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HARRISBURG The $32 billion spending plan that became law on July 10 without Gov. Tom Wolfs signature still has no set arrangement for funding it, and Philadelphia-area Democrats said financing packages offered up by the GOP are irresponsible and they fear the states debt will increase.

Already, Standard & Poors alerted government officials that Pennsylvanias credit rating is in jeopardy of downgrading and a budget without means to fund it only hurts the states tenuous portfolio.

I am deeply troubled that the Senate and House Republicans who dominate both chambers waited so long after Governor Wolfs budget address back in February to begin discussing how to pay for the $32 billion spending bill supported by members of both parties on June 30, said State Rep. Christopher Rabb, a Philadelphia Democrat who serves the 200th Legislative District.

Nearly two weeks into the new fiscal year, Republican leadership from both chambers have refused to consider a shale tax, an adjustment to the states personal income tax which could provide savings to most families, a long-overdue minimum wage increase or an end to the Delaware loophole which allows for continued corporate welfare for the wealthiest Pennsylvania-based businesses paid for by hard-working families who are deprived of those revenues being allocated to valuable services and resources that benefit millions of residents across the state, Rabb said.

State Rep. Joanna McClinton, also a Philadelphia Democrat and who serves the 191st District, said when she began her term there was a budget impasse and GOP leadership couldnt coordinate and get on the same page and lead effectively.

Its very disheartening. The governor came to us, as he always does, gave us his priorities several months ahead of time and here we are in July, and we havent handled that business, McClinton said.

Without new revenue, the general fund will have a negative balance for eight months, and the state is basically operating on a credit card for eight months out of the year which is fiscally irresponsible, said State Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky, a Democrat from neighboring Delaware County.

Several lawmakers worked through a recent weekend trying to find ways to forge a plan to fund the spending bill and fill the more than $2 billion state budget gap.

However, they fell short of an agreement.

The governor and House Democrats said they want to ensure the revenue bill includes significant recurring revenue sources to avoid the credit downgrade threatened by Standard and Poors last week if Pennsylvania continues to try to borrow and mortgage its way out of its deficit.

I showed up to work this week with one goal in mind and that was to pass a fair and balanced budget, said State Rep. Maria Donatucci, the chair of the Philadelphia Delegation.

The House passed a budget that increased education funding for the City of Philadelphia by $34 million. Unfortunately, as the past week has come and gone, my colleagues across the aisle have only offered proposals that will hurt Philadelphia schools and Philadelphia school children, Donatucci said.

It is vital that we fund our early education initiatives and provide our children with the quality education they deserve. And we must now find a responsible way to pay for it, she said.

Among the ways Donatucci, Rabb and other Democrats have proposed is the implementation of a Marcellus shale severance tax and raising the minimum wage.

These are issues that I have been fighting for since I first took office, Donatucci said. I am willing to stay in Harrisburg as long as I have to and will continue to speak up for our most vulnerable residents. My constituents, and the entire city of Philadelphia, are counting on us to not only get this done, but to get it done right, she said.

Rabb accused Republicans of wanting to pay for the budget with a risky expansion of gambling and liquor sales, protecting wealthy corporations and slashing critical resources for the most vulnerable.

Democrats like me want to end poverty wages for hard-working women and men trying to support their families, end corporate welfare and make natural gas producers pay their fair share like regular taxpayers do so that we can better fund our schools, encourage job growth, care for our elders and others most in need and protect our environment, Rabb said.

Far bigger than our impending financial crisis is the crisis in leadership and vision in Harrisburg where Republicans have wreaked havoc for decades. Further, the budget process itself is a prime example of garbage in, garbage out because too much of the negotiations happen too late and with little transparency, accountability, creativity and inclusiveness, he said.

Meanwhile, as public attention continues to focus on ways to pay for the budget, Republicans in the state House have quietly been pushing a radical overhaul of the states Medical Assistance program that would impose work requirements on thousands of beneficiaries.

Two newspaper reports on Thursday said the bill, sponsored by Rep. Dan Moul, R-Adams County, cleared the state House on a party-line vote and is now awaiting action by the Senate, which could happen at any time.

The language is included in a piece of budget-enabling legislation known as the Human Services Code. The two chambers are now on six hours notice to return to Harrisburg in the event of a budget agreement.

That means a vote on the Medicaid revisions could happen as part of that.

Activists have accused the House of trying to push the bill through to avoid a public outcry, even as Washington works on a radical overhaul of Obamacare.

This is kind of done in the middle of the night, moving forward proposals that would impact hard-working Pennsylvanians that rely on Medicaid for coverage, Antoinette Kraus, of the Philadelphia-based consumer group Pennsylvania Health Access Network, said.

Donatucci said shell continue to urge her Republican colleagues to do what is right for all Pennsylvanians. Its time to put people before party, she said.

See more here:
State Democrats 'deeply troubled' over budget proposals - The Philadelphia Tribune