Governor refuses to sign state budget (PA)

Pittsburgh Post/Gazette ^ | July 1, 2014 | By Karen Langley and Kate Giammarise / Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau Read more: http://www.post-ga

[knarf]

HARRISBURG -- With an hour left in Pennsylvania’s fiscal year, Gov. Tom Corbett said in a statement last night he would withhold his signature from a $29.1 billion budget sent to him by the Republican General Assembly while he considers its effect on the state.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2014/07/01/Gov-Tom-Corbett-refuses-to-sign-state-budget/stories/201407010110#ixzz36DljvJMq

[knarf]

A (wonderful) surprise to ME

[Buckeye McFrog]

still throwing too much money down a public education rat hole

[knarf]

Of course, but as a newly elected school board member, I voted no to a 3 mil increase that wouldn't do a thing to get us out of a hole.

It passed 5-2 (1 absent, 1 abstain) but it will cause turmoil now in the meetings .... looking forward to it.

I had an opportunity to make the public statement that "We're trying to provide for teachers' pensions and doing nothing for readin', writin' an' 'rithmetic and I cannot, nor will not be moved by political tyranny (the pension fund is union/lawful mandate)"

They at least know where I stand.

[1Old Pro]

In his statement, the Republican governor cited the failure of legislators to deliver measures reshaping the retirement systems for state and public school workers. He cited the rising costs of pensions under current law.

Defined benefit programs have lavish payouts given the underfunding. THis goes for state workers, police and fire, etc. People are working 25 years and retiring for 40 or 50 years at almost full pay as they jack up their final 3 to artificially spike their retirement - it's a house of cards and never should have been allowed. All public sector employees should save themselves in a 401k like the rest of the people. The union retirees are laughing it up in Florida at 50 years old - the new elite.

[NFHale]

Well, Ol’ Corbie finally did something to bolster his sagging poll numbers.

Maybe he finally saw a “Wolf” at the door...

[knarf]

I'm no financial wizard and I don't know what the answer is, but I DO know more tax money is NOT the answer.

I've stated before (asked the superintendent in public) ... if I give you a hundred dollars will you be better in math than before I give you money ?

Everyone chuckled ... except me.

I will not throw money into a failed 'education' system that does nothing to educate.

Personally, I think after learning to read, write/compose/understand English and get your one plus ones and gazinta's and memorize the multiplication table .... everything else is just expanding your world horizon.

[Ghost of SVR4]

I have to say, I too am surprised by this.
Now to see where this leads.

BTW Governor, would you please tell PennDOT to QUIT shutting down every damn road I need to get to work in a reasonable amount of time? I am growing weary of perfectly good roads being torn up and my one way commute now 1.5 hours.

[Renegade]

I don’t give a rats azz about the budget .Where the hell is the pre-emption bill?

[AppyPappy]

The pension was a carrot to entice employees from corporations. If they eliminate the pension, they have to jack up the salaries.

In Virginia, we have to pay into the pension system. 5% of gross pay goes into VRS.

[knarf]

prolly not gonn'a happen.

We already have plain text laws on the books (immigration, f'rinstance) and they are ignored. Legislators never want to write another bill that would say essentially the same thing and cause the ... "you already have the pre-emption bill on your desktop, do you want to replace it ?"

[Nextrush]

Tom Corbett (Republican) has to change the subject and grandstand after he raised gasoline taxes last year by 28 cents a gallon over five years with the first ten cents kicking in this year.

Any pension reform he seeks for government employees which is doubtful in our union run legislature will be too little too late but will be dramatized and exaggerated by a politician (Corbett) who needs to be re-election.

Money has been taken out of my pocket in PA so that a Republican governor could line the pockets of labor unions (typical PA politics) like the Laborers and Boilermakers who have endorsed Corbett’s re-election.

Highway and bridge construction interests have poured tens of thousands into Corbett’s campaign as a result of the gas tax hike.

