Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, in his Budget Address, said Pennsylvania is on the rise, highlighting job growth, increased private sector investment, tax relief, efforts to improve childcare affordability, additional education funding, infrastructure repairs, decreased violent crime, and government reforms. Looking forward, the governor called on the legislature to work together to ensure good schools for all students, grow the economy across the state, slash taxes to spur economic growth, make healthcare and energy accessible and affordable for all, improve public safety, and stop giving neighboring states a competitive advantage.
Key Speech Highlights:
Government Reform – Highlighted efforts to cut costs and use money more wisely including sunsetting programs that are duplicative and do not work as well as conducting a comprehensive review of every space Pennsylvania owns or leases.
Education – Said his budget invests additional funding through the adequacy formula and continues support for school repairs, mental health, free breakfast, student teacher stipends, special education and more.
Gaming – Called for regulating skills games and treating them like any other video gaming terminal.
Cannabis – Recommended legalizing adult-use cannabis and expunging the records of those who have been convicted for nonviolent possession of small amounts of marijuana.
Economic Development – Said his economic development strategy is focused on energy, agriculture, manufacturing, robotics and technology, and life sciences.
Infrastructure – Spoke about the importance of investing in roads, bridges, and public transit to help people get where they are going and to grow the economy.
Tax Relief – Proposed making faster cuts to the corporate net income tax as well as making the tax system simpler, more modern, and more streamlined.
Workforce – Talked about the need to ensure Pennsylvania has enough trained workers in the industries that will fuel its growth, addressing workforce shortages in areas such as childcare, direct care, and healthcare, respecting all paths to success, and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Healthcare – Noted initiatives to address challenges facing rural hospitals, create safeguards to prevent private equity from taking advantage of the healthcare system, implement universal postpartum screenings, have transparency in healthcare pricing, and prevent insurance companies from denying payment for mental health services in schools.
Energy – Announced his Lighting Plan to increase energy production, explore pathways to renewable sources, and grow the economy.
Housing – Discussed efforts to increase access to affordable housing including property tax relief, helping first-time homebuyers cover closing costs, permitting reforms, creating an Interagency Council on Homelessness, sealing certain eviction records, and establishing a statewide housing repair fund.
Public Safety – Spoke about efforts to support firefighters, increase the hiring of state troopers, and fill vacancies among corrections officers.