Gov. Josh Shapiro’s First Budget Sheds Light on Priorities for Pennsylvania

[Timber Rattler]

https://www.theepochtimes.com/gov-josh-shapiros-first-budget-sheds-light-on-priorities-for-pennsylvania_5104883.html

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s budget address Tuesday laid out his vision of policies to prioritize in his proposed $44.4 billion budget, and he made an attempt to unify those listening.

“Let’s work together,” he urged House and Senate members who assembled to hear his plan. And, “believe in us,” Shapiro, a Democrat, asked of those who didn’t vote for him.

He offered ideas that have potential for bipartisan support such as better funded police and expanding the property tax rent rebate program for seniors and for disabled residents, increasing the maximum rebate from $650 to $1,000 a year and raising the participation income gap to $45,000.

“Let’s focus on that,” Shapiro said of his priorities at the end of his speech. “Because we all know that there are certain debates that will go nowhere with me.”

As long as he is governor, he said, Pennsylvania will not be a right-to-work state, LGBT Pennsylvanians will have the right to marry, and abortion access will remain available.

“I personally was very excited to hear the many Republican initiatives that Governor Shapiro has covered,” said Bryan Cutler, Republican House leader. “If Gov. Shapiro tried to implement many of the promises he had made during his campaign, he will find many of our members eager to work with him to lower taxes, improve our economic climate, and make the government less burdensome.”

But Shapiro intends to take money from the state’s surplus and rainy-day funds, and that has Republicans worried about over spending.

Excerpt.