan funds crucial to small businesses,” Neuman said. “Other options – like my Fair Share Act that would eradicate more than $100 million in fraud – were available.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report