One local lawmaker voted against the state budget for the second
time in as many years, citing an increase in spending and debt.

Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Warren, said Sunday afternoon she voted no to
the ,28.3 billion budget because it continues to drive up spending
in an economically fragile time.

“I am concerned with the amount of debt increase, especially
with the recent downturn in revenues in the state,” Rapp said,
adding she’s happy there won’t be a tax increase and the rainy day
fund will remain relatively intact.

The other three local lawmakers – Senate President Pro Tempore
Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, and Reps. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint,
and Dan Surra, D-Kersey, all voted in favor of the budget.

The new budget represents a ,1 billion increase – 4 percent –
over last year’s spending plan. While it doesn’t call for an
increase in taxes, it does use more than ,500 million in one-time
sources to fill in the gap for declining revenue.

Meanwhile, millions of dollars in bond issues were approved for
anything ranging from water and sewer systems to alternative energy
and infrastructure, including repairing ailing roads and
bridges.

Rapp said she’s also concerned with the growing capital budget,
where there was a “huge increase.” She voted against that portion
of the budget as well.

“I’m very leery of voting for stadiums in other parts of the
state,” Rapp said. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t believe there
should be capital projects, which require local matches. I have
supported them in the past. But, I didn’t see a reason to increase
the capital budget by ,800 million.”

According to the budget, ,800 million has been allotted for
civic redevelopment projects over four years, to be repaid from
general tax revenues.

Rapp said she did vote in favor of a ,400 million bond to
improve water and sewer systems in the state, which also must be
repaid from general tax revenues. However, that bond issue must be
approved by the voters in an upcoming referendum.

Before the passage of the budget, Senate officials said a ,1
billion deficit could appear over the next year, forcing additional
cuts or tax increases. The failing national economy has also begun
to hit Pennsylvania, slowing state tax collections.

For his part, Scarnati said the Legislature provided a budget
“that meets the times.”

“I think that once again, we provided a budget that is in those
parameters I set last year,” Scarnati said, including a controlled
rate of spending and no new taxes.

Scarnati said a big push from the Senate Republicans was to keep
the rainy day funds in tact until they are actually needed.

The lawmaker also believes the budget includes funding that will
benefit the state, including investments for bridges, dams and
water and sewer systems.

“The communities in the 25th District cannot be saddled with
this huge infrastructure cost,” Scarnati said, adding some
residents pay ,65 to ,75 a month for sewage. “It’s just killing
communities.”

Causer said while the budget does represent an increase in
spending over last year, it falls below the anticipated 4.4 percent
rate of inflation for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

“House and Senate Republicans were able to work together to
negotiate a plan that spends more than ,100 million less than what
the governor and House Democrats were pushing,” Causer said. “Just
as importantly, this budget includes no new taxes or fees, and we
were able to stop the administration from raiding the Rainy Day
Fund to pay for the governor’s pet projects.”

Causer said given the state of the national economy and recent
downturn in state revenue collections, it was vital to protect the
rainy day fund for the future. The state ended the 2007-08 fiscal
year with a ,167 million surplus.

The lawmaker also said officials worked with the administration
to make across-the-board cuts of 1.3 percent of all non-mandated
budget line items, representing a cut of more than ,500 million
from the original budget proposal. Causer said some of those funds
were then shifted to items that had been zero-funded by the
governor, including the Science in Motion program.

Meanwhile, Surra believes the budget keeps moving Pennsylvania
forward.

“The goal of this budget was to maintain, and even improve on, a
variety of initiatives that have allowed Pennsylvania to continue
moving forward even during the national economic downturn,” Surra
said. “In addition to accelerating our commitment to basic and
higher education, we are also putting in place an energy strategy
that will help Pennsylvania reduce its dependence on foreign oil
and save businesses and consumers money.”

Surra also said the budget continues investments in the economic
development and infrastructure improvement projects that have been
important to northcentral Pennsylvania.

“Unlike many states that have been forced to cut billions in
important programs, or raise taxes, Pennsylvania will continue to
move forward without doing either,” Surra said.

All the lawmakers agreed that an increase in education funding
was good for the local area.

The issue had been a bone of contention for local legislators,
who felt an original proposal by the Rendell administration – which
called for investing ,2.6 billion over the next six years – did not
do enough to help fund small, rural districts, some of which would
have only received a 1.5 percent increase.

In the end, the funding plan was lowered from six years to one
year and provides each district in the region with at least a 3
percent funding hike for basic education.

“I felt strongly that the governor’s plan failed to provide a
fair level of support to many of our rural schools,” Causer said.
“I believe we still need to do more to ensure our rural students
continue to get the educational opportunities they need and
deserve, but this year’s change was a step in the right
direction.”

Surra said the budget also calls for increases in funding for
State System of Higher Education universities and community
colleges. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency will
also receive a 5.5 percent increase to help more students pay for
college.

“We continue to move in a direction that places more of the
burden for funding education on the state and less on local
property taxpayers,” Surra said. “We still have a way to go, but if
we want to sustain and increase the property tax relief that will
be delivered this summer to all Pennsylvania homeowners, we have to
couple that effort with a significant and meaningful education
funding commitment from the state.”

Rapp also voted in favor of the education funding, noting the
idea of graduation competency testing was tabled and excluded from
the budget.

Scarnati gave credit to the governor for starting the budget
negotiations sooner.

“The tenor and rhetoric was good,” Scarnati said. “Of course,
there was some partisan bickering with the budget.”