This budget makes “critical, desperately needed” investments in K-12 education that drive those dollars out in a more equitable manner to the schools that need it most.

As a result of this budget, Pennsylvania will see “big economic development progress coming…to improve economic competitiveness & drive economic growth.”

Harrisburg, PA – On July 11, 2024, Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law(opens in a new tab) a bipartisan budget for fiscal year 2024-25 that delivers on his top priorities and creates more freedom and opportunity for all Pennsylvanians.

With historic investments in education, economic development, law enforcement and violence prevention, workforce development, affordable housing, health care, public transit and infrastructure, and much more – this budget invests in the people of Pennsylvania and solves some of the most pressing issues our Commonwealth faces.

Read what people are saying about the 2024-25 budget:

Legislative Leaders

Senator Joe Pittman(opens in a new tab): This budget is built on two fundamental principles – honesty and empowerment. It’s honest about the realities and the limitations of divided government. It’s honest about finding new ways to fund educational opportunities, helping those who provide health care and human services, and paying our commonwealth’s bills with no tricks, gimmicks or games. This is also a budget that empowers. It empowers parents to make decisions to benefit their children, job creators through permitting reforms and improving our state’s tax policies, law enforcement to maintain law and order, and taxpayers with $700 million more committed to our Rainy Day Fund.

House Democratic Leadership(opens in a new tab): This budget delivers a win for all Pennsylvanians. It builds a better future for all of us. It reflects the priorities shared by House Democrats and Governor Shapiro and demonstrates our ability to lead and work together despite a divided government to deliver for Pennsylvanians. We got stuff done.

We delivered more money for schools to help every kid and made targeted investments to ensure money goes where it’s most needed while providing tax relief to the most overburdened taxpayers. This budget invests massive, historic money – a $1.3 billion investment -- that helps every kid in every school and meets our moral, constitutional and legal obligation to our kids, schools, parents and taxpayers. This is a long-overdue step toward real adequacy, fixing decades of underfunding and unfair funding. This is more money than they’ve ever received because we’re finally investing money where it will do the most good.

We cut taxes and costs for working families and we delivered more money to create jobs on Main Streets across the commonwealth.

We took a solid step forward with the passage of this budget, but we also recognize we have a massive surplus and could have taken a giant leap forward to cut more costs and help more working families. We’re not done fighting yet. We’ve already passed nearly 400 bills that cut costs and improve lives for Pennsylvanians – and we’re not stopping now.

Speaker Joanna McClinton: This budget responds to the issues that my neighbors talk about with me the most - quality schools for their kids and grandkids, safe communities to grow up and grow old in, and help for working families. This budget delivers on those and other issues in meaningful ways. I’m proud of this investment in education, but it is just the start, not the end, of our commitment to equitably funding our schools.

Rep. Jordan Harris(opens in a new tab): The new #PAbudget delivers more than $231 million for the #Philadelphia school district! This is a long-overdue step toward real adequacy, fixing decades of underfunding and unfair funding.

Senator Jay Costa(opens in a new tab): I am happy to report that today, we passed a budget bill, a school code, a tax code, and a fiscal code. Our discussions these past few weeks were very productive, and the Senate Democratic Caucus was proud to fight for a number of our priorities. This budget makes significant investments in the issues Pennsylvanians find important and impactful. We have invested over $1 billion new dollars into pre-k to 12 education funding, and a $900 million increase to address our education adequacy needs and basic education funding. In the space of economic development, there is over $45 million for new programs that support new jobs and businesses, including funding for the PA SITES program. We also got a $40 million increase for affordable housing through the PHARE Housing Program over 4 years. I am personally very proud that we doubled our investment in the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to a total of $10 million to protect the spaces in our communities that serve vulnerable groups. There is so much more to celebrate, and also much more work to do to deliver for every Pennsylvanian. I am so grateful for my colleagues and staff for getting this budget over the finish line.

Senator Vincent Hughes(opens in a new tab): This budget makes a historic downpayment on our responsibility to fix Pennsylvania’s education funding system with an increase of over $1B for Pre-K to 12 education funding. I along with a number of advocates, educators, and students have been in the fight to fix Pennsylvania’s unconstitutional education system for 10 years, and tonight we’re taking an important step forward to right that egregious wrong. Our work isn’t finished but this budget marks a significant milestone for Pennsylvania’s public education system.

Senator Sharif Street(opens in a new tab): Tonight’s PA BUDGET is a win for the ppl of Pennsylvania, w/ BILLIONS in K-12 education funding, increased community safety funds, greater access to higher education & $220M for @PHLschools. #PABudget

Senator Scott Martin(opens in a new tab): I am thankful we reached a budget agreement that recognizes the need to address Pennsylvania’s economic and demographic challenges in the years ahead. In addition to making our state more competitive for job growth, the budget’s Grow PA plan will help young people train for high-demand careers while taking on less debt and providing a strong incentive for them to put down roots here in our commonwealth. I’m also extremely proud that we fought to empower students and families so children can learn in the environment that best suits their unique educational needs.

