HARRISBURG – Sen. Devlin Robinson (R-37) today voted to advance a bipartisan state budget that strengthens Pennsylvania’s economy and advances key priorities of Allegheny County residents.
The $50.1 billion budget approved by the Senate and House of Representatives cuts nearly $1.4 billion from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal that would have spent far beyond the state’s means. The plan also protects families from a proposed electricity tax and encourages job growth through permitting reforms and continued tax relief.
“At a time when families are still struggling with inflation, this budget funds state government at a responsible level without increasing taxes on working Pennsylvanians,” Robinson said. “This budget makes targeted investments in important programs and policies that benefit residents here in Allegheny County and across the commonwealth.”
The plan is expected to ease inflationary pressures that have affected Pennsylvania families in recent years.
As part of the agreement, Pennsylvania will not participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multi-state carbon tax that would have added more than $1 billion in new electricity costs for families and job creators. Stopping RGGI protects consumers from higher costs, prevents potential power plant closures, and avoids job losses and rolling electric blackouts in the years ahead.
“Eliminating RGGI is a major win for Pennsylvania workers and families,” Robinson said. “This illegal carbon tax would have driven up electricity bills, cost jobs, and weakened our energy independence — we simply couldn’t let that happen.”
One of Robinson’s major priorities – the Literacy Achievement for All Pennsylvania Students initiative that he championed with Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-7) – was included in the budget legislation to improve low literacy rates in Pennsylvania by using a three-pronged approach. First, it bolsters reading instruction with evidence-based reading curriculum and ensures educators receive the proper training on how to implement the curriculum in the classroom. It then identifies struggling readers by performing universal screenings within the first 30 days of school. Once struggling readers are identified, the bill requires schools to employ intervention plans to prevent children from falling behind.
“Improving literacy rates among Pennsylvania students is one of the smartest investments we can make in our state’s future,” Robinson said. “Only one-third of Pennsylvania students are proficient in reading, and one in five American adults struggle to read basic sentences, limiting their ability to find employment, complete everyday tasks, or participate fully in civic life. This initiative ensures schools have the tools they need to effectively teach our kids to read proficiently and lead successful adult lives.”
The language builds on successful reforms enacted in other states – such as Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee – that have adopted similar reforms aligned with the science of reading, resulting in notable gains in literacy.
This is in addition to increased funding for student achievement and family choice, including a $50 million expansion of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program and additional funding for Ready to Learn Block Grants ($562 million), Basic Education ($105 million), Special Education ($40 million), and Pre-K Counts ($9.5 million).
The budget also continues necessary funding for a bipartisan effort Robinson championed alongside Sen. Jay Costa (D-43) in recent years to create the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Force in western Pennsylvania, enhancing the region’s emergency response capabilities.
“I’m especially proud this budget includes funding for Pennsylvania’s urban search and rescue teams,” Robinson said. “These men and women put their lives on the line during emergencies and ensuring they have the resources they need is the least we can do.”
Importantly, the budget created a new $25 million line item for the Child Care Worker Retention and Recruitment initiative to provide support for our child care workforce. The budget also increases funding for important priorities of residents in Allegheny County, such as public libraries, intellectual disabilities programs and immediate care facilities, violence intervention and prevention programs, and rape crisis centers.
The budget also reforms Pennsylvania’s permitting process, requiring environmental permits to be deemed approved after a set timeframe and allowing appeals for denied applications. This provides certainty for businesses and ends the months-long delays currently slowing economic development across the state.
Finally, the plan continues pro-growth policies, including phasing down the Corporate Net Income Tax and preserving the Net Operating Loss deduction. These policies continue to attract new businesses and investments to the commonwealth, creating more family-sustaining jobs and opportunities for working Pennsylvanians.
CONTACT: Stephanie Applegate