Local Legislators Weigh Gov Corbett's Budget

FEBRUARY 5, 2013- Governor Corbett was met with bipartisan applause earlier today in Harrisburg...

    Some local legislators here are saying Governor Corbett's budget needs extensive work while others are satisfied.

    Governor Tom Corbett laid out his 2013-2014 budget address in Harrisburg Tuesday afternoon... which would include a 28.4 billion dollar spending plan...

    Corbett says it would include increased funding for education, human services and transportation...

    Some local Democratic legislators in ErieCounty say the proposal is a short term fix.     With Corbett's budget increasing Pennsylvania's funding in education to 90 million dollars, creating a 1 billion dollar grant over four years... Linking funding to liquor privatization and pension reforms.

"We're lumping liquor, pension and childcare into the same sentence and these are independent issues need to be addressed independently," says Senator Sean Wiley.   

"Governors proposed budget is contingent on the sale of lottery liquor store and a gas tax and I don't know if that's going to fly. Not going to fly with us," says 3^rd District Representative Ryan Bizzarro.

    Governor Corbett's proposal is said to boost state government spending by nearly 3 percent.

"Years form now will not face crumbling infrastructure we can make sure our workers, public safety protected from years beyond.  We can bring Pennsylvania to 21st century," says Governor Tom Corbett.

But State Representative Greg Lucas says the proposal shows promise but may need some tweaking.

    Lucas says Corbett's budget proposal is going to take a lot of bipartisan work to pass... but once it does it will improve the education of the youth in the commonwealth...

"We aren't going to have a tax increase and most things are getting funding at levels last year or slightly above. Important to education especially," says Greg Lucas.

    Last year, Governor Corbett proposed major cuts to higher education.