Key Issues - Budget 2009-10
Resources2009-10 Budget In February 2010, Governor Rendell announced the restoration of more than $32 million of the mid-year budget freezes announced in January. In most cases, the funding freezes were one percent applied to numerous line items across the board, but some were cut up to 10 percent and more than 40 programs got their entire funding stream frozen. As a result of the restorations, all of the items frozen by more than 10 percent were reduced to 10 percent freezes. Among other important programs, community education councils, health care clinics and mobile science education saw large portions of their funding restored. For a detailed breakdown of the revised spending reductions, click here. In mid-January 2010, Budget Secretary Soderberg announced the amounts that the Rendell Administration was placing in budgetary reserve. The amount reserved is $163,229,000. In general, the Administration’s cuts include a one percent across-the-board reduction in general government operations and administrative line items, with deeper cuts of approximately $100 million in discretionary line items. At the mid-year budget briefing in December 2009, Governor Rendell acknowledged a potential revenue shortfall of $450 million by the end of the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year. Act 10A of 2009 contains the 2009-2010 state budget. The measure sets general fund spending at $27.8 billion – more than $1 billion less than the Governor’s initial budget request and nearly $500 million less than the approved 2008-09 budget total of $28.267 billion. The spending plan uses approximately $25.17 billion in state funds augmented by $2.6 billion in federal stimulus funds. More than $650 million of federal stimulus funds is allocated for basic education to bolster state support for Pennsylvania’s school districts. A companion measure, Act 50 of 2009, amends the state’s Fiscal Code to establish the parameters for the distribution of the education funds. For a comparison of the new budget contained in Act 10A with last year’s budget and the Governor’s original budget proposal, click here. 2009-10 Governor's Executive Budget (CD-ROM copies of the proposed 2009-2010 Governor's Executive Budget document can be requested by submitting your name and address by e-mail to GBOpublications@state.pa.us ) 2009-10 Proposed Budget Slide Presentation Governor Rendell's Proposed Tax and Fee Increases and Proposed Fund Transfers for FY 2009-10 (Senate Appropriations Committee). Governor Rendell's 2009-10 Executive Budget Address 2009-10 Budget Fact Sheets Mid-year Budget Briefing (12-9-08) provided to legislators and the public in the State Museum Auditorium by Governor Rendell and his Budget Secretary. Governor's Press Release outlining his plans to close the budget shortfall and providing an economic outlook for the Commonwealth.
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