HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is hours away from delivering his first second-term budget proposal to a joint session of the Legislature, with the Democrat promising a strong commitment to education.
Wolf’s budget address is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. The spending plan is expected to approach $34 billion for the fiscal year starting July 1.
He secured $1 billion in new first-term education funding, about half of his goal, and he’s hinted that he’ll seek more from the Republican-controlled Legislature. He’s also said he’ll request money to help counties buy new voting machines ahead of 2020’s presidential election.
Pennsylvania’s finances are perhaps in their best shape since the recession a decade ago, but the state’s facing challenges, including rising borrowing costs, a ballooning retirement-age population and a static working-age population.
