Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett announced his proposed $29.4 billion, 2014-15 budget during a joint session of the House and Senate Feb. 4.

Leaders and organizations statewide have responded to his spending plan.

State Rep. Gary Day, R-187th, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, offered the following comments on the budget.

"I am pleased this budget proposal seeks to be on-time and does not seek to raise taxes on Pennsylvania families and job creators.

"That creates stability and predictability for all our local governments and state agencies to perform their duties efficiently.

"The governor outlined that his policies have created a stronger Pennsylvania, citing a number of accomplishments such as a bipartisan transportation plan and $1.5 billion more for education.

Day also said the budget proposal appropriately focuses on education, designating more than $10 billion for the second year in a row for a wide range of education programs.

"The plan also seeks to set aside additional money for special education and early learning initiatives – all investments worthy of our children and tax dollars," Day said. "This is in addition to greater funding for those in need of human service programs."

Day said Corbett made a good case for his financial stewardship and ability to accomplish major challenges.

"He didn't stop there, and challenged the Legislature to work with him in getting the state out of the liquor business and reforming pension plans that require significant state resources," Day said. "This plan is just a start and it contains many pieces that need to be examined in every detail before we put together the final document.

Day said as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, he would be part of the budget negotiations and have a seat at the table during key budget hearings.

State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-134th, also commented on the spending plan.

"What we heard from the governor is the state budget should be focused on creating jobs, strengthening education and protecting taxpayers, and I strongly agree," Mackenzie said. "Getting there will be the hard part. Much of what the governor has proposed is dependent on legislators successfully coming to agreement on other issues, such as pension reform and liquor privatization.

"Doing so is not impossible, but it won't be easy."

The House Democratic Caucus disagrees, saying the proposal continues failed policies and focuses on the wrong priorities.

The caucus stated the plan would not undo the damage done by the nearly $1 billion in cuts Corbett made to public schools in his first year in office, which forced hundreds of school districts to raise property taxes, cut academic and extra-curricular programs and charge activity fees.

According to the Democratic Caucus, the plan does nothing to restore the more than 20,000 public school jobs lost through Corbett's cuts.

State Sen. David G. Argall, R-29th, released the following statement regarding the budget address:

"Unlike the federal government, we must spend within our means and today's budget address re-emphasized that," Argall said. "The taxpayers I represent have asked their state government to do more with less, which is what we have done during these difficult economic times.

"Most importantly, his budget plan does not come with any tax hikes for the hardworking taxpayers I represent.

Argall said he was pleased to see some programs with a track record of success in the classrooms receive a boost from the state.

"Specifically, the governor's request for $10 million for hybrid learning reflects my ongoing efforts to boost this proven program through a proposal I have introduced in the Senate," Argall said. "As a part-time professor who employs hybrid learning methods this method of learning is successful.

Argall also said he is partnering with Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati to look at ways to curb misuse of taxpayer-funded assistance to generate further savings for the taxpayers.

"Finally, I remain committed to reforming the way we fund our public schools," Argall said. "The governor's budget would increase funding from the state, and I would like to remove a major hurdle for many of my constituents – the unfair school property tax system.

"Gov. Corbett mentioned this issue of ever-increasing school property taxes. Senate Bill 76 would solve this issue.

"Gov. Corbett's budget proposal represents a starting point in the annual budget process.

"As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I look forward to asking important questions of the various state agencies and departments during the upcoming hearings to find how state government can live within its means and better serve taxpayers throughout the state."

State Sen. Pat Browne, R-16th, however, said in a statement the proposal calls for an additional $20 million for special education and an increase of $10 million for the Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts program.

"I am certainly pleased the governor recognized the importance of and need for investing in early childhood education programs and special education," Browne said. "These programs have a proven track record and produce the kinds of results that make a difference not only for those children, but also for our schools in the short-term and our society in the long-run."

School district superintendents are analyzing Corbett's proposed budget. Corbett cut the charter tuition reimbursement and the construction reimbursement (known as PlanCon) in his first year in office.

Pennsylvanians for Retirement Security released a statement saying, "Gov. Corbett's plan to shore up the state's retirement system is to kick the can down the road, underfunding our pension plans and repeating the same mistakes that have jeopardized the retirement security of Pennsylvania's teachers, firefighters, police officers and thousands of other public employees."

PRS says the plan is full of false choices and ignores the billions of dollars worth of corporate tax cuts and loopholes Corbett is giving away to big corporations.

"The money we are currently losing to these corporate interests far outpaces the cost of responsibly investing in public pensions," the statement said. "Public workers depend on their modest pensions – an average $24,000 per year – to give them security in their retirement.

"It is unreasonable to expect these workers, who have dedicated their careers to serving their communities and who pay 6.25 percent to 7.5 percent of every paycheck toward their pension, to make needless sacrifices while the government continues to give billions of dollars away every year to big corporations."