Governor Tom Wolf gave his eighth and final budget address today, and, without saying as much, proposed a $43 billon state spending plan with the prevalent themes of “jobs that pay, schools that teach and government that works.” Examples of the Governor’s plan include a reduction in the State Police’s reliance on the Motor License Fund, an increase in Medical Assistance (MA) rates for skilled nursing facility providers, and funding for additional Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) staff.
Work will begin on the budget next week, when the House and Senate Appropriations Committees hold budget hearings with the state agencies, and continue until a final budget is passed by the June 30th deadline. Details on the Governor’s “government that works” proposal can be found below.
Keeping Pennsylvanians safe through criminal justice reforms
- $141 million increase of General Funds to support the Motor License Fund to help support State Police operations
- $35 million in grants and technical assistance to support community-led gun violence prevention efforts
- $7.7 million for technology necessary to increase public and law enforcement officer safety
- $7 million to open a wing of beds for individuals leaving state correctional facilities with complex medical or behavioral health needs
- $1 million for reentry services for women
- $1 million to support an Indigent Defense Fund
- $425,000 to provide additional technical assistance to county juvenile probation offices and improve consistency between counties
- Bail and pretrial reforms
- Expanding the Clean Slate Law
Protecting the most vulnerable
- $91.25 million increase to MA rates for skilled nursing facility providers beginning in January 2023
- $75 million in federal funds for recruitment and retention payments to qualifying home and community-based service providers
- $55 million in federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Program COVID-19 Supplemental funds
- $36.6 million increase in county mental health base funds to support efforts to provide critical behavioral health services
- $18.8 million for community services to people with unanticipated emergencies, people transferring from private intermediate care facilities, or transferring from state hospitals
- $15 million in stabilization payments to substance use disorder treatment providers
- $15 million increase in state funds and $8 million in federal funds to implement additional evidence-based home visiting and family support services
- $14.3 million increase to the minimum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit
- $14 million increase for veterans’ homes to hire additional staff
- $5.1 million to facilitate community transitions for individuals in intermediate care facilities
- $1.8 million for the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program
- $1.4 million increase for additional Department of Human Services staff to support increased regulatory, licensing, budgetary, and administrative workloads
- $1.25 million for 20 Community Hospital Integration Projects Program discharges to reduce state hospital populations
- $667,000 for additional Department of Aging staff to strengthen older adult protective services
- $291,000 to hire staff to create a child welfare crisis response team
- $280,000 to allow Community HealthChoices participants to choose their direct care workers while having the support of an agency
Investing in Pennsylvania’s public health workforce and infrastructure
- $7.2 million to achieve the $6 maximum per capital grant for the established county and municipal health departments
- $5 million for innovative gene and immunotherapy research to develop targeted cancer therapies
- $4 million to enhance public health workforce through increases in Department of Health staff
Protecting the environmental by investing in workers, communities, and clean energy
- $5 million to fund new staff positions at DEP
- $2.5 million for staff at DCNR to support outdoor management, recreation, and safety
- $100,000 to support a strategic plan for industrial sector decarbonization through the deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage and hydrogen technologies
Expanding critical services for Pennsylvania’s veterans and active military
- $500,000 to provide outreach as it relates to service earned benefits
- $444,500 to pilot a two-part model to enhance readiness, wellness, and resilience in preventing National Guard suicides
- $284,000 to allow for mobile services for Veteran Service Officers