State Legislators are deep in negotiations over the 2019-2020 state budget. Major items include increased funding for basic education, raising the minimum wage, and Governor Tom Wolf’s Restore Pennsylvania infrastructure investment plan. The governor wants to borrow $4.5 billion for broadband internet, flood control, and blight removal across the Commonwealth, to be paid for by a severance tax on oil and gas producers. With state government realizing a surplus in tax revenues these days, many elected officials have their investment priorities, but Representative Brad Roae wants to rebuild the state’s reserve fund.
“My priority is to make sure we get as much money as possible that we don’t spend, that we put in Rainy Day Account. These levels of revenue that we have right now, hopefully it’s permanent, but it may be temporary so we have to be careful,” Roae said.
The House and Senate must pass a budget that the Governor could sign by June 30th.
