(The Center Square) – Two weeks late, the Pennsylvania House has taken a major step forward in passing a new state budget.
House Bill 1330 passed the House with a vote of 105-97, with three Republicans voting alongside Democrats and one member on leave.
Republican Appropriations chair Jim Struzzi of Indiana called the bill a necessary step forward given the delays in the legislature, but he urged his caucus to vote against the bill.
“This bill itself spends too much, and we still don’t know how we’re going to pay for this,” said Struzzi.
Minority Leader Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford, agreed with Struzzi. He emphasized that “it’s public policy that will drive economic growth in Pennsylvania.”
Specifically, policy points Republicans want to see prioritized are deregulation in the energy sector that would allow the state to “unleash” its massive natural gas reserves and other fossil fuel resources. Topper also advocated for “benefits integrity” to ensure social safety nets are getting to those who need it most, and school choice funding.
Democrats said that they have listened to their colleagues across the aisle in cutting a billion dollars from the budget proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro in February.
Majority leader Matt Bradford, D-Norristown, said that concerns about energy were reflected in the budget along with other issues raised by Republicans. He also highlighted that through their stewardship, the government has amassed $10.5 billion in reserves.
The intractable nature of some issues, however, were hard to ignore. Bradford noted that, in order to provide the revenue Struzzi said was missing, a policy change was presented in adult use cannabis, something the Senate Republican majority shot down.
He also said that further school choice funding without first adequately funding the state’s public school system was a “no-starter, period, full stop.”
Bradford emphasized that the thin majority in the House demanded leaders be “humble, pragmatic, and wise,” especially in the face of the “unbelievable carnage coming at the hands of our friends in Washington,” referring to the massive cuts levied by the Congressional budget resolution.
A similar sentiment was echoed by House Appropriations Chair Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia, who called the body “humble, flexible, and nimble.”
“This is not a dictatorship,” said Harris. “What we did is we came to the table and said ‘Okay, let us work together.”
Harris said constituents had been waiting far too long to find out “how much the commonwealth would invest.”
All parties seemed to agree that the budget is not complete, but all signaled a desire to move the legislative process forward. Standout issues like mass transit funding remain as questions hanging heavy over the Senate.
