After years controlling the budget agenda in Harrisburg, Republicans in the state House of Representatives are the minority party and they are finding it tough to get their points across.
Representative Jim Struzzi says that last week budget talks intensified as Democrats defeated seven budget amendments he supported. Instead, he says, they introduced legislation that mirrors Governor Josh Shapiro’s budget address.
The seven defeated amendments included voter ID, removal of Pennsylvania from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, an attempt to prevent a $1.78 million increase in spending for the governor’s office, a third-party review for the state’s permit approval process, new staff to address $6 billion in unemployment compensation fraud that Republicans say was committed last year, a funding increase for the Animal Health & Diagnostic Commission, and opposition to the governor’s proposal to create what Struzzi calls an “offline and not transparent” special account to fund the state police.
Struzzi says the Republican amendments would have protected taxpayers and ensured that the state was spending tax dollars responsibly.
The full House and Senate return to Harrisburg on June 5th.
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