May. 26, 2020
HARRISBURG – The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a five-month temporary budget to allow more details about tax revenue to emerge following the peak of the COVID-19 crisis.
The temporary budget would fund education for kindergarten to 12th grade at the same level as 2019-20, and also fully funds colleges and universities. The education funding extends a full year rather than the five months.
Rep. Tom Mehaffie (R-Dauphin) described the measure as a smart step because COVID-19’s effects on the tax base are not yet known.
“We need a clearer picture about the money coming in before we can do long-term budget planning. That said, it was particularly important to provide school districts information about their allocations because school boards across Pennsylvania are currently negotiating their own budgets during an unprecedented era in education,” he said.
Mehaffie called for quick action on the budget measure in the Senate.
Representative Tom Mehaffie
106th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives