HARRISBURG, PA. (AP) — Gov. Josh Shapiro's second budget proposes significant increases to education and economic development and would regulate adult-use marijuana while leaning heavily on Pennsylvania's flush reserves to underwrite his vision.
The Democrat on Tuesday unveiled his budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which begins on July 1, in front of a joint session of the House and Senate in the ornate Capitol Rotunda, watched over by a heavy police presence.
After a relatively modest first-year budget proposal, Shapiro returned in his second year with an admittedly "ambitious" $48.3 billion plan that marshals billions more for underfunded public schools, public transit, higher education, and major industrial and high-tech projects to invigorate a slow-growing economy.
"I know that's a bold vision, and some will reflexively be opposed, saying, 'We can't afford that,'" Shapiro told lawmakers during an 87-minute speech. "But I would argue we can't afford not to invest right now."
Much of Shapiro's plan will face stiff resistance in the Republican-controlled Senate. There, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, criticized the spending as "absolutely fiscally irresponsible and unsustainable."
Democrats who control the House applauded Shapiro's plan. The chambers will begin budget hearings in two weeks.
With a nod to his burgeoning catchphrase, Shapiro called on lawmakers to "get more stuff done."
Shapiro's spending request would increase total authorized spending by 7% through the state's main bank account, while tax collections are projected to increase by $1 billion, or 2%. The budget proposal holds the line on taxes and instead uses about $3 billion in reserve cash to balance.
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