NEW 2007-08 BUDGET A WINNER FOR
ALL OF PENNSYLVANIA, FUMO SAYS
July 12, 2007 -- With state Senator Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) helping to
resolve the final issues between Gov. Ed Rendell and Legislative Republicans,
top state officials reached an agreement on a budget for the 2007-08 fiscal year
on Monday night. It still must be approved by the full Senate and House of
Representatives, and be signed by the Governor. Those actions are expected to
occur within the next several days.
The deal ended an impasse of more than a week, as the
state went without an approved spending blueprint since the beginning of the
new fiscal year on July 1. By July 9, the day before the agreement was struck,
Rendell was forced to furlough nearly 25,000 state workers and shut down many
state services.
Fumo says the new $27.3 billion state budget proposal
is "a win-win situation" for all concerned.
Here are some highlights:
--Education -- $200 million in new or increased funding
for pre-kindergarten, full-day kindergarten and high school laptop computers.
--Roads and bridges -- $400 million for 2007-08, more
(growing with inflation) in succeeding years.
--Mass transit -- $350 million in 2007-08, more
(growing with inflation) in succeeding years.
--Nurse practitioners/dental hygenists/midwives --
expanding their duties to provide health services to underserved areas of the
state.
Passing the budget was made easier by a budget surplus
of 650 million dollars for fiscal 2006-07. Fumo attributes the surplus to a
healthy state economy spurred on by economic development programs that have been
enacted over the past few years. That allowed for a $27.3 billion final budget,
$300 million more than the budget approved by the Senate on June 20th. The rest
of the surplus will roll over into the 2007-08 budget.
Click here
to listen to Sen. Fumo's general comments about the state budget.
Click here to
listen to Sen. Fumo's comments on funding for education, energy and
transportation
Click here to listen to Sen. Fumo's
comments on the budget containing no tax increases.
Click here to
listen to Sen. Fumo's comments about the state budget surplus.
Click here to
listen to Sen. Fumo's comments about reasons the budget was not passed on time.
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