FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2009
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2009-10 State Budget / Line-Item Veto Overrides
Senator Pileggi's Floor Comments * August 19, 2009

Thank you, Mister President.

Mister President, today is August 19th. We are now 50 days – 50 days – past the deadline for enacting a state budget.

As everyone in this chamber knows, there are still serious differences between the budget which our caucus would like to see enacted and the budget that Governor Ed Rendell would like to see enacted.

Today, it is my hope that the Senate can set aside those differences and take action which is clearly in the best interests of some of Pennsylvania's most vulnerable citizens.

The Senate will soon be asked to vote on several veto overrides.

Today, we can work together, cooperatively, to provide funding to these programs which serve our neediest citizens.

In many cases, there is no disagreement on the amount of funding that should be provided.

We have embraced the Governor's recommended funding level in many areas, including funding for rape crisis services, for homeless assistance, for drug and alcohol programs, and for veterans' services.

There should be no question that the organizations waiting for this funding, and the people who need those services, should be freed from their current position in the middle of our budget negotiation process.

In some other areas, we will be asked to override line-item vetoes where there is a modest difference in the proposed levels of spending.

Those programs are extremely time-sensitive. College students need to know if they will receive the grants they are expecting. Parents who receive state subsidies for child care need to know those funds are available so they can go to work. And families who rely on the Community Mental Retardation Base Program should not have to worry about whether or not their loved ones will continue to receive necessary services.

Mister President, it was two weeks ago today that the Governor partially signed – and partially vetoed – Senate Bill 850.

When he did that, there was some reason to hope that an agreement on a final state budget would be reached sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

Today, we are faced with a situation where many organizations which provide absolutely vital services are on the verge of closing.

In today's Harrisburg Patriot-News, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence said: "Starting next week, there will be women and children in certain areas of the state who may not have the support services available to them when they need to flee their violent homes."

Today's actions in the Senate should not be partisan.

It should not even take very long – we could be back to the business of negotiating a final state budget – and also agree today to provide this immediate funding for our most vulnerable citizens.

If the Senate votes to override these few line-item vetoes, it will not reduce the Governor's leverage in budget negotiations. He can continue to advocate for spending at any level he wants.

What these veto overrides will do is simple: They will release state funds to our most vulnerable citizens who desperately need the funds.

The overrides will provide funding to help victims of rape, victims of domestic violence, and families who don't know where their next meal is coming from.

The overrides will ensure that disabled veterans can receive transportation services, that the homeless can be sheltered, and that college students and their families can go to school without worrying about whether they will have to drop out.

Today, I ask my fellow Senators to set aside partisanship. This is not a game. What we do today can have a real, immediate impact on the lives of thousands of Pennsylvanians.

Today, we must let the residents of this great state see us working as one to protect our most vulnerable citizens.

Thank you, Mister President.