Six weeks after missing the budget deadline, Pennsylvania lawmakers are still grappling with the state transit system’s dire budget situation. The impasse over how to manage it, particularly Philadelphia’s SEPTA system, has taxpayers waiting on the fate of billions in state funding. At some point disruptions will start affecting counties on down.
The sticking point over the long overdue budget hinges on what to do with SEPTA and PRT, two major transit systems in the state that are facing fiscal cliffs due to years of mismanagement and government bailouts.
For a more detailed look at the specific problems facing SEPTA and PRT, click here.
On Sunday, Governor Josh Shapiro visited the SEPTA headquarters to urge the passage of his $51.5 billion budget – a massive overall spending increase – that includes $292 million in extra annual transit funding, another massive subsidy.
But here’s the problem for taxpayers: State subsidies to SEPTA have already tripled in recent years, and will continue to grow, even as passenger revenue has dropped 20%. That means taxpayers are paying far more for far less service.
Senate President Pro Tem Kim Ward called out the Democrats pressure for spending increases as unnecessary, saying, “We do not have a mass transit funding problem. There is immediate and existing funding for mass transit through the $2.3 billion PA Transit Trust Fund.”
Senate Republicans have raised alarms over the sustainability of Shapiro’s proposal, warning that these permanent spending expansions will outpace revenue and accelerate the collapse of SEPTA and PRT. They have floated a six-month stopgap budget as a temporary solution to keep government running while lawmakers work toward a broader compromise.
State Senator Joe Picozzi also introduced a bill requiring SEPTA to publish biennial performance reports showing its progress toward financial stability and transparency in spending. His bill also mandates enforceable minimum performance criteria, tackling fare evasion, encouraging public‑private partnerships, and optimizing bus routes.
By holding the line, Senate Republicans are standing up for taxpayers in every corner of the Commonwealth who are tired of paying more for less. Without serious reforms like Senator Picozzi’s oversight bill, pouring more money into SEPTA will only guarantee more bailouts down the road without fixing the problem.
It is vitally important that tax hikes are rejected now, and spending is curbed to avoid immense pressure to increase taxes in the future. Gov. Shapiro’s big-spending budget proposal would drive up the state’s already concerning $3.5 billion structural deficit.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Landon Epperson
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://www.atr.org and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
