HARRISBURG – As the state budget impasse enters its fourth month, Sen. Cris Dush (R-25) proudly joined his Senate Republican colleagues on Wednesday in advancing legislation, Senate Bill 1040, to waive interest rates for counties, rape and domestic violence services and Head Start early childhood education programs that receive state Treasury loans to keep its services available while budget discussions continue.
“Of course, these local governments and contracted human service agencies should not be held fiscally responsible for any delays in payments,” said Dush. “Unfortunately, the governor is once again holding their funding hostage to leverage the legislature into passing his unsustainable $51.5 billion budget plan that would irresponsibly increase state spending by $3.6 billion, an increase of 7.5% over last year’s budget.”
According to Dush, this legislation is acting on an idea offered by County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania on Sept. 29. Senate Bill 1040 would establish the same interest forgiveness rate for the Treasury “Bridge Loans” also made available to Pennsylvania’s Head Start providers.
“When you are heartless, like Josh Shapiro and Tom Wolf before him, it’s easy to use vulnerable people in need as bargaining chips,” said Dush. “When you care about people, you look for solutions like the one Treasurer Stacy Garrity came up with for Head Start. Senate Bill 1040 builds on the Treasurer’s success by providing a similar loan-interest safety net to other eligible government entities and independent agencies caring for the citizens we serve.”
Dush concluded by commending Senate Republican leadership for introducing and rapidly advancing this legislation to implement loan interest forgiveness for counties, rape and domestic violence services and Head Start.
“While we are stuck dealing with this impasse, this measure that strikes the perfect balance between compassion and fiscally responsible common sense is the smartest way to overstep the roadblocks that have been repeatedly thrown in front of us in trying to get the state budget done,” said Dush. “While the governor’s consumed with confiscating more money from our pockets to bailout Philly/SEPTA and House Democrats seem only to be interested in criminalizing our God-given right to possess firearms, I am pleased to report that Treasurer Garrity and Senate Republicans care deeply enough to come up with real solutions to end Shapiro’s heartless, budget impasse hostage crisis.”
Adopted by a bipartisan vote of 29-20, Senate Bill 1040 now advances to the state House of Representatives for consideration.
CONTACT: Ty McCauslin, Communications Director, 717-787-7084.