Rep. Tina Pickett (above) issued the following statement today after Governor Tom Wolf (top) announced that he will allow the 2015-16 supplemental budget to take effect on Monday, March 28, without his signature:
“The 2015-16 budget cycle has been one for the record books, but I am pleased that it will finally come to a close in just a couple of days. Today’s announcement is good news for all of those schools, universities, agriculture programs, rural hospitals and others that have been impacted by the cut or loss of state funding. While I am disappointed that it took nine months to get to this point and I hope it is never repeated, the governor is doing the right thing by allowing the budget to become law and getting state funding to its intended recipients.
“The supplemental budget we gave him last week had bipartisan support, signaling to the governor that the time for continued negotiations has passed. I’m glad the governor has displayed common sense and brought this ordeal to a close. Our residents cannot afford the type of tax increases he was proposing, and we continued to send that message to him.
“I am hopeful that with the close of the 2015-16 budget cycle, we can immediately begin work on the 2016-17 state budget so that we can get an agreeable, responsible budget to the governor’s desk before the end of June.”