HARRISBURG, February 6 – Pennsylvania House Democratic Leaders today issued the following statement on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2024-25 state budget proposal, which makes important investments in education, jobs and communities, creating new opportunities for strengthening Pennsylvania without raising taxes: 

“Governor Shapiro laid out a comprehensive proposal that builds on last year’s historic investments in education while recognizing the important work of the Basic Education Funding Commission. House Democrats remain committed to fulfilling our constitutional and moral obligation to fund our public schools to ensure that every child, regardless of their ZIP code, has access to a quality public education. We look forward to working with the governor and our colleagues to deliver on that obligation.   

“As our economy continues to strengthen, this is a critical moment in time to invest in our workforce and economy. Governor Shapiro’s proposal prioritizes investments that will attract and retain businesses while growing our workforce.   

“We’re very encouraged that this plan makes key investments without raising taxes or diminishing our healthy surpluses.  

“To be clear, House Democrats insist that we fulfill our constitutional and moral obligation to fund our public schools; that we do more to invest in our colleges and universities; that we make smart investments to attract and retain businesses while protecting our workforce; and that we continue cutting costs for middle-class families.  

“We’re pleased that the governor continues to share our commitment to ensuring better schools, better jobs and better communities. We look forward to working with Governor Shapiro and the Shapiro Administration as we further explore the budget proposal at our upcoming budget hearings.”