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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; State Sen. John Yudichak said as the state budget conversation stands today, working families and communities of Northeastern Pennsylvania are going to be hurt if the partisan paralysis continues in Harrisburg.</p><p>Yudichak said responsible solutions need to be advanced to invest in jobs, cut property taxes and unleash a robust economy that creates opportunities for all Pennsylvanians.</p><p>&#8220;Pennsylvania must grapple with a structural deficit that is $3 billion and Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed a budget that comprehends the governing reality that Republicans overwhelmingly control the legislature,&#8221; Yudichak said.</p><p>Yudichak said the governor&#8217;s budget proposal, which he presented to the legislature Tuesday, begins the conversation.</p><p>Across the Senate aisle, Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, said because of the well-documented financial challenges facing legislators, and the disagreements over the past two years, the governor&#8217;s proposal will require more in-depth scrutiny than is customary.</p><p>&#8220;There will be a lot of digging into the details and testing the practicality of the proposals on both the spending and revenue sides of the plan,&#8221; Baker said</p><p>Wolf delivered his budget address Tuesday in Harrisburg, stating his balanced budget proposal contains no sales or income tax increases, includes more than $2 billion in cost-cutting measures, and protects education, seniors and substance-abuse treatment</p><p>Wolf outlined what he called &#8220;a different approach&#8221; for Pennsylvania&#8217;s budget by eliminating a $3 billion deficit by identifying cuts and savings initiatives in excess of $2 billion, imposing a severance tax on natural gas drillers and closing corporate loopholes</p><p>Additionally, the budget bolsters education at all levels, Wolf said, by increasing support by $209 million, expands efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, protects programs for seniors and individuals with disabilities, and makes new investments in job training.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m offering a budget proposal that represents a responsible solution to our deficit challenge &#8212; and a different approach from the way things have been done in Harrisburg for almost a generation,&#8221; Wolf said. &#8220;Let&#8217;s start here: In my proposed budget, there are no broad-based tax increases. At the same time, my budget protects the investments we&#8217;ve made in education, in senior services, in fighting the scourge of opioids, and in growing Pennsylvania&#8217;s economy.</p><p>Yudichak said Wolf has not called for broad based taxes and state spending will only increase 1.8 percent compared with the last fiscal year. He said the budget estimates $2 billion in savings from consolidating state programs, merging government departments and curtailing spending.</p><p>&#8220;Creating jobs and opportunities for working Pennsylvanians must be Harrisburg&#8217;s top priority and I am very concerned that this budget proposal lacks sufficient investments to advance Pennsylvania&#8217;s economic development strategy,&#8221; Yudichak said.</p><p>Baker said the need for new revenue to cover the deficit does not mean every recommendation makes good policy or economic sense.</p><p>&#8220;Long-range budget stability is unlikely without substantially reforming the two statewide pension systems,&#8221; Baker said.</p><p>Baker said now that the Wolf administration has acknowledged serious problems within the unemployment compensation system a harder look needs to be taken at other &#8220;automatic&#8221; spending requests contained within the budget.</p><p>&#8220;The consolidation of four state departments is the sort of management improvement that warrants consideration,&#8221; Baker said. &#8220;We have to determine the best way to achieve cost savings without causing disruption for local service providers and recipients.&#8221;</p><p>Baker said given the challenges small rural communities face in providing extensive services at an affordable cost, it has always seemed unfair to burden them with added costs for police coverage.</p><p>&#8220;So this latest proposal will be looked at with a skeptical eye,&#8221; she said.</p><p><strong>Legislators comment</strong></p><p>&#8226; State Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, said Wolf has chosen to focus on the state&#8217;s most important responsibilities: attracting and retaining family-sustaining jobs, ensuring children receive a quality public education, providing effective treatment for those battling opioid addiction, protecting the environment and safeguarding senior citizens.</p><p>Mullery said, however, that he is disappointed that Wolf failed to address an issue of paramount importance to his constituents: property taxes.</p><p>&#8220;The budget process is long, and I remain hopeful a comprehensive change to our antiquated school-funding system will be part of the conversation,&#8221; Mullery said.</p><p>&#8226; State Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, said she was pleased with the areas in the governor&#8217;s budget where the Republican House and Senate would most likely be in agreement. She said the focus on cutting waste and needless spending is an excellent way to better take care of the Pennsylvania taxpayer.</p><p>&#8220;This budget, I will be fighting for more education money to go to our students to prepare them for rewarding and family sustaining futures,&#8221; Toohil said. &#8220;Our seniors need to be protected in the later years of their life, instead of facing the heartache of home foreclosures and choosing between medicine and food.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, said he is ready to join the governor as he attempts to revamp government by eliminating deficiencies and waste and to manage our financial reserves with balance and fairness for all working citizens, businesses and senior citizens.</p><p>&#8220;I agree with the governor that we must continue to make progress on school funding by supplementing early childhood education, Special Ed needs and regular education,&#8221; Pashinski said. &#8220;I will continue to seek a fair and reasonable extraction tax on our Marcellus Shale gas industry because the people of Pennsylvania have lost between $800 million and $1.6 billion because we did not pass it in 2009. That&#8217;s not good fiscal management.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; State Rep. Mike Carroll. D-Avoca, said he welcomes a debate on all of the governor&#8217;s priorities. Carroll said he is pleased the governor proposed additional education funding and additional funds to fight the opioid epidemic.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m also pleased the governor seeks an increase in the minimum wage and to streamline state government services,&#8221; Carroll said. &#8220;As with any budget proposal, there will be challenges reconciling revenues with expenditures.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; After listening to the governor&#8217;s budget address, State Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, said he believes the budget process appears to be beginning from a much more responsible point than in recent years. Kaufer said legislators must continue to search for creative solutions to fund the budget without adding undue burden to the people, or to future generations.</p><p>&#8220;Re-prioritizing how we allocate our funding, and holding government agencies accountable for their success and failures should absolutely be part of these budget conversations,&#8221; Kaufer said. &#8220;Identifying waste, fraud and abuse should be at the top of the priority list. I am committed to being a good financial steward and ensuring every cent of taxpayer money is being spent wisely throughout this, and every, budget cycle.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; State Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, said she was encouraged with Wolf&#8217;s overview on cost-saving measures for the commonwealth and by his recognition of the state&#8217;s deficit.</p><p>&#8220;I believe we can work together to craft an equitable budget,&#8221; Boback said. &#8220;As we proceed with budget hearings, I will be asking for more details about the governor&#8217;s proposal through my role on the Appropriations Committee.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Yudichak-John.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Yudichak </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Yudichak-John.jpg</photo0><caption0>Yudichak </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Toohil_Tarah_toned.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Toohil </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Toohil_Tarah_toned.jpg</photo1><caption1>Toohil </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Carroll_Mike.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Carroll </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Carroll_Mike.jpg</photo2><caption2>Carroll </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Baker-Lisa-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Baker </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Baker-Lisa-4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Baker </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Pashinski-cmyk.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pashinski </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Pashinski-cmyk.jpg</photo4><caption4>Pashinski </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_BobackColor.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Boback </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_BobackColor.jpg</photo5><caption5>Boback </caption5><photoCredit5></photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Wolf_March2016CMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wolf </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Wolf_March2016CMYK.jpg</photo6><caption6>Wolf </caption6><photoCredit6></photoCredit6></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>Inside</p><p>District-by-district numbers of education funding, Page 4A.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Legislators optimistic, but agree Wolf budget needs serious scrutiny