Pocono News Section

Governor's 2008-2009 Spending Plan Unveiled

Governor's 2008-2009 Spending Plan Unveiled - Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 5:43PM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Tuesday, Feb 5, 2008 @05:43pm EST
HARRISBURG, DAUPHIN COUNTY - Governor Ed Rendell unveiled his 2008-2009 budget in Harrisburg Tuesday afternoon. The 28 billion dollar spending plan increases spending, but does not include a widespread tax hike.

Even though Governor Rendell says his latest spending plan is a slow-growth budget, it includes several big initiatives. One of the ideas is a new infrastructure initiative called "Rebuild Pennsylvania," which would provide $270 million to repair roads, bridges and faulty dams across the state.

"Rebuild Pennsylvania will take 1,000 bridges off the structurally deficient list and these 1,000 will be our most dangerous," Gov. Rendell said.

Education was also on the Governor's mind. He is calling for lawmakers to increase funding by six percent, giving money to pre-schools, special education programs and using some to purchase new laptops for classrooms.

In terms of crime, Rendell also wants to add more police to the street. He targetted Wilkes-Barre specifically, saying he wants to create five new state-funded positions.

The news isn't as good for smokers. If Rendell's budget is approved, each pack of cigarettes would go up by 10 cents, to pay for a plan that would help 760,000 uninsured Pennsylvanians get healthcare coverage.

"We must tell our sickest Pennsylvanians that we're going to help them by ensuring access to healthcare for every citizen and we're going to do it this year," Rendell said.

By far, the biggest idea the Governor made Tuesday was a plan to give a one-time tax rebate of $400 to 470,000 low-income, working families. To pay for the plan, Rendell wants to borrow millions from the state's rainy day fund, but he says it's a move that will help those who need it most.

"By acting now, we can stimulate Pennsylvania's economy, protect our citizens from the national downtown and continue to make the commonwealth the leader in the battle for jobs and opportunities," Rendell said.