Email: JKurish@pasenate.com
COSTA APPLAUDS BUDGET FRAMEWORK
HARRISBURG, Feb. 9, 2010 – State Sen. Jay Costa, D-Allegheny,
issued the following statement today regarding the governor’s budget address:
“By leaving broad-based
taxes off the table to balance next year’s budget, I think Governor Rendell
made it much more likely that we’ll get the budget finished on time and without
brinkmanship. It’s clear that the
recession is still taking a toll on Pennsylvania’s economy, but our focus on
jobs and education has kept us ahead of most other states and put us in
position to maintain that advantage as the economy gets traction.
Last year’s long, painful budget process made it clear
that we have to focus on what is working and what is not if we are going to
both balance the budget and continue economic progress.
More aggressive investments in education are paying off in
better performance by our schools, and continued steps toward adequate funding
is vital to our economic future.
The Governor
didn’t shy away from longer term budget challenges either. We remain among a dwindling number of states
still giving multi-state corporations tax advantages over home-grown businesses
and we must step up to close that loophole and invest that revenue to grow our
economy. Our corrections system is
busting the budget while having little effect on public safety. They are both problems we can’t pass along
any longer.
We’ve taken on tough reforms before, and made
painful cuts to live within our means, but I hope the Governor’s professed goal
to enact a budget without additional employee layoffs can be achieved. Total management and productivity savings
adopted since 2003 now save the commonwealth more than $1.75 billion annually.”
This
year our first and foremost goal is to pass a responsible budget on time and
put our commonwealth back to work.
Sen. Costa is the Democratic
Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee
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