Philadelphia House Delegation reacts to adoption of state budget

Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus    July 12, 2024 | 10:10 AM

HARRISBURG, July 12 – On Thursday, all Philadelphia House Delegation members voted to approve the state budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Chairwoman of the delegation, state Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila., said that the budget is far from perfect, but is a solid compromise that will see historic school funding thanks in large part to the recommendations of the Basic Education Funding Commission, housing assistance, support for public safety and one-time funding to bolster SEPTA. 

“This budget reflects our priorities for the city of Philadelphia through historic fair, adequate and equitable funding for the School District of Philadelphia; addressing affordable housing and homeless assistance; investments in health care and maternal health, while infusing one-time funding to keep SEPTA moving,” said Cephas. “With the $231.9 million increase in basic education funding for Philadelphia public schools and millions of dollars in the Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program to remediate toxic schools, Philadelphia students will soon be able to look across the city limits and see that they have the same facilities, opportunities and possibilities as the kids in neighboring, suburban counties. Our kids deserve this.

“Affordable housing is a crisis in Philadelphia, so we’re glad to see investment in solving some of the issues in housing and housing security. Eviction reform has been a priority for our members, and we see that reflected in the 27% increase in homeless assistance and $2.5 million for groundbreaking right-to-counsel services for the state. Public safety is addressed through an increase in the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund and continued funding for indigent defense and violence intervention and prevention programs.”

Cephas concluded with a lament that mass transit was not a priority for Senate Republicans in budget negotiations, but said she is encouraged by the future prospects to reinforce SEPTA.

“While we were unable to secure the dedicated, recurring funding that the governor proposed for mass transit, we are happy for the one-time infusion of money from the General Fund, which will stave off the most drastic service cuts and fare increases by SEPTA. We look forward to returning in the fall to work toward a dedicated funding source to keep SEPTA moving into the future for southeastern PA as we approach our regional major world-class events in 2026.”

The $47.6 billion state budget for fiscal year 2024-25 was approved by both the state House and Senate Thursday and was signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro last night.