A second week of state budget hearings will get underway Monday in the State House and Tuesday in the Senate, and both State Senator Joe Pittman and State Representative Jim Struzzi anticipate another round of tough questioning of Shapiro administration representatives.
Pittman calls the governor’s budget proposal “unsustainable” because it depends on one-time revenues to finance what would turn into recurring expenses. Like Pittman, Struzzi questions the funding requests, with the Independent Fiscal Office’s projected revenues for the next fiscal year $825 million less than the governor’s projection, while the budget request increases spending by over $3 billion.
This week, the Senate hearing schedule calls for appearances by representatives of the Fish & Boat Commission and Game Commission, the departments of Agriculture, Education, and Environmental Protection, and the Liquor Control Board.
The House hearing schedule includes the departments of Insurance, Labor & Industry, State, Health, and Drug & Alcohol Programs, along with Community Colleges, DEP, Conservation & Natural Resources, Judiciary, and State-related Universities.
