Berks-area lawmakers react to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal

Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday proposed a $48.3 billion budget that seeks significant funding increases for public schools and economic development.

The proposal includes a $1.1 billion increase for public schools, $500 million for site development to entice businesses to build in Pennsylvania, $282 million for public transit systems, $200 million for home and community services for the intellectually disabled and $10.3 million for agriculture innovation.

Shapiro said the budget does not call for a tax increase. Instead, about $3 billion in reserve cash would be used to balance the budget — shrinking the surplus from $14 billion to $11 billion.

Here’s how some state lawmakers who represent Berks County have responded.

Sen. Judy Schwank, a Ruscombmanor Township Democrat.

“The legislature’s biggest responsibility is completing a budget for each fiscal year, and the budget address is the beginning of that process. Gov. Shapiro’s proposal has a lot of items we can get excited about, like significant investment in public education that seeks to fix Pennsylvania’s unconstitutional school funding system and an innovative new blueprint for our state-owned universities and Pennsylvania’s 15 community colleges.

There is also $500 million earmarked to expand PA SITES, a program that supports site development to entices businesses to expand operations in or relocate to the commonwealth. We all understand that this is just a starting point, and the final product we create later this year will look different from this proposal, but I believe this is a great first step that puts forward ideas that we’ve never considered in Pennsylvania.

I’m excited to begin budget hearings so we get more details on this budget proposal, and I am confident we can work together to craft a budget that moves Pennsylvania forward.”

Sen. Scott Martin, a Lancaster County Republican.

“Lawmakers have worked extremely hard to right Pennsylvania’s financial ship and put our state in better shape to manage the challenges that lie ahead. Unfortunately, Gov. Shapiro’s budget would take our commonwealth in the opposite direction and put us on a path toward higher taxes and service cuts just a few short years down the road.

We cannot reverse years of progress with a single-year spending spree that sacrifices our future. We need a responsible budget that helps grow jobs here and encourages families to put down roots here so we can reverse the negative economic and demographic trends that threaten our future stability. I look forward to working with my colleagues to make that happen.”

Rep. Jamie Barton, a Schuylkill County Republican.

“Reflecting on Gov. Shapiro as a businessperson, I will tell you that he’s an incredibly well-seasoned salesperson with a lousy product. The governor seemed to take a page out of Oprah Winfrey’s playbook, offering free stuff to everyone who will listen. This isn’t governing.

The budget proposal product is just south of $50 billion, an increase of 8.4% over last year’s budget. You may ask yourself ‘just how does he plan to pay for all this spending?’ That’s a good question. Unfortunately, Gov. Shapiro didn’t offer solutions in his spending plan, except for legalizing and taxing marijuana, taxing skill games and reducing our prison population by putting drug dealers on the street and expunging their records. At best, these solutions aren’t sustainable. At worst, they’re dangerous.

I am of firm belief that in our homes, in our businesses and in our commonwealth, we can’t just fix problems by spending more money. It takes hard work, research and collaboration to fix problems. I can assure you that my House Republican colleagues and I are prepared to do the hard work necessary to fix these problems instead of simply spending taxpayers’ money.”

Rep. Manny Guzman, a Reading Democrat.

“Gov. Shapiro’s budget address continues the investments of years past laser-focused and grounded in the values of better jobs, better and equitably-funded schools and a safer, more vibrant Reading and Berks County.

I am encouraged by the governor’s willingness to meet the moment with a bold, innovative and fiscally responsible plan for the future. With a $14 billion surplus sitting in a bank account somewhere in Harrisburg, and with so many people still struggling to make ends meet — now is the time to invest. Time to invest in our schools, invest in the jobs of the future and, most importantly, investing in Pennsylvanians both here in Berks and across the commonwealth.”

Rep. David Maloney, a Pike Township Republican.

“Gov. Shapiro condemned the state’s system of funding K-12 public schools, saying Pennsylvanians cannot tolerate ‘an unconstitutional education system for our kids.’ Shapiro was referring to a Commonwealth Court decision last year which declared Pennsylvania’s system of funding schools primarily through property taxes is unconstitutional because it is inequitable.

In 2017, the people of Pennsylvania overwhelmingly approved my constitutional amendment to provide 100% exclusion on property taxes on a person’s homestead or farmstead. Any discussion or plan of correcting Pennsylvania’s inequitable and unconstitutional property tax scheme must include the full application of this amendment.”

Rep. Dave Zimmerman, a Lancaster County Republican.

“I was shocked and disappointed Gov. Josh Shapiro would unveil a proposal as irresponsible and misleading as he did. The amount of new spending he is suggesting would set the state up for fiscal problems and lead to significant tax increases in the next 3-4 years.

The governor is requesting a historic $1.1 billion increase in education funding. Pennsylvania has made historic investments in education over the past 10 years, yet our students’ test results continue to drastically decline.

While I, like everyone else, like the sound of additional money for roads, agriculture and education, he provides little to no details for actual improvements or data to back up his claims that more money would solve our existing challenges. As far as I can tell, much of the money he wants to spend would be splintered into a variety of new programs with no proven track record.

And perhaps the most egregious thing he proposed was generating additional revenue by imposing a 42% tax on electronic gaming machines and legalizing marijuana for adults, along with a 20% wholesale tax. ‘Sin’ taxes have never been shown to be reliable sources of income for a state. And expanding access to marijuana is not something I can endorse.

The people of Pennsylvania deserve better than what was proposed today. They are struggling because of the crippling economy. We should be looking for opportunities that allow Pennsylvanians to keep more of their hard-earned money rather than taking more money from them.”

Lawmakers not included on this list have not yet released responses.