Notice of Veto [45 Pa.B. 3798]
[Saturday, July 18, 2015]July 2, 2015
To the Honorable Senate
of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:I am returning herewith, without my approval, Senate Bill 655, Printer's Number 1137.
This bill amends the Fiscal Code to implement the General Appropriations bill for the 2015-2016 fiscal year. As I vetoed the General Appropriations bill, I will also veto its implementation.
This bill is one part of a budget that is not in the interest of this Commonwealth.
This legislation falls short of a budget plan that I can endorse for a number of reasons. It fails to adequately pay our bills. It relies on over $1.5 billion in one-time revenues, payment delays into the next fiscal year, and fund transfers. It is not part of a balanced budget plan, and it will lead to a $3 billion deficit and credit downgrades for the Commonwealth.
The General Appropriations bill, upon which this bill is based, only provides an additional $8 million in basic and special education funding for our public schools, which is clearly not adequate funding to ensure Pennsylvanians have schools that teach our students. This approach simply does not provide sufficient funding to meet our constitutional requirement to provide a thorough and efficient system of education for our children.
For these reasons, I cannot support this bill and withhold my signature from Senate Bill 655, Printer's Number 1137.
Sincerely,
Governor
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 15-1305. Filed for public inspection July 17, 2015, 9:00 a.m.]