Senator Greg Rothman(opens in a new tab): This year’s budget encourages greater investment in our Commonwealth and makes Pennsylvania more competitive by addressing two long-standing issues: Eliminating the PA Startup Penalty and enacting needed permitting reform. These changes, all steps in the right direction, send a message to hardworking Pennsylvanians and job-creators everywhere that Pennsylvania is hungry for opportunity.

Senator Devlin Robinson(opens in a new tab): We’ve approved a responsible 2024-25 state budget that focuses on job creation, economic growth and education without raising taxes. This plan adds $740 million to our Rainy Day Fund, securing Pennsylvania’s fiscal stability for the future.

Senator Marty Flynn(opens in a new tab): This budget marks a pivotal moment for Pennsylvania, investing significantly in education, public safety, and economic growth while avoiding new taxes. These investments provide a strong foundation for our families, businesses, and communities to thrive. Education remains a top priority, with over $1 billion in new funding to support our students from Pre-K to higher education. We are addressing essential needs in public safety and making strides in economic development to ensure Pennsylvania remains a beacon of opportunity.

Senator Jimmy Dillon(opens in a new tab): This budget is a win for Northeast Philadelphia and all of Pennsylvania. Without raising taxes we’ve secured critical funding to enhance our education system, protect women’s health, support our seniors and veterans, and boost small businesses that are the backbone of our community.

Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill(opens in a new tab): This is a major win for the future of our Commonwealth. By cutting through the red tape, we’re not only supporting our current businesses and communities, but also laying the groundwork for future growth and prosperity in Pennsylvania. I am tired of losing jobs and economic opportunity to other states because Pennsylvania’s regulatory delays are too burdensome and make us uncompetitive. This effort will ensure that, regardless of whoever occupies the governor’s mansion or serves in the legislature, Pennsylvania is always open for business.

Senator Elder Vogel(opens in a new tab): Overall, this budget was crafted with the express intent of expanding Pennsylvania jobs, providing more opportunities for Pennsylvanians to plant their roots, and better addressing the current economic and demographic challenges we face – all to create a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.”

Senator Maria Collett(opens in a new tab): Many lower-income Pennsylvanians, including students, struggle to afford or access the menstrual products they need, often forcing them to miss work or class. This year’s budget tackles menstrual equity issues head on by investing $3 million to put period products in Pennsylvania schools – a key component of SB 906, my Menstrual Equity Act, which I’ve been advocating for since taking office.

PA Senate Dems(opens in a new tab): This 2024-2025 #PAbudget includes a number of wins that we fought to have included over months of negotiations.

PA Senate Republicans(opens in a new tab): The #PASenate approved a fiscally responsible 2024-25 #PAbudget that is honest with taxpayers, creates new job opportunities for state residents, includes no new taxes & addresses the economic & demographic challenges the state faces in the years ahead.

Rep. Morgan Cephas(opens in a new tab): This budget reflects our priorities for the city of Philadelphia through historic fair, adequate and equitable funding for the School District of Philadelphia; addressing affordable housing and homeless assistance; investments in health care and maternal health, while infusing one-time funding to keep SEPTA moving. With the $231.9 million increase in basic education funding for Philadelphia public schools and millions of dollars in the Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program to remediate toxic schools, Philadelphia students will soon be able to look across the city limits and see that they have the same facilities, opportunities and possibilities as the kids in neighboring, suburban counties. Our kids deserve this.

Affordable housing is a crisis in Philadelphia, so we’re glad to see investment in solving some of the issues in housing and housing security. Eviction reform has been a priority for our members, and we see that reflected in the 27% increase in homeless assistance and $2.5 million for groundbreaking right-to-counsel services for the state. Public safety is addressed through an increase in the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund and continued funding for indigent defense and violence intervention and prevention programs.

Rep. Peter Schweyer(opens in a new tab): Tonight, the General Assembly, in a bipartisan manner, passed a state budget that begins to fix decades of underfunding that have left many schools further behind and invests money where it is needed the most.

Rep. Aerion Abney(opens in a new tab): I was proud to cast a “yes” vote for the new state budget, which I believe can be a game-changer for how we fund our public schools, invest in job growth, and boost our local economies.

Rep. Joe Webster(opens in a new tab): This historic #PABudget means fairly funded schools, better services for the disabled, increased supports for seniors and improved environmental oversights. There is more work to be done in support of families and our Pennsylvania communities, but this budget is the right start!

