In February, Governor Tom Corbett unveiled his 2014-2015 budget proposal, which looks a bit different than his last three. The 2014-2015 proposal contains some new initiatives, including a block grant for public education. On the surface those changes seem positive, but when you dig a little deeper it is clear this budget still does not address the real concerns of the middle class.
One thing that hasn’t changed, Governor Corbett is still trying to save money by cutting healthcare for low-income Pennsylvanians. Instead of accepting federal money for Medicaid expansion, he is proposing his “Healthy PA” program that will actually reduce healthcare benefits for low-income working families and people with higher healthcare needs.
For his new initiatives, many lack sustainable funding, meaning programs will be short-lived. The budget also does not include any increase for basic education funding. His education block grants come with restrictions on how the money can be spent by schools and cannot be used to restore smaller class sizes or hire school counselors or nurses. These restrictions will affect lower-performing schools more, meaning those students will continue to struggle.
Governor Corbett continues to rely on business tax cuts to grow our economy. The problem is, cutting business taxes has not brought jobs to Pennsylvania. In fact, our job-growth ranking has fallen from 7th in 2010 to 48th in 2013. Additionally, a new report has found the governor’s “impact fee” on Marcellus Shale drillers has brought in only half as much revenue as a severance tax similar to West Virginia’s would have.
Governor Corbett’s continued refusal to make corporations pay their fair share of taxes forces the burden onto the rest of the hard working people in our state. If Pennsylvania is going to thrive, we must ensure healthcare coverage for millions in our state by accepting Medicaid Expansion, restore education funding, and make big business pay their fair share of taxes.