Civera Introduces Discharge Resolutions on State Budget Bills
More than 90 members sign on to bring budget bills to the House floor
House Republican Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. Mario J. Civera, Jr. (R-Delaware) today introduced discharge resolutions to move both budget bills – House Bill 1416 and Senate Bill 850 – to the House floor for a full chamber vote.
Chairman Civera issued the following statement regarding the proposals:
“We are less than a week away from the state’s budget deadline and there has yet to be any action taken on the House floor. This is totally unacceptable.
“Both budget bills have been in the House Appropriations Committee since early May – some 50-plus days. Despite countless calls to move the process along, we still continue to wait.
“At this point, our only course of action is to introduce a discharge resolution in hopes of getting the bills out of committee. Chairman Dwight Evans has made it very clear that he is in no rush to move either budget, so we need to take the next step.
“We are facing the toughest economic challenge in decades, and sitting around waiting for the House Democrats to take action sends the wrong message.
“We have known for months that the Commonwealth would be facing a multi-billion dollar deficit, so I am pretty hard pressed to understand why we still do not have a plan to work from. Whether it’s new spending and taxes or cuts and fiscal restraint, the members deserve the chance to weigh in on the budget. Right now, the House Democrats are blocking the process and the members are are not getting that chance.
“This is not good leadership, and the public has every right to criticize until something gets done. Hopefully, these resolutions will highlight the true urgency of the budget situation and get the House Democrats back on track so we can do what should have been done a month ago.”
Rep. Mario J. Civera, Jr.
164th District
House Appropriations Committee, Chairman (R)
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
(610) 853-4115
(717) 787-3850
www.MarioCivera.com
Contact: Todd Brysiak
Communications Coordinator
(717) 787-1711