ICYMI: Leaders Across Pennsylvania Support Governor Shapiro’s Commonsense Budget Proposal to Build Safer Communities

Bipartisan legislation based on Governor’s proposal already introduced in both chambers of PA legislature 

Harrisburg, PA – Across the Commonwealth, support is growing for Governor Josh Shapiro’s commonsense budget proposal to sustainably fund the Pennsylvania State Police well into the future and create safer communities for Pennsylvania families. In fact, House Transportation Committee Chairman Ed Neilson, D-Philadelphia, and ranking Republican Rep. Kerry Benninghoff of Centre County introduced legislation to implement that plan.

Every Pennsylvanian deserves to be safe and feel safe in their communities – and building safer communities starts with ensuring police departments are well-staffed, well-funded, and well-trained.

The Governor’s budget will sustainably fund the Pennsylvania State Police by creating a Public Safety and Protection Fund – reducing PSP’s reliance on the Motor License Fund. In doing so, an estimated $1.5 billion will be available for road and bridge projects while ensuring law enforcement has the resources they need to keep our communities safe.

As reported yesterday in PennLive, support for Governor Shapiro’s proposal is growing among leaders across the Commonwealth:

• Robert Latham, executive vice president of the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors, said this diversion of Motor License Fund puts the state in a bad position to grab some of the $27 billion in federal transportation grants to fund projects over the next five years. To compete, states must put up as much state match as possible. “That’s where every amount that we can find to fund the state police out of the general fund to put money back in the Motor License Fund is going to be helpful,” Latham said.

• Roseline Bougher, chair of the American Council of Engineering Companies, pointed out with the gas tax being the main funding source for the Motor License Fund and people traveling less and buying more fuel-efficient or electric vehicles, the gas tax is no longer as viable of a revenue source as it once was. Further, she said a large portion of available transportation funding is directed to maintaining existing structures even though “more funding is needed to respond to growth and development.”

• The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry and Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association support an accelerated schedule for moving the state police funding out of the Motor License Fund. The National Federation of Business in Pennsylvania supports that concept as well but raises concern about the lack of transparency around the proposed special fund to pay for state police operations as well as questions what sources of revenue would go into it.

• David Kennedy, president of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, said his organization supports the governor’s proposal but states the need for whatever replacement revenue sources are identified, they “must be sustainable and growable.” Meanwhile, the Fraternal Order of Police Pennsylvania State Lodge supports the governor’s initiative “so long as adequate replacement funding streams are tied to such a fund.”

To address workforce shortages, Governor Shapiro’s budget also invests $24.7 million in job retention and recruitment efforts to specifically attract more nurses, police officers, and teachers, proposing a refundable tax credit for new workers in those fields and putting up to $2,500 back in their pocket every year for up to three years.

Additionally, the budget proposes $16.4 million for four new Pennsylvania state trooper cadet classes in 2023-24, which would hire and train 384 new troopers, helping to fill staffing gaps and provide more coverage across the Commonwealth.

Read more about the support for Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal below.

PennLive: Support grows for Shapiro’s idea for freeing up more money for road, bridge projects

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s call for a five-year phase-out of transfers from the Motor License that help to fund state police operations to free up more funding for transportation projects enjoys broad support from various sectors.

Some, however, would like to see that phase-out happen on a more accelerated schedule than what the governor proposed. Meanwhile, those representing the policing community have expressed concern that they could end up shortchanged when the funding from this revenue stream for the state police dries up.

Shapiro proposes creating a Public Safety and Protection Fund to sustainably fund the state police using dedicated revenue from other sources such as the tax revenue from cigarettes, liquor and gambling.

What’s happening: The House Transportation Committee on Tuesday held an hourlong hearing about the governor’s proposal to eliminate dipping into the Motor License Fund to fund anything other than transportation projects.

Currently, the state uses $500 million of the Motor License Fund, fueled mainly by the gas tax and motor license fees, to support the state police.

Shapiro proposes reducing that by $100 million a year until hitting zero in 2027-28, which would free up an additional $1.5 billion for transportation projects over five years. Committee Chairman Ed Neilson, D-Philadelphia, and ranking Republican Rep. Kerry Benninghoff of Centre County, plan to introduce legislation that would implement that plan.

The Senate, meanwhile, has passed legislation that would speed up that phase-out by dropping the transfer amount from the Motor License Fund to fund state police to $250 million next year and annually decreasing it by $50 million until reaching zero in 2028-29.

How we got here: According to the state police, a portion of the Motor License Fund has been used to fund their operations since 1945. Over time, the amount of the state police budget that came from the Motor License Fund grew to a high of $801 million in 2016-17, funding 65% of the state police budget.

That increasingly became a concern as transportation projects were pushed to the wayside due to lack of funding. In 2016, Act 85 was passed that began the incremental reduction toward this year’s $500 million cap on Motor License funding that would go to the state police.

According to PennDOT, between 2012 and 2019, more than $4.25 billion of Motor License Fund money went to the state police.

Acting PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said in his former role as a state legislator, he supported many of the policy decisions that led to this diversion of Motor License Fund but “we have reached a point where the Motor License Fund can no longer sustain that kind of support.”

PennDOT’s annual budget is roughly $9 billion.

What people say about it: There is a strong sentiment for ensuring funding for the state police be maintained and increased but the transportation community doesn’t want it coming out of the Motor License Fund.

Robert Latham, executive vice president of the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors, said this diversion of Motor License Fund puts the state in a bad position to grab some of the $27 billion in federal transportation grants to fund projects over the next five years. To compete, states must put up as much state match as possible.

“That’s where every amount that we can find to fund the state police out of the general fund to put money back in the Motor License Fund is going to be helpful,” Latham said.

Roseline Bougher, chair of the American Council of Engineering Companies, pointed out with the gas tax being the main funding source for the Motor License Fund and people traveling less and buying more fuel-efficient or electric vehicles, the gas tax is no longer as viable of a revenue source as it once was. Further, she said a large portion of available transportation funding is directed to maintaining existing structures even though “more funding is needed to respond to growth and development.”

The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry and Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association support an accelerated schedule for moving the state police funding out of the Motor License Fund. The National Federation of Business in Pennsylvania supports that concept as well but raises concern about the lack of transparency around the proposed special fund to pay for state police operations as well as questions what sources of revenue would go into it.

David Kennedy, president of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, said his organization supports the governor’s proposal but states the need for whatever replacement revenue sources are identified, they “must be sustainable and growable.” Meanwhile, the Fraternal Order of Police Pennsylvania State Lodge supports the governor’s initiative “so long as adequate replacement funding streams are tied to such a fund.” […]

Contact: ra-gvgovpress@pa.gov    

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