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Because Governor Shapiro and the General Assembly worked together last year to pass a budget that delivered commonsense solutions, children are now learning on full bellies, there are more cops on the beat, and we cut costs for seniors and families at a time when they were worried about high prices.
 

The Governor’s 2024-25 budget builds on that progress, investing in key priorities to deliver real, tangible solutions to the most pressing issues people are facing in their daily lives.
 

Right now, we are not investing at the levels we need to succeed in Pennsylvania – we’re 49th in the nation in state investment in higher ed, we’re being outspent on economic development by many of our neighboring states, and we unfortunately have an unconstitutional funding system for K-12 education according to Commonwealth Court. This is unacceptable – and inaction is not an option.
 

Governor Shapiro has a bold, ambitious plan to fix that – and get more stuff done.
 

Importantly, the Governor’s vision maintains a balanced budget and does not raise taxes – and if every initiative is funded, Pennsylvania will still have an $11 billion surplus at the end of June 2025.
 
 

Now is the time to invest

 

What are Governor Josh Shapiro’s priorities for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania this year?

  • Over the last five years Pennsylvania’s neighbors, Ohio, New York, and New Jersey, all committed more resources to economic development than Pennsylvania. Ohio has one-and-a-half million fewer people in Pennsylvania, yet they invested over seven times more in economic development.

    In order to take our economy to the next level, Governor Shapiro and DCED created Pennsylvania’s first comprehensive economic development strategy in nearly two decades. This budget calls for $600 million in total new and expanded investments to implement this strategy, increase Pennsylvania’s competitiveness, and deliver real economic growth.

    The 2024-25 budget includes 500 million dollars in PA SITES funding to bring more commercial and industrial sites online and ensure companies have more options for attractive business environments where they can move quickly and thrive in Pennsylvania. It also includes $25 million for the new Main Street Matters initiative, to support small businesses and commercial corridors that are the backbone of communities across the Commonwealth, $20 million to support large-scale innovation and leverage Pennsylvania’s best-in-class research and development assets, and $3.5 million to create and launch the Pennsylvania Regional Economic Competitiveness Challenge.

  • Real opportunity begins in our classrooms.

    The 2024-25 budget invests $1.1 billion in new funding for schools – and makes sure no school gets less than they did last year. Nearly $900 million of that will support Pennsylvania school children under a new adequacy formula, so we can ensure every school has the appropriate level of resources they need to serve their students.

    Governor Shapiro’s budget also increases special education funding by $50 million, and invests another $50 million in school safety and security improvements. Governor Shapiro is also proposing a $5 million increase — coming to a total of $15 million — in funding for student teacher stipends to train the next generation of educators.

    To help schools begin to address environmental issues that threaten the health, safety, and opportunity of students — this budget also calls for $300 million in sustainable funding for environmental repair projects in school buildings.

  • After 30 years of disinvestment, too many of our colleges and universities are running on empty and not enough students have affordable pathways through college and into good jobs. Governor Shapiro’s three-part plan is a bold, forward-thinking vision that has the support of higher education leaders from every sector.

    The Governor’s 2024-45 budget proposes a $975 million investment — a 15% increase from last year’s investment in PASSHE universities and community colleges combined — to create and support a new system that would unite our PASSHE schools and 15 community colleges.

    The system that would be focused on competitiveness, grounded in access and affordability, helping students gain the skills they need and providing businesses with the workforce they require to grow and be successful.

    The budget also increases funding for state-related universities by 5% and proposes that Pennsylvanians pay for performance by incentivizing state-relateds and schools in the new system to deliver outcomes that benefit all Pennsylvanians, like increasing the number of first-generation college students enrolled, ensuring more students stay in Pennsylvania after graduation, and that graduates go into fields we need like agriculture, education, and nursing. This would allow funding for state-relateds to be run through the Department of Education with a simple majority vote.

    Under his plan, beginning in FY 2025-26, Governor Shapiro will call on the General Assembly to invest a further $279 million to make college more affordable.

    Under Governor Shapiro’s plan, no student or family making the median income or below would have to pay more than $1,000 a semester in tuition and fees at the new system.

    If these plans are passed and investments are made, Pennsylvania would jump from 49th in the nation for state investment in high education to 22nd in just 5 years.

  • Governor Shapiro knows Pennsylvanians are worried about high costs – that’s why he’s worked to cut costs and put more money back in Pennsylvanians’ pockets.

    Hardworking Pennsylvanians are being priced out of health insurance. The 2024-25 budget invests $50 million that would allow 100,000 Pennsylvanians to keep working and purchase health insurance. That same investment helps lower premiums for an additional 400,000 Pennsylvanians. Investing this funding now helps save us all money later.

    We also need to help Pennsylvanians being crushed by medical debt. One million Pennsylvanians carry some kind of medical debt, an anchor that holds families and communities back. This budget invests $4 million to start wiping out medical debt, giving Pennsylvanians a chance to succeed financially.

    We can also cut costs by helping Pennsylvanians stay in — and take care of — their homes. The 2024-45 budget invests $50 million in the Whole Home Repairs program to help Pennsylvanians afford crucial repairs and raises the cap for the PHARE program to $100 million over four years to help build more affordable housing.

  • Governor Shapiro’s budget isn’t just a bunch of numbers on a spreadsheet—it’s a statement of values, or principles, and of our commitment to our fellow Pennsylvanians.

    That’s why the Govenor’s 2024-25 budget invests in early intervention and childcare, to provide kids with the support they need to grow and develop before they enter school. It also raises the minimum SNAP benefit for low-income families, establishes a first-ever Alzheimer’s Disease Division at the Department of Aging, and invests $216 million to provide more resources for home and community-based healthcare service providers. That $216 million would allows us to draw down another $266 million in federal dollars—to provide more resources than ever before for home community-based service providers, so in turn they can pay competitive rates to attract and retain staff who provide life-changing services.

What does Governor Josh Shapiro’s budget pay for?

  • Adopting a comprehensive solution on Pre-K—12 education in Pennsylvania.

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  • Building affordable pathways to a college education.

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  • Allowing the Pennsylvania economy to compete and win regionally, nationally, and globally.

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  • Permitting review that moves at the speed of business.

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  • Legalizing adult use cannabis.

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  • Supporting public transportation. 

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  • Ensuring all Pennsylvanians have the freedom to chart their own course & the opportunity to succeed.

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  • Cutting Costs for Pennsylvanians.

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  • Supporting the well-being of Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and/or autism by providing adequate resources.

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  • Supporting fair, free, and secure elections.

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Governor Josh Shapiro’s Budget Tracker

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