O'PAKE APPLAUDS PASSAGE OF NO-TAX-INCREASE BUDGET

          Harrisburg, July 16, 2007 -- Senate Democratic Whip Michael A. O'Pake (D-Berks) today hailed final Senate passage of the state's $27.2 billion General Fund budget for fiscal 2007-08 as a "victory for taxpayers and Pennsylvania's future."
          "It took longer than it should have, but -- in the end -- it's the product that matters most:  a budget that holds the line on taxes and even cuts business taxes by $225 million, and restrains spending, but doesn't shortchange critical investments for Pennsylvania's future," O'Pake said.
          Noting "bipartisan resolve" to hold the line on taxes, O'Pake said none of the Governor's original tax increase proposals were part of the final accord.  Spending restraint, combined with a healthy revenue surplus, averted the need for any tax increase even in the face of federal funding cuts, according to O'Pake.
          "Nobody got everything they wanted, but the final accord did include substantial additional investments in education.
          "We also succeeded in restoring most, but not all, of the funding that had been cut from critically important workforce training programs -- programs that have helped as many as 300 Berks County businesses improve worker skills and wages and boost productivity and profitability," O'Pake said.
          Berks County school districts are in line for an $11.6 million increase in basic education subsidies to a total of more than $168 million.  And, O'Pake added, that doesn't include the additional dollars schools will receive in accountability block grants and for special education, tutoring assistance, pupil transportation and other programs.  The final accord included the Governor's $75 million Pre-K Counts funding and $90 million to upgrade high school classrooms with laptop computers.  It also provided for a substantial increase in funding for charter schools and increased from $59 million to $75 million the state's Educational Improvement Tax Credit program.
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