By: Administrator

Governor Tom Wolf announced his budget proposal for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The Governor’s proposal includes a 3.7% spend increase of $1.1 billion dollars that would be funded through a severance tax and a $300 million special fund transfer. Currently, the $40 million revenue surplus stands in contrast to last year’s $1.5 billion shortfall, and Senate Majority Appropriations Chairman Pat Browne noted that the General Assembly would prefer to see a smaller spend increase of 1-2% to keep from slipping back towards a deficit.

In political news, State Senator Scott Wagner and Lieutenant Governor candidate Jeff Bartos were endorsed last Saturday by the Republican State Committee, just after Speaker Mike Turzai suspended his campaign. Governor Tom Wolf was endorsed by the Democratic State Committee for his reelection, however they decided not to endorse a candidate for Lieutenant Governor, leaving the primary wide open.

Ben Dannels | Greenlee Partners, LLC