Feb. 06, 2024

HARRISBURG — Rep. Zach Mako (R-Lehigh/Northampton) today issued the following statement in response to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s $48.34 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2024-25:

“Once again, the governor offered a budget address heavy on ideas and spending and thin on details. Thankfully, this is just the first step of the process. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, we will spend the next several months digging deeper into his proposal.

“At first blush, I have numerous concerns. The governor’s plan would set us up for fiscal failure in two years by drastically reducing the Commonwealth’s budget surplus from $7 billion to $3.5 billion in the first year. He would then continue his high-spending ways and move onto raiding the Rainy Day Fund.

“As co-chair of the Community College Caucus, I believe his plan to merge the Commonwealth’s community colleges with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) makes no sense. I am a graduate of both types of higher education institutions, and they serve completely different purposes. A merger would hamstring the nimbleness of community colleges to quickly adapt and pivot based on workforce development needs.

“Third, creating a new $34 million line item to update state government websites in order to make application processes easier for businesses and residents is throwing away money. Instead, let’s fix the onerous permitting processes for which House Republicans have been advocating. In today’s economy, we need to be crafting affordable, responsible and honest budgets that meet the needs of the Commonwealth without overburdening taxpayers.”

For more information on the 2024-25 state budget, go to pahousegop.com.

The 183rd District includes Lowhill and North Whitehall townships and Slatington Borough in Lehigh County. It also consists of Allen, East Allen, Lehigh and Moore (part) townships, and Bath, North Catasauqua, Northampton and Walnutport boroughs in Northampton County.

Representative Zachary Mako
183rd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Media Contact: Tracy Polovick
717.260.6358
tpolovick@pahousegop.com
RepMako.com / Facebook.com/RepMako
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