State Rep. Kathy Rapp | Pennsylvania 65th Legislative District
State Rep. Kathy Rapp | Pennsylvania 65th Legislative District
Jul. 12, 2024
HARRISBURG — Rep. Kathy L. Rapp (R-Warren/Crawford/Forest) issued a statement following the House passage of a General Appropriations bill for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
“Failed leadership from House Democrats has led to another late budget. After completing the 2023-24 budget nearly six months late, Democrat leaders did not learn their lesson, beginning the negotiating process just days before the June 30 deadline,” said Rapp.
“This budget is not just late; it spends too much money. It calls for nearly $3 billion more in spending than the previous budget. That’s a 6% increase, and more money than the Commonwealth will collect in revenue. Sooner or later, this will overburden Pennsylvania taxpayers. I can’t support such an unsustainable spending plan.”
Rapp continued, “While we do have a healthy surplus and Rainy Day Fund, those are supposed to be saved for emergencies. They aren’t meant to fund programs that will create recurring expenses. If we continue tapping into these funds, the money we’re saving for a rainy day will be gone.”
She added, “With that being said, I fully support some of the programs this budget funds. In particular, I’m glad to see another increase in education funding. However, this funding was not distributed fairly. Nearly a quarter of that new funding is going to just one school district in Philadelphia.”
“I’m glad to see the school districts of the 65th Legislative District will get some extra help,” Rapp concluded. “But like the rest of this budget, we should have done much better.”
Representative Kathy Rapp
65th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jake Gillespie
717-772-9834
RepRapp.com / Facebook.com/RepRapp
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