Vote Smart's Synopsis:

A vote to pass with amendment a bill that establishes a budget for the fiscal year 2017-2018.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $13.4 billion for outpatient and inpatient services and  $3.3 billion for long-term care (Sec. 1915).

• Appropriates $1.9 billion of state funds to correctional institutions (Sec. 212).

• Appropriates from state funds $5.9 billion in state funds to school districts, $1.1 billion for special education of exceptional children, and $2.2 billion for retirement of public school employees (Sec. 215).

• Appropriates a collective $135.1 million in federal funds to SNAP programs (Sec. 222).

• Appropriates $273.4 million in grants to the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance agency (Sec. 218).

• Appropriates $323 million in federal funds to child welfare services (Sec. 222).

• Appropriates $284.9 million in federal funds to supplement child care at community-based centers (Sec. 222).

• Appropriates a collective $22.7 million in state funds to services for the homeless (Sec. 222).

• Appropriates a collective  $918.5 million in state funds to the Pennsylvania State Police (Secs. 229 &  811).

• Appropriates $336 million in state funds to develop and operate services for aging assistance (Sec. 301).

• Appropriates $253.1 million for assistance to municipalities for road maintenance and construction (Sec. 801).

• Authorizes the health department to spend $115.7 million on medical assistance and long-term care (Sec. 401).

• Appropriates $110.5 million of federal funds to ensure clean drinking water for municipalities (Sec. 233).

• Appropriates a collective $64.7 million in federal funds towards providing care for individuals with HIV (Sec. 222).

• Appropriates a collective $74.2 million in federal funds to state-targeted responses to opioid addiction (Sec.  222)

• Appropriates $17.8 million in federal supplemental to state mental hospitals (Sec. 222).

• Appropriates $99.6 million in state funds towards the maintenance of veterans homes (Sec. 222).

• Transfers $125 million from the state Lottery Fund to the Pharmaceutical Assistance Fund (Sec. 301).

• Appropriates $73.9 million for the operation and preservation of state parks and forests (Sec. 211).

• Authorizes the governor to appropriate $10 million in federal funds to alleviate an emergency situation if the general assembly can’t act in time (Sec. 2005).

• Appropriates $7.8 million in federal funds to the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (Sec. 203).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

A vote to pass with amendment a bill that establishes a budget for the fiscal year 2017-2018.

Highlights:

• Specifies that interagency transfers must be approved by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Senate Majority Leader, the Speaker of the House, and the House Majority Leader (Secs. 2108-2109).

• Specifies that money received in payment for food and household supplies furnished to employees by an institution or entity of commonwealth must be paid into the general fund and appropriated to the respective institutions for operation and maintenance (Sec. 2105).

• Establishes that all emergency federal funds the state may receive must be paid into the general fund before being paid to eligible departments, agencies, and boards (Sec. 2005).

• Transfers $185 million from the state Lottery Fund to the Pharmaceutical Assistance Fund (Sec. 1921).

• Appropriates $456 million to provide both outpatient and inpatient hospital services to eligible individuals enrolled in state-run health plans (Sec. 1915).

• Appropriates $64 million for the operation and preservation of state parks and forests (Sec. 1601).

• Specifies that $30 million is appropriated for assistance to municipalities for maintenance and construction of roads (Sec. 801).

• Authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to spend up to $149 million on medical assistance and long-term care for smokers and smoking-related illnesses (Sec. 401).

• Appropriates $11.5 million to pay for salaries, wages, and personnel expenses of the Pennsylvania Senate (Sec. 261).

• Appropriates $110 million of federal funds to the Drinking Water Projects Revolving Loan Fund to ensure clean drinking water for municipalities (Sec. 233).

• Specifies that $5 million of federal funds will be appropriated to programs associated with the Reed Act and providing unemployment insurance (Sec. 222)

• Specifies that $57 million of federal funds will go towards providing care for individuals with HIV (Sec. 222)

• Appropriates $47 million of federal funds to the state-targeted response to opioid addiction (Sec.  222)

• Appropriates $17 million in federal supplemental funds to state mental hospitals (Sec. 222).

• Specifies that $61 million of federal funds will support the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) across the state (Sec. 222).

• Specifies that $5 million in state funds will be used to combat mosquitoes carrying the West Nile and Zika viruses (Sec. 222).

• Appropriates $272 million to the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance agency to pay grants to eligible individuals (Sec. 218).

• Appropriates $26 million of state funds to nonpublic schools for the purpose of purchasing textbooks, instructional material and equipment (Sec. 215).

• Specifies that $7.7 million of federal funds will go towards the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (Sec. 203).

Full Bill Text