This is a big PT Barnum show and I’m not one of those who said was “born every minute”.

[Nextrush]

Dittos and right on.....

[Nextrush]

His re-election is being bought with the gas tax increase and all the highway work done by unions and construction companies that are endorsing Corbett and giving him money.

[NFHale]

It’s almost like he doesn’t want to be re-elected.

[knarf]

just now received in e-mail

Gov. Corbett Withholds Signature on 2014-15 Budget

More Info

July 1, 2014

Last night the General Assembly sent House Bill 2328 (Rep. Adolph, R- Delaware), a $29.1 billion budget 2014-15 state budget, to Gov. Corbett, meeting the constitutional deadline to adopt a plan by June 30. The governor, however, declined to sign the appropriations bill because a pension reform plan was also not sent to him.

The final budget reflected the plan as it was reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee over the weekend. The Senate passed the bill on Monday evening with a 26-24 vote and sent it to the House, where the chamber voted to concur with a 108-95 vote at about 10:30 p.m. The budget creates some balances with the use of one-time fund transfers, shortening the timeframe the state hold on to unclaimed property, leasing ground under state forest land for gas drilling, and granting two casino licenses. No new taxes are included in the plan.

Under the new budget, basic education will receive these appropriations:
* Basic Subsidy – level funding at $5.26 billion
* Special Education – an increase of $20 million, for a total of $1.046 billion
* School Construction (PlanCon) – an increase of $10 million, for a total of $306 million
* Ready to Learn Block Grant – $200 million (folds in $100 million from the existing Accountability Block Grant)
* School Employees’ Retirement – an increase of $150 million

Fiscal Code bill still pending
The General Assembly is also working on separate legislation that provides for distribution of subsidies and other funds to schools. Unlike other years where such enabling language is in an omnibus School Code bill, this year the provisions will be in bill amending the Fiscal Code. Those provisions are in House Bill 278, as amended last night by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill will go to the Senate floor, and must then return to the House for concurrence. PSBA will have a comprehensive analysis of the education provisions contained in Fiscal Code soon.
Overall, the provisions for education include:

Basic Education – Each school district will receive the same basic subsidy payments as it did in 2013-14. Any remaining funds will be directed into the Financial Recovery School District Transitional Loan Account.
Ready to Learn Block Grant – The bill distributes $100 million in Accountability Block Grants and uses a $231 base funding amount and factors for per-student funding, English language learners and poverty. A district’s grant funding will be eliminated from its payments to charter schools. School districts and charter schools must submit a plan to the Department of Education (PDE) for approval of their use of the block grant. There are 11 eligible uses of the funding, which include early learning opportunities for pre-k through 3rd grade, establishing or maintaining pre-k or kindergarten programs, supplemental instruction for Keystone Exams, implementation of the PA Comprehensive Literacy Plan, hybrid learning models, STEM education, competency-based learning models, and other uses approved by PDE. Click here to see school district allocations for the grant.
Special Education -- Each school district will receive the same special education payments as it did in 2013-14. An additional $19.8 million will be distributed using a new three-tier formula based on the recommendations of the Special Education Funding Commission as they apply to school districts only. The new formula factors in categorical student costs, district scarcity/size, and market-value aid ratio. Intermediate Units will receive level funding.
Special Education Contingency Fund – The bill provides for a 1% contingency fund for school districts and charter schools with extraordinary special education expenses. There are new funding distributions for students with expenses greater than $75,000 and $100,000.
School Construction Reimbursement – The PlanCon moratorium is eliminated. School districts in Part H have 90 days to submit paperwork for reimbursement. Nearly $70 million in funding is held up in Part H projects that have not finished their application and some applications have been on hold for over five years. Failure to complete the proper paperwork will result in PDE funding the next project in line waiting for reimbursement. The skipped district can receive reimbursement when their paperwork is submitted. The secretary of education can grant waivers to those districts in Part H that are reconciling financial records, facing litigation or bond financing delays.
Payments to Charter Schools – The state portion of the reimbursement to charter schools for employer retirement contribution costs is eliminated. The bill also continues the elimination of Social Security payments to charter schools.
Financial Recovery Districts – The bill allows PDE to utilize up to $4.5 million to assist Financial Recovery Status School Districts.
Alternative Education – The bill requires Alternative Education programs to submit an application and fee to defray PDE’s costs for administration and oversight of the program. For public school based programs, the application fee is $400. For private institutions, the fee is $1,000. Vocational Education Equipment Grants – Funding for each vocational-technical school and approved vocational program is distributed using a $3,000 base amount and a per-student allocation.
Rural Regional College Program – Also included are provisions to establish a rural regional college program serving a multicounty region that is underserved by a community college network. The college’s board of trustees may include school administrators, community education council officials, business leaders and government officials. The board must establish an advisory committee to discuss employer and workforce needs, educational offerings and coordination of services and facilities. The college can enter into contracts with high schools to provide vocation education and other services. The board must also partner with an accredited institution of higher education to develop and offer accredited courses. As the college is able to operate on its own, a transition plan must go into effect.

