Mar. 07, 2023
HARRISBURG – Rep. Mark Gillen (R-Berks) attended a joint session of the General Assembly today to hear Gov. Josh Shapiro outline his budget proposal for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
He issued the following statement in response to the $45.8 billion spending plan:
“As a chairman of the House Veteran Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, I support the additional law enforcement investment allocated to add hundreds of Pennsylvania State Troopers. Our veterans deserve the best in elder care, and I endorse the proposal for an additional 10% going to support our Commonwealth Veterans Homes.
“As an educator, I have consistently voted for increases in education funding for pre-K counts through higher education.
“Additionally, as an economic principle we must not spend our reserve funds that exist for emergencies and economic downturns. The governor’s spend numbers across the budget would eventually create deficits.”
Gillen noted that the governor’s address is just the beginning of the annual budget process. The House Appropriations Committee will conduct a series of hearings starting Monday, March 20, to examine the details of the governor’s plan and how state departments and agencies are spending their funding. A schedule of the hearings and more information on the 2023-24 budget is available at
www.pahousegop.com.
Representative Mark Gillen
128th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives