HARRISBURG – The Senate today gave final approval to bipartisan budget legislation that funds Pennsylvania for the remaining 7 months of this fiscal year and sent the measures to the Governor’s desk, according to Senator David G. Argall.
Senate Bill 1350 finalizes the state spending plan for the current fiscal year (July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021). Overcoming the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Pennsylvania’s economy, the final $35.5 billion budget is balanced without the need for tax or fee increases.
Argall specifically hailed a bipartisan measure included in the state’s fiscal code which he spearheaded that invests in Pennsylvania energy. “This measure supports our state’s coal refuse industry,” said Argall. “We have lost too many local jobs with the closing of several waste coal power plants in McAdoo and Frackville. The jobs and the environmental remediation these plants provide by utilizing mountains of waste coal from decades ago, refilling abandoned strip mines for the first time in generations, and restoring local streams and rivers, are so important that I made this legislation my #1 budget priority this year.”
One budget-related bill to create a grant program to provide high-speed broadband internet service in underserved areas of Pennsylvania was also passed by the Senate and sent to the Governor’s desk. This service has become even more crucial during the pandemic for many employers and schools.
Contact: Jim Brugger 717.787.2637