By MIKE REUTHER

mreuther@sungazette.com

State Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, joined other lawmakers Thursday in approving next year’s state spending plan calling for no tax hikes.

The $34 billion measure includes funding increases for a number of programs including public education, agricultural research and workforce investment.

The operating budget meets the core responsibilities of government and still funds the priorities shared by both parties, he said.

“This measure maintains a quality education system, promotes job growth and addresses some of the most serious challenges facing our communities and state,” he said. “I was happy to support this bill.”

Yaw noted that the spending plan provides for essential state services and makes substantial investment in the state’s Rainy Day Fund.

Overall, the Rainy Day Fund, which helps cover financial shortfalls, amounts to about $300 million.

“Anything we were able to put in (Rainy Day Fund) is a plus,” he said.

The budget also provides increased spending for all levels of learning, including $160 million for basic education and $50 million for special education.

In addition, the spending plan brings spending hikes of $25 million for Pre-K education, $5 million for HeadStart and $15 million for early intervention services.

Workforce development and job training initiatives will receive funding increases of the following amounts:

• Career and Technical Education by 7.6 percent from $92 million to $99 million.

• Career and Technical Education Equipment Grants by 117.6 percent from $2.5 million to $5.5 million.

• $4 million to both the Pennsylvania College of Technology and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.

• New Choices/New Options by 50 percent from $500,000 to $750,000.

“Technical education is something I would maybe like to see more money going to,” Yaw said. “The major issue I hear is not taxes or government regulations, but that we don’t have enough trained employees for jobs we have.”

The best welfare program, the lawmaker said, “is a job.”

Yaw noted the budget restores a $15 million cut to the Safe Schools program administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (back to $60 million) and increases the Safe School initiative under the Department of Education by $1 million to a total of $11 million.

It also restores proposed cuts and increases the overall appropriation to the Department of Agriculture by 13 percent to $19.5 million.

“I think we looked at the overall thing and did a pretty good job of prioritizing what we had to do,” Yaw said.

Yaw said he felt any minimum wage provisions should have been kept out of the budget.

“We just didn’t think it was the right time,” he said.

He said there continue to be questions about what specific hourly rate should constitute a minimum wage and what overall impact an increase would have for employers.

Gov. Wolf proposing hiking the minimum wage from $7.25 to $12 an hour.

“It has to be phased in,” Yaw said.