Other Legislation
These bills received final passage in the General Assembly and will head to the governor’s desk:
CPR Certification for Nurses -- Senate Bill 193 (Sen. Vance, R-Cumberland) requires school nurses to be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A school nurse who is not CPR-certified by July 1, 2014, must complete CPR training within one year. A person hired after July 1, 2014, for a position for school nurse must be certified or complete CPR certification within one year.

Length of School Buses – Senate Bill 1312 (Sen. Vogel, R-Beaver) provides for the use of school buses up to 45 feet in length. Current state law prohibits the use of school buses over 40 feet in length. The bill prohibits drivers of commercial vehicles from texting while driving unless an emergency exists; other provisions in the bill do not affect school transportation issues.

Adopted by the Senate:
Expansion of Charter School Authorizers -- Senate Resolution 414 (Sen. Smucker, R-Lancaster) directs the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study of alternative methods of authorizing charter schools and regional charter schools, to be completed by Nov. 30, 2014. The LBFC will study a variety of alternative authorizers including higher education authorizers, statewide authorizers and multiple charter organizations

Also of interest:
Cigarette Tax For Philadelphia Schools – Last night the Senate approved an amendment to House Bill 1177 that would provide for a cigarette tax with revenue dedicated to the School District of Philadelphia. The language gives the city the authority to raise sales taxes on cigarettes by $2 per-pack to benefit the city’s schools. It is expected to raise $83 million in the new fiscal year.

The General Assembly remains in session today as many other issues, including pension reform, may still be considered. PSBA will continue to provide updates as events occur.

[ExTxMarine]

In his statement, the Republican governor cited the failure of legislators to deliver measures reshaping the retirement systems for state and public school workers. He cited the rising costs of pensions under current law.

In other words, the budget they sent to him doesn't do enough to cover the tracks and hide the waste of all the money siphoned off the pension systems probably by him and several other politicians in the past AND it obviously does not comfortably kick the can far enough down the road so that if he wants higher office aspirations, this doesn't bite him!!

Or something(s) along those lines! GOT IT!

[knarf]

I think that’s a fair understanding ... thanx for it.

[Nextrush]

I read that update last night.

A lot of details for local schools including a tax increase for cigarettes in Philly to pump tens of millions into the faltering school system there burdened by pay and benefits for its employees.

The final version of things including any other revenue adjustments, disguised tax hikes, borrowing, any pension reform plan will emerge at a time when the public’s attention is diverted.

They will pass and or the governor will sign in the dead of night right before a weekend or holiday.

[stevio]

Thanks for being there. More of us Freepers and Freedom Fighters need to do our part.

[Renegade]

The bill is already written and is being held up by somebody to bring it to the floor.It passed under Rendall and he vetoed it!