Governor Tom Wolf addressed the General Assembly Tuesday morning to detail his budget proposal for the 2020-21 fiscal year. The budget proposal comes in at $36.056 billion dollars, which is a spending increase of $1.46 billion dollars over the current fiscal year.

Among some of Governor Wolf’s top priorities are cleaning up schools contaminated by lead and asbestos, reforming Charter Schools, building the state’s workforce by funding efforts to remove employment barriers, and protecting vulnerable Pennsylvanians.

“This budget is a blueprint for unleashing a new wave of prosperity for our Commonwealth. It will make a tangible difference in the lives of millions of people,” Governor Wolf said.

Another big proposal included in his budget address is the creation of a new tuition program for college students in Pennsylvania’s System of Higher Education, or. PASSHE. Named the Nellie Bly Tuition Program, it will provide tuition assistance to PASSHE students who agree to work in Pennsylvania after graduation for the number of years they received the benefit. The proposal adds if the student does not stay in Pennsylvania, the tuition grant converts to a loan. The program will be funded by re-purposing $204 million from the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development Trust Fund.

“Let’s bet on our kids instead of bankrolling race horse owners and ensure the viability of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education,” said Governor Wolf.

It’s a proposal that ruffled feathers with the Pennsylvania Equine Coalition.

“If approved by the legislature, this raid would result in the end of horseracing in Pennsylvania by eviscerating the primary funding source for the purses and breeder incentives that serve as the lifeblood of the industry,” said Pete Peterson, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Equine Coalition. “This scheme would destroy an industry that provides a $1.6 billion economic impact and supports an estimated 16,000 to 23,000 jobs in the agriculture, manufacturing, construction, retail and hospitality industries here in Pennsylvania,” Peterson adds in a statement.

The Governor says Pennsylvania should start providing its youth before they even start talking. The Governor’s proposal includes free, universal, all-day Kindergarten for all students. Governor Wolf is proposing $25 million for the Pre-K Counts program, and $5 for the Head Start Supplemental Program. He’s also proposing $15.3 million to ensure equal access to child care.

“The joy of raising children comes from imagining who they’ll become, what they’ll achieve, where they’ll make their mark. There is not a parent in this chamber who doesn’t want every opportunity – every opportunity – for their children. And there isn’t a parent in this Commonwealth who should have to settle for anything less,” Governor Wolf said.

Another provision of Governor Wolf’s budget address is bolstering Pennsylvania’s workforce. In addition to removing barriers to employment, the Governor has once again proposed a minimum wage increase to $12 an hour in July, with increases built in periodically until it reaches $15 an hour.

Governor Wolf’s budget address was interrupted several times by applause and standing ovations. More often than not, though, only about half the room was standing. It was the Republicans who seemed less enthused during the half-an-hour-long speech.

“This is what I refer to as a ‘red meat speech,’ you give out all the sort of talking points for his supporters, which he whiten just about every one of them today, and that’s what Governors do, and I certainly respect that from this Governor,” said Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-Centre, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin). “But what we’ll do is we’ll go back to the recipe for success, we’ll pull him back to the middle, we’ll get a fiscally responsible budget that does not as the taxpayers to invest more in state government,” Sen. Corman adds.

Republicans in both the House and Senate responded to the Governor’s proposal immediately following the address. One thing many GOP lawmakers are not happy about is the increase in spending.

“This budget is about spending, more taxes, more debt,” says House Appropriations Committee Chairman Stan Saylor (R- York). “This Administration is not serious about controlling spending and following the laws enacted by the General Assembly with this budget,” Rep. Saylor adds.

Republican lawmakers pointed to the Wolf Administration’s overspending on the current fiscal budget, and say that’s something that needs to change in the next fiscal year. While there are a few things they agreed with, GOP lawmakers say a lot of work needs to be done before the June 30th budget deadline.

“House Republicans, and Senators, are going to continue to worm on this budget to make it more fiscally responsible, put more money in the Rainy Day Fund, and have a lower spend number than what the Governor is proposing today,” says Rep. Saylor.

Governor Wolf also called on the legislature Tuesday morning to pass gun control laws. In addition to asking lawmakers to pass Red Flag laws, universal background checks, and stronger reporting requirements, the Governor’s budget proposal commits $6 million toward community programs that work to reduce gun violence.

“No law can eliminate every act of gun violence. But the steps I’m proposing are supported by the evidence – and supported by the vast majority of Pennsylvanians,” Governor Wolf says. “Let’s make 2020 the year we choose to stop being cynical about the politics of gun violence. Let’s start to address the reality of gun violence. Let’s make 2020 the year we act,” he adds.

But some GOP lawmakers say some of what the Governor is proposing regarding gun control and safety is a double-edged sword.

“I know he made a big deal about guns, and gun control, and gun violence and everything, but yet he cut $45 million out of school safety. I don’t understand that at all because the place where gun violence has been the most prevalent is in schools. That made no sense,” said Senator Gene Yaw (R-Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union).

Lawmakers in our viewing area had mixed feelings on the Governor's address.

"I was pleased with the Governor's budget address to see there were no new tax increases proposed. I'm also pleased as an educator that there's $30 million in increased funding for full-day Kindergarten all across the Commonwealth," says Rep. Bob Merski (D- Erie).

"A couple of things that I noticed in the state budget so far that I take a little offense to. It appears that the Governor practically zeroed out the school safety money, about $50 million. I just don't understand that and I haven't had a chance to talk to him about it. The other thing that really came to mind was the couple hundred millions of dollars that he wanted to talk out of the horseman's fund," says Sen. Dan Laughlin (R- Erie).

"This is a bold plan, but this is the Governor's plan. The buck starts and stops with the Legislature. I'm glad to see that his priorities align mostly with mine, and I want the people of Erie to know that I will be there and at the table fighting for them and making sure these priorities become a reality for them, that Erie County benefits moving forward," says Rep. Ryan Bizzarro (D-Erie).

"I am really concerned about the large amount of borrowing that's included in this package, about $5.5 billion dollars. So we have to have to take a real long, hard look at that, but other than that, we are starting a process, and we're going to be working on this over the next several months," says Senator Scott Hutchinson (R-Butler, Clarion, Forest, Venango, Warren)

A briefing of Governor Wolf’s 2020-21 budget proposal can be found at the link below.