Daley: Bipartisan budget invests in education, all people across the state
Rep. Mary Jo Daley July 15, 2024 | 12:10 PM
MERION STATION, July 15 – State Rep. Mary Jo Daley said that she voted for the state budget Thursday night because it delivers on a promise to better fund schools all across Pennsylvania.
This budget allocates historic money – a $1.3 billion investment – that helps every kid in every school and finally meets a moral, constitutional and legal obligation to students, schools, parents and taxpayers, without a tax increase, she said.
“Despite the budget being delayed, we continued our efforts, passing other beneficial bills to improve our commonwealth while we arrived at this final product,” Daley said of the budget process in Harrisburg. “This budget represents a compromise, demonstrating our ability to push forward important measures while handling negotiations in a divided legislature.”
The $1.3 billion infusion this year includes $526 million to begin to fix the funding disparities among Pennsylvania’s school districts – as directed by court – and help homeowners who’ve been shouldering the heaviest burden in paying for their schools.
In the 148th Legislative District, the following school districts each received more funding than they did last year:
- Lower Merion SD $961,399 more.
- Colonial SD $840,826 more.
The budget made other historic investments, as well.
“We’re adding funding to the LIFE program, which helps keep seniors in their homes,” Daley said. “This money keeps more senior citizens in the homes they spent a lifetime building and puts more money back into their pockets to spend on what they want to spend it on.”
The budget also invests in home-care workers to provide care to seniors in their homes and ensures there’s more money for long-term care when seniors are ready to move.
It also delivers wins for health care in Pennsylvania, including an additional $2.5 million in funding for maternal health care initiatives. It also contains $3 million for a new initiative on menstrual hygiene products.
“We’re also saving young lives and the lives of parents with historic investments in addressing the maternal mortality crisis, and we’re investing more in expanding OB-GYN services in Pennsylvania,” Daley said. “There’s a win for every Pennsylvanian in this year’s budget.”
The new spending plan will also boost job growth and economic development through increased investments in key industries such as agriculture, tech and manufacturing, and provide new funding to boost “shovel-ready” building sites. A summary of the budget is available here.