Rep Manny Guzman(opens in a new tab): The city of Reading wins big in this years state budget. I told folx 4 years ago when my hometown elected me that I would be relentless in going after what is owed to our community.

Rep. Ryan Bizzaro(opens in a new tab): This bipartisan budget invests a historic $1.3 BILLION that helps every kid in every school and finally meets our moral, constitutional, and LEGAL obligation to our kids, schools, parents and taxpayers – and it does it all WITHOUT A TAX INCREASE! This is a long-overdue step toward real adequacy, fixing decades of underfunding & unfair funding. This is more money than they’ve ever received bc we’re finally investing the money where it will do the most good – including in rural areas & landlocked city districts that simply cannot raise local taxes any more.

Rep. Mike Schlossberg(opens in a new tab): State budget - including $2.4 million to @ParklandSchools and $35.9 million to @AllentownSD - passes by a bipartisan 122-80 vote. It now moves to Senate where it is expected to pass. Massive, massive win for our kids, taxpayers and teachers.

Rep. Ed Neilson(opens in a new tab): Today’s budget agreement includes a lot to celebrate as it relates to transportation, including an increase of $110 million for highway maintenance, an increase of $75 million for road and bridge maintenance, and an additional $50 million for road and bridge construction – these are real investments to deliver a smoother, safer commute for everyone. I am proud of what the House Democratic majority has accomplished in this budget for transportation, but this is only the beginning. After years of underfunding transit, today’s budget agreement includes a funding increase of $80.5 million for transit while we continue to negotiate a long-term funding solution. This is the first time in over a decade that we have successfully increased state funding for transit, and it never would have happened without our House Democratic majority.

Rep. Paul Takac(opens in a new tab): Late last night we celebrated passage of an historic $47.6B bipartisan budget that makes critical investments in PA’s people, schools, and communities, cuts taxes, and continues to add to an already-solid rainy day fund - while still leaving a budget surplus of over $10.6B!

Rep. Nick Pisciottano(opens in a new tab): I’m excited the #PAHouse passed a budget investing $62 million in Allegheny County schools, $30 million for PA's career and tech schools statewide, creates a redevelopment program for sites like Century III Mall, invests in transit infrastructure, and more with no tax increases!

Rep. Patty Kim(opens in a new tab): I’m proud of this #PABudget and all of the investments in our communities. The Camp Hill School District and Harrisburg School District need this money immensely. It will also revitalize our streams and waterways.

Rep. Justin Fleming(opens in a new tab): It’s been a long budget season but happy to say #PABudget is passed. A lot of good will be done through this budget, especially for our public schools, mental health services and support for those with intellectual disabilities.

Rep. Arvind Venkat, MD(opens in a new tab): I proudly voted for this year's #PABudget & the many wins it will bring for all whom I represent in the North Hills. From historic education funding, to critical resources for police, fire and EMS, to ensuring people can afford healthcare, this budget delivers for our community.

Rep. Rick Krajewski(opens in a new tab): I am proud to share that we won $2.5 MILLION dollars in this year's budget to launch the historic Pennsylvania Right to Counsel Program! By providing free legal aid to low-income tenants, Right to Counsel will give our neighbors the tools they need to defend against displacement.

Rep. Dan Frankel(opens in a new tab): PASSED: I am thrilled to report that we DOUBLED funding for non-profit security grants in the #PABudget! @Senatorcosta and I worked to create this program after the 2018 synagogue shooting to help protect the houses of faith and other orgs that support our communities.

Rep. Joe Ciresi(opens in a new tab): The #pabudget invests in PA with historic funding for education, helping all districts and especially the most underfunded, while also delivering on public safety, community revitalization, intellectual disabilities services, and giving back to Pennsylvanians. This is progress.

Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El(opens in a new tab): This budget delivers historic investments in public education, making good on our promise to address longstanding, chronic underfunding of lower-income school districts. This state budget takes a serious step forward in fulfilling the state constitution’s requirement that Pennsylvania provide ‘a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.’

Pennsylvania Leaders

Philadelphia School District Superintendent Tony B. Watlington: I applaud Governor Shapiro, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and the Pennsylvania State Senate for coming together to make these historic investments in public education," said Superintendent Tony B. Watlington, Sr., Ed.D. "This budget takes the first step toward closing the adequacy gap – a first step that has been decades in the making – and ensuring that students in Philadelphia have the same access to high quality public education as their peers in Lower Merion.

Aaron Chapin, Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) President: Gov. Shapiro has often talked about his commitment to funding public education. With this budget, he not only kept his word, but exceeded expectations on behalf of our students and our public schools. Working together, Gov. Shapiro and legislative leaders like Rep. Matt Bradford and Sen. Joe Pittman have secured a historic increase in K-12 education funding and delivered more than a billion new state dollars for Pennsylvania’s public schools. Even more importantly, they took a significant step toward fixing our broken public school funding system. We are grateful for the bipartisan commitment to investing in our public school students and the educators and support professionals who teach and serve them every day.

