HARRISBURG, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is prepared to vote on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s plan to shift hundreds of millions of dollars to public transit — including SEPTA. While the bill is expected to pass the House, it’s the same as legislation that didn’t see the light of day in the state Senate last year.
The vote could come as soon as Wednesday. The legislation wouldn’t increase the state sales tax, but instead would increase the percentage of existing revenue to public transit, adding about $300 million annually.
House Transportation Committee Chairman, Democrat Ed Nielsen, said that with SEPTA and Pittsburgh Regional Transit both barreling toward a financial cliff, action is needed now.
“We need money yesterday,” he told the committee. “We can't take a gamble on what might come out of these gaming machines, what might come out of a lawsuit if somebody doesn't feel like they're on the winning side of that legislation.”
Democrats said the plan saves SEPTA and Pittsburgh Regional Transit from massive service cuts without raising taxes.
During debate in the Transportation Committee, when Republican Kerry Benninghoff asked Nielsen if there was a plan to cut $300 million from other programs, Nielsen said sales tax revenue was higher than budgeted and that they expected that increased collection to continue.
“History has shown us over the last … 16 to 20 years … that they are getting this kind of increase on all those occasions,” Nielsen told Benninghoff.
Despite that exchange, Benninghoff voted no. However, Bucks County Republicans Shelby Labs and K.C. Tomlinson broke party ranks and voted with Democrats in support of the plan.
While the bill likely has the votes in the Democrat-controlled House, Republican leaders in the GOP majority state Senate have been against increased transit funding, with Senate Republican leader Joe Pittman saying any increases must benefit rural areas like his Indiana County.
Another proposal in the legislature would increase transit funding by upping the lease and rental car fees, and by imposing a tax on rideshares like Uber and Lyft.