Photo from Rep. Rapp’s newsletter State Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Warren, and Sen. Scott Hutchnson, R-Oil City, second from left, participated in a March for Life event held at the state Capitol last month.

It was nearly two weeks late but Pennsylvania has passed a budget totaling $47.6 billion for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

According to the Governor’s Office, the “budget is a product of hard work and compromise by all sides.”

One of the most contentious issues of the budget process, the spending plan includes $1.11 billion in increases to K-12 that, per Shapiro, will go to districts “in a more equitable manner to the schools that need it most under a new formula.”

“Since my first day in office, I’ve been focused on getting stuff done for the good people of Pennsylvania, solving the most pressing problems we face, and bringing people together in a bipartisan manner to deliver results,” Shapiro said in a statement, “and I’m proud to sign this budget into law that makes historic investments in education and economic development, while continuing investments in public safety and violence prevention, all while cutting costs and reducing taxes.

Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation with a divided legislature – and I’m proud that we came together with leaders in both Chambers and both parties to show that we can do big things together to make Pennsylvanians’ lives better.”

Not everyone got everything they wanted. That’s a foundational tenet of our system of government.

“Although I was pleased the final version of the budget reduced Gov. Josh Shapiro’s original plan by $750 million,” Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R-12) said in his most recent newsletter, “I still believe it relies too heavily on one-time revenues for ongoing programs, so I opposed it. However, in the final mix of legislation enacted this past week, several proposals on which I have worked for a long time to improve Pennsylvania’s economic climate are now law. We passed a regulatory reform bill to expedite state Department of Environmental Protection permit approvals, as well as continuing improvements to our state business taxes to promote job creation.”

Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-65) blamed “failed leadership from House Democrats” for the budget being late.

“After completing the 2023-24 budget nearly six months late, Democrat leaders did not learn their lesson, beginning the negotiating process just days before the June 30 deadline,” she said in a statement.

“This budget is not just late; it spends too much money,” she added. “It calls for nearly $3 billion more in spending than the previous budget. That’s a 6% increase, and more money than the Commonwealth will collect in revenue.

“Sooner or later, this will overburden Pennsylvania taxpayers. I can’t support such an unsustainable spending plan.”

Rapp acknowledged that the state’s surplus and Rainy Day Fund are healthy, she stressed that “those are supposed to be saved for emergencies. They aren’t meant to fund programs that will create recurring expenses. If we continue tapping into these funds, the money we’re saving for a rainy day will be gone.”

She also highlighted areas where she’s pleased with the outcome of the budget process.

“I’m glad to see another increase in education funding,” she said. “However, this funding was not distributed fairly. Nearly a quarter of that new funding is going to just one school district in Philadelphia. I’m glad to see the school districts of the 65th Legislative District will get some extra help. But like the rest of this budget, we should have done much better.”