Swanger Pleased with End of Budget Stalemate, Concerned for Financial Future of Pennsylvania
State Rep. RoseMarie Swanger (R-Lebanon) released the following statement upon the budget bill being sent to the desk of Gov. Ed Rendell:
“This painful budget saga has finally come to an end, and those who rely so heavily on the community and social service organizations will once again be in touch with the assistance they need. It is unfortunate this process was unnecessarily dragged out well beyond the due date, thus penalizing Pennsylvanians through no fault of their own. I am glad this agreement was accomplished without having to raise either the Personal Income Tax or the sales tax on hard-working citizens who are already enduring difficult financial times.
“My chief disappointment lies in the undeniable fact that the final agreement could have been accomplished more quickly and without tax increases. House Democrats, who control the voting agenda, told us in April to be prepared to work extra days in order to get this task accomplished. They then proceeded to cancel numerous session days, wasting both taxpayer time and money.
“Senate Republicans passed their own budget bill in early May and immediately sent it to the House. The legislation was ignored by Appropriations Chairman Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia), who took more than two months – well after the July 1 deadline – before introducing a budget bill of his own. As controversial as Senate Bill 850 was, it should have served as an immediate starting point in budget negotiations.
“During the conference committee, House Republicans laid on the table a budget bill that supported essential state services and increased basic education funding for our schools while not requiring a tax increase of any kind. Evans said he would take it into consideration...but never did and probably never intended to. All told, there was a great deal of down time that prevented us from getting a budget done much sooner.
“I am not a supporter of expanded gambling, and the budget deal advanced by House Democrats ‘rolls the dice’ when it comes to what must happen in order to avoid future tax increases. It relies heavily on one-time funding sources with no turning back in some occasions. The $755 million Rainy Day Fund is being drained completely. With no safety net in place, the gamble in part is that the economy will improve significantly so no need exists for tapping into any reserve.
“The legislation uses the entire balance of the $708 million Health Care Provider Retention Account. It also takes $100 million from the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCare) Fund. This money is paid as a type of insurance fund by doctors and hospitals that have already filed suit over misuse of these funds, which were intended to help make malpractice insurance affordable and keep doctors practicing in the state. If the courts rule in the doctors’ favor, the state would have to re-open the budget process to deal with a gaping budget hole.
“This budget also requires more than $1 billion in new or increased taxes, something I cannot support nor expect my constituents to have to endure, which is why mine was a negative vote. The good news is we reduced spending by what Governor Ed Rendell originally proposed. The bad news is we could have done better, especially with a House Republican proposal that spent even less.
“My votes reflect my vow to pursue fiscal restraint. I will continue to pursue the reduced spending and good government practice I promised to my constituents.”
Rep. RoseMarie Swanger
102nd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
(717) 277-2101
(717) 787-2686
Contact: Scott B. Little
slittle@pahousegop.com
(717) 260-6137