McKeesport – November 20, 2020 – State Senator Jim Brewster today issued the following statement on the final 2020-21 state budget:
“With the dire impact of the pandemic as the backdrop, I am pleased that the legislature was able to hold the line on taxes while fully funding key programs and initiatives,” Brewster said.
The harsh economic impact from the pandemic complicated this year’s budget planning and necessitated difficult and innovative decisions, such as using over $4 billion in one-time funds and supplemental federal dollars to balance the budget.
In the year ahead, we will need to re-examine spending priorities and base projections on more reliable and continual revenue sources.
Like all budgets, there are things I agree and disagree on. While I’m pleased that we were able to maintain support for key state programs and resources without raising taxes, I’m disappointed that we were not able to free up more dollars to help front line workers, struggling business owners and unemployed workers.
It is crucial that we focus in the coming year on ways to help these workers and businesses endure until we get this horrific pandemic behind us.”
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