July 12, 2024 –Sen. Nick Miller (D-Lehigh/Northampton) announced that he is confident that investments promised in this year’s state budget, which passed Thursday night, will be crucial to the commonwealth.
“We are seeing historic investments in public education, economic development and public safety,” said Miller. “Additionally, tax reform will finally offer many commonwealth residents and businesses the break they deserve and I think we will see the positive impacts of some of these investments for decades to come.”
Miller, who served on the 2023 Basic Education Funding Commission, a bipartisan effort to construct a formula to properly fund the state’s public education system, advocated for more public education state funding. The legislation includes around $900 million more for public schools, a nearly 9% increase.
“As a former local school board member and a member of the BEFC, I have long been fighting for more funding for our public schools. This budget language updates the model to a newer formula to distribute more accurate funding to schools, considering a district’s poverty data, because of the BEFC efforts,” said Miller. “We are also allocating $100 million toward school safety and mental health for students. The Allentown School District alone should see a $13 million increase in much-needed funding.”
There is also continued funding for the commonwealth’s community colleges and technical education, which Miller has long advocated for, pushing for higher education to not be a luxury, while also giving students the opportunity to pursue a trade and enter the workforce.
“This legislation also provides $100 million in funding to remediate and repair our schools,” said Miller. “It is not a safe and productive environment to learn and thrive when there is mold and asbestos in our schools.”
Funding was also secured for Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites in this year’s budget, Miller’s legislation (Senate Bill 16), to prepare sites for business development to make them ‘shovel-ready.’
“We are falling behind neighboring states in attracting and retaining businesses,” said Miller. “By providing entrepreneurs with sites that are ready for development, we are able to bring new businesses in and help existing businesses expand in the commonwealth.”
Miller added that $20 million to the Main Street Matters program will go a long way toward helping communities across Pennsylvania turn their downtowns into cleaner, safer and vibrant areas.
“As a Penn State University graduate, I am also thrilled that Invent Penn State is receiving funding again,” added Miller. “We need to encourage economic development and innovation and this is a great resource.”
Businesses will also see an expansion of the deduction of Net Operating Losses over the next few years, while the commonwealth will also provide an increase in the state’s Historic Tax Credit and the Neighborhood Assistance Program Tax Credit (Senate Bill 1181).
To attract families to put roots down in Pennsylvania, Miller stressed the importance of community safety. This budget extends grants to fire departments and EMS for an additional five years. The Building Opportunity through Out of School Time, also known as BOOST, will receive $11.5 million to create a statewide program through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime/Delinquency, which will aim to reduce community violence by providing more after-school learning opportunities for youth.
“I am proud to support this year’s budget,” said Miller. “We are making significant contributions to continue to make Pennsylvania a great place to live, work and explore.”