Pa. House Sends Senate Hotly Contested Revenue Plan
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- Voting mostly along party lines, the state House has passed a controversial, Republican-crafted revenue plan to pay for Pennsylvania's already-enacted budget without significant tax increases.
The revenue plan involves the use of what supporters like Republican Dan Moul say are surpluses, and only surpluses, in special funding streams for purposes that are separate from the state's general fund budget.
"So when you get those emails saying, 'well, we're not going to be able to fund this, and we're not going to be able do that project in your district'… don't believe it," Moul said.
But fellow Republican John Taylor of Philadelphia, the House Transportation chairman, opposed the plan, citing concerns about mass transit funding…
"In my opinion, this is not extra money," Taylor said, "this is not money sitting around doing nothing."
The plan approved by the House also leverages future tobacco settlement monies for an upfront payment. Senate Republicans are skeptical of the plan and Governor Wolf, who calls it 'nonsense,' warns of an imminent fiscal crisis.
