PA Governor Rendell Vetoes House Bills 515 and 603

HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today vetoed two House bills, saying they violated his "pay as you go" fiscal policy.

Under the first measure, House Bill 515, Pennsylvania would have lost more than $1 billion in revenue over the next five years.

"In fact, to balance the impact of this loss in revenue in the out years, cuts such as the total elimination of state appropriations for the Head Start program, for early childhood education and for libraries would only begin to bring the budget into balance," the Governor wrote in his veto message.

The Governor said those who wanted him to sign HB 515 into law are more interested in their own pocketbooks and less interested in being financially responsible and taking care of critical human service needs.

"In areas where the budget can sustain business tax decreases, I will work to support them," Governor Rendell said. "I urge the General Assembly to work with me to develop and pass fiscally responsible legislation that will create a fairer, more competitive Pennsylvania business tax system."

Additionally, the Governor noted that under his "pay as you go" policy, the commonwealth has made major investments in business development and job creation efforts that have helped Pennsylvania achieve an all-time high in its number of jobs.

The other piece of legislation the Governor vetoed, House Bill 603, would have amended the State Employees' Retirement Code allowing Pennsylvania Game Commission law enforcement officers to retire with full retirement benefits at age 50, instead of 60.

"Since the operations of the Game Commission are not funded out of the General Fund, but by revenues generated by license fees, the implementation of this bill would have a dramatic effect on the Commission's already flailing finances, forcing even more cuts in programs and services or an increase in fees, or both.

"As I have said on more than one occasion, I intend to enforce a 'pay as you go' budget process for Pennsylvania. I will not sign legislation that either significantly increases spending or reduces revenue without a specific plan to pay for it," the Governor said.

The Rendell Administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us/.