PA Schools Work(opens in a new tab): $94 million of additional funding for special education was included in the 2024-25 #PABudget. This will go out to all 500 PA school districts to pay for growing special education costs.

PennFuture(opens in a new tab): PennFuture applauds Governor Shapiro and the Pennsylvania General Assembly on their forward-looking environmental initiatives in a $47.6 billion 2024-2025 budget deal that includes important investments to maintain and protect Pennsylvania’s natural resources and promote renewable energy throughout the Commonwealth. The budget allocates crucial ongoing support to the Clean Streams Fund, which aims to safeguard our waterways from pollution. Established in 2022 with federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, the Clean Streams Fund became a popular program for Pennsylvania farmers looking to invest in conservation practices. We are thrilled to witness the ongoing success of this program with the state creating a recurring $50 million in annual funding. Another popular program, Abandoned Wells Plugging, will receive $11 million to cap abandoned oil and gas wells to prevent methane leaks and pollution into our waterways that harm our homes, farms, schools, and businesses. 

Luke Bernstein, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry(opens in a new tab): On behalf of Pennsylvania’s business community, the PA Chamber thanks the General Assembly and Gov. Shapiro for passing a budget that takes important steps to make Pennsylvania more competitive. This budget includes several key legislative priorities that the PA Chamber has long championed, including eliminating Pennsylvania’s Startup Tax by raising the cap on net operating losses, modernizing our permitting processes, and advancing workforce initiatives. These provisions will help attract new economic opportunities, expedite project approvals so that businesses can grow and create jobs, help employers address workforce challenges, and equip Pennsylvanians with the skills needed for the future.

Nicole Stallings, HAP President and CEO(opens in a new tab): HAP and Pennsylvania hospitals thank legislative leaders and Governor Shapiro for prioritizing key health care priorities in the state budget: Bolstering care that supports healthy moms and babies and preserving access to hospital care in rural communities. We look forward to continued work with the administration and General Assembly to support healthy and economically strong communities and ensure Pennsylvanians’ access to high quality care.

Mark Davis, President and CEO of Pennsylvania Advocacy and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disabilities (PAR): This budget will save lives and lift the lives of thousands of individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A) by ensuring that these Pennsylvanians can live and thrive at home and in their communities. Critically, Governor Shapiro and the legislature have made a strong commitment to transitioning 1,500 individuals with IDA off of the emergency waiting list for services and eventually to ending this waiting list once and for all.

Education Law Center & Public Interest Law Center(opens in a new tab): There is bipartisan agreement that adequately funded education requires, at minimum, an additional $4.5 billion, distributed to the communities that need it most. The first step to fixing a problem is admitting it exists. While understating the problem, state officials of both parties now agree that there is a massive adequacy gap. And the funds distributed this year through the new adequacy formula are critical, desperately needed, and will be used to hire the teachers, tutors, and counselors that students deserve.

The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties(opens in a new tab): We appreciate the bipartisan work of the legislative caucuses, their staff, and the governor and his administration on delivering this important investment in our System and, most important, our students. With the increase in the State System appropriation, legacy-debt relief, scholarships for students, and labor seats on the State Board of Higher Education, we feel this budget sets up our State System to truly thrive — while extending the promise of a high-quality public higher education at an affordable cost. There is a lot to be proud of in this budget. We appreciate the continued commitment by all parties at the budget table to fund our State System while looking to address the challenges of legacy debt and student affordability.

Matt Smith, Chief Growth Officer, Allegheny Conference(opens in a new tab): Big economic development progress coming out of this Pa Budget.  Appreciate @GovernorShapiro & bipartisan group of leaders coming together around key issues for our ability to improve economic competitiveness & drive economic growth.

Check out what people are seeing and reading about the bipartisan 2024-25 budget:

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Pa. lawmakers reach $47.6 billion budget deal with sweeping changes to public education(opens in a new tab)

Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Gov. Shapiro signs Pennsylvania's $47.6 billion budget with big boost in education spending(opens in a new tab)

Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Gov. Shapiro signs 2024-25 Pennsylvania budget, calls it a ‘major victory’(opens in a new tab)

PennLive: Pa.’s new budget funds major boosts for schools, economic development(opens in a new tab)

PennLive: Shapiro signs Pa. budget deal with big increases to education, few tax changes(opens in a new tab)

SpotlightPA: Compromises on education spending, tax cuts, and transit headline Pa.’s $47.6B budget(opens in a new tab)

Lancaster Farming: Shapiro Signs State Budget Funding New Ag Initiatives(opens in a new tab)

The Center Square: State budget done: Education, tax reforms take center stage