Republican Stopgap Budget a Non-Starter, Brewster says
Harrisburg – Sept. 18, 2015 – State Sen. Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny/Westmoreland) said today that the Senate Republican stopgap budget plan is a non-starter because it represents one-third of an already-vetoed budget and it does not include property tax relief or a reasonable Marcellus Shale extraction tax.
Brewster voted against the $11.22 billion Republican stopgap budget proposal. The Republican short-term budget, which would fund government through Oct. 31, 2015, was approved along party lines.
The Senate Republican stopgap budget (Senate Bill 1000) is roughly one-third of the Republican budget (House Bill 1192) that was vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf in late June. Wolf has said that he plans to veto the stopgap if it reaches his desk.
Brewster’s comments:
“The Republican stopgap budget is simply a non-starter. The plan does not include property tax relief, nor does it have a responsible Marcellus Shale extraction tax that is tied to additional education funding.
“It is simply one-third of an already vetoed spending plan. Appropriately, the governor has pledged to veto this short-term effort. A stopgap spending plan addresses funding issues temporarily, but may result in more distress over the long-term. The whole exercise is a waste of time.
“Instead of working toward a comprehensive spending plan that includes real dollars for education, job creation, human services or deficit reduction, Republicans have refused to compromise and negotiate toward a resolution of the budget impasse.
“The governor has offered compromises and solutions on the two main Republican issues — pension reform and liquor sales — yet they continue to be inflexible. After more than two months of refusing to compromise, the best the Republicans can do is offer an unacceptable, short-term, short-sighted, deficient plan.”
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