State Senator Eugene Yaw | Pennsylvania
State Senator Eugene Yaw | Pennsylvania
State Senator Gene Yaw has expressed concerns regarding Governor Josh Shapiro's proposed state budget for 2025-26, which suggests an increase in spending by $3.6 billion, marking a 7.5% rise from the current year. Yaw criticized the governor's approach, stating: "I'm concerned about the governor’s excessive increase in state spending, his overly optimistic future revenue projections and wildly inaccurate future expenditure assumptions."
Yaw warned that Shapiro's plan could deplete the state's Rainy Day Fund and necessitate significant tax hikes on Pennsylvania families within a short timeframe. He also pointed out the lack of detail concerning energy sector plans, saying it fails to address grid reliability issues and does not clarify rising utility costs for ratepayers.
The senator highlighted potential financial challenges with Shapiro's plan, projecting a $27.3 billion deficit over five years. Yaw mentioned legislation he sponsored to regulate skill video games as a potential revenue source, estimating $300 million in new income. However, he opposed Shapiro's suggested 52% tax rate on these games due to its potential negative impact on small businesses and veterans' organizations.
Despite acknowledging additional funding proposals for technical education at Pennsylvania College of Technology, Yaw argued that it is insufficient given the current demand and program capacity issues.
Yaw concluded by stating that the Senate Appropriations Committee will conduct hearings to scrutinize and potentially improve the proposed budget: "Today's proposal is only the first step in the process."