2021-22 State Budget
Budget Highlights
- $30 million for gun violence prevention through community programs, managed by PCCD
- $3 million for food purchase program within Department of Agriculture
- Major education investments
- $300 million in basic education
- $200 million to be funded through the Fair Funding Formula
- $100 million for Level Up to provide funding for schools that have been historically inadequately funded, including the school districts of Scranton, Reading, Northampton, and Philadelphia
- $20 million for Ready to Learn block grants
- $25 million for Pre K Counts
- $5 million for Headstart
- $50 million for special education
- $11 million for early intervention
- $200 million for PASSHE, over 4 annual installments of $50 million, including the Diversity, Education & Inclusion program proposed by the PA Senate Democrats
- $300 million in basic education
Budget Documents
2021-22 Enacted Budget
(Signed by Governor Tom Wolf, June 30, 2021)
2021-22 Enacted Budget Line Item Appropriations (PDF)
2021-22 Mid-Year Briefing (PDF)
2021-22 Governor’s Executive Budget (PDF)
2021-22 Budget In Brief (PDF)
2021-22 Proposed Budget Line-Item Appropriation (PDF)
2021-22 Proposed Budget Slide Presentation (PDF)
2021-22 Proposed Budget Legislation
2021-22 Budget Hearings
Budget Address
Watch Gov. Tom Wolf deliver his 2021-22 budget address.
Proposed Budget Highlights
Basic Education:
- Full funding of public schools through the Fair Funding Formula
- $1.35 billion increase to basic education funding
- $1 billion in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grants to address school infrastructure needs in PA
- $200 million for special education
- Releases up to $36 million for additional scholarship to students under the Education Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Programs)
- $25 million for Pre-K Counts
- $11 million increase for Early intervention programs
- $5 million for the Head Start Supplemental Program
- Charter School reform for $229 million in savings to school districts
- Sets cyber charter tuition rates at $9,500 per student
- Push for $45,000 minimum salary per year for teachers
Higher Education:
- $199 million for free and affordable college through the Nellie Bly Tuition Program
- Level funding for higher education
Workforce Development:
- Proposes minimum wage increase to $12 per hour on July 1, 2021, with a path to $15 per hour
- Tax deductions for low- and middle-income families
- Provide $3 billion to workers and businesses to stabilize the economy and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic through the Back to Work PA plan
- Improves food security and supports farmers by investing $1 million in the Pennsylvania Agriculture Surplus System (PASS)
Human Services:
- Directs $87 million in federal funding to Child Care Works base rates and create a more stable business environment for child care facilities while improving equal access to child care services
- $8.3 million to help county and municipal health departments fight COVID-19
- 13.8 million to provide home and community-based services to 100 individuals with disabilities on waiting list and provide services through the Community Living Waiver to 732 individuals on waiting list
- Additional $1 million to fund legal services for low-income individuals and families, an issue the caucus has pushed for and will continue to fight for in future budgets
- $1.25 million for 20 Community Hospital Integration Projects Program (CHIPP) to help reduce state hospital populations
- $1 million to reduce the number of children and youth in out-of-home placements triggered by homelessness, housing instability, or inadequate housing
Budget News
Hughes Statement on Budget Passage
Harrisburg, PA − June 25, 2021 − Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Vincent Hughes issued the following statement tonight regarding the 2021-2022 state budget: “The budget that is being passed today makes progress in a number of areas. From extra school...
Sens. Costa, Hughes Respond to Gov. Wolf’s 2021-22 Budget Proposal
HARRISBURG — February 3, 2021 — Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) and Democratic Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) jointly responded to Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2021-22 Budget Address with a...
Senator Hughes responds to Gov. Wolf’s 2021 agenda, plan to address broken and toxic schools
PHILADELPHIA – January 27, 2021 – State Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) issued the following statement in response to Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to get Pennsylvania back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic: “I am grateful to Gov. Tom Wolf for this...