Dollar signs followed by nine or more digits usually grab headlines when a state budget is signed into law, but dozens of smaller programs that state lawmakers have worked for months or years to pass are buried in legislation that tells the state government how to spend the money.
Tax Code, extensive document which is passed along with the budget and includes a provision that directs various branches of government to make money available to fund new programs passed by the state legislature in the months and weeks leading up to the budget deadline.
The 2024-25 fiscal code bill includes money for solar energy in public schools, Alzheimer’s and neurological disease research, and redeveloping neglected shopping malls, among other legislative goals. Here are some of the programs highlighted by lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Solar energy for schools
State Rep. Liz Fiedler (D-Philadelphia) introduced a bill last year that would allow Pennsylvania school districts to access federal Inflation Reduction Act funds to install solar panels that would support them reduce their carbon footprint and save money on utility bills.
Fiedler, chairman of the House Blue-Green Caucus, and the bill’s co-sponsors pointed to success stories in school districts like Steelton-Highspire, just outside the state capital, where a solar facility built on a reclaimed landfill is meeting 100% of the district’s electricity needs.
More than a year after the State House passed the Solar Energy for Schools Act With mighty bipartisan support, the state Senate sent it to Shapiro’s desk by a vote of 42-7. The fiscal code includes $25 million through the Commonwealth Financing Authority to provide grants that would allow school districts to access federal funding for 30% to 50% of the cost of solar projects.
The state money is tied to an additional $75 million in the Fiscal Code for school improvement grants, which is on top of $100 million from the last budget.
“It made sense because we’re talking about schools that are also in dire need of electrical upgrades,” Fiedler said, adding that solar power can now be included in such upgrade projects.
Support for people with dementia
The fiscal code directs the Pennsylvania Department of Aging to create the state’s first office dedicated to supporting dementia initiatives. In his remarks before the budget signing Thursday night, Shapiro noted that it would serve the 200,000 Pennsylvanians diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
“For years, people living with Alzheimer’s and related disorders have not been a priority in Pennsylvania. We can and must do more for them and the loved ones who care for them,” said Rep. Maureen Madden (D-Monroe), chairwoman of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee. The state currently allocates just $250,000 for Alzheimer’s outreach.
Madden introduced House Bill 2400 to create the office. The bill passed the House last month but has not been considered in the Senate. Money to create the office would come from the state lottery fund. The fiscal code also mandates that a portion of the Tobacco Settlement funds be used for Alzheimer’s research. No amounts were specified in either case.
Agricultural innovations
Among Shapiro’s major budget initiatives when he unveiled his budget proposal in March was a 10-year strategic economic development plan. In addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars the plan allocates for industrial development, it creates a grant program for agricultural innovation.
The grants, administered by the Agriculture Department, will support farmers “take over vacant land and turn piles of abandoned land into real jobs,” Shapiro said.
The $10 million program is designed to support innovations in energy efficiency, water quality, water utilize reduction and odor reduction to attract new agricultural businesses to Pennsylvania, according to a description of the program prepared by House Democrats.
Under the Internal Revenue Code, individuals and businesses will be able to apply for grants ranging from $2,000 to $2 million, depending on the scope of the application.
Destroyed shopping malls
Rep. Joshua Siegel (D-Lehigh) said his bill, which the House passed in April, would provide “unique redevelopment opportunities for communities” burdened by vacant or dying shopping centers.
House of Representatives Bill 1799 The bill was not considered by the Senate, but the Fiscal Code provides $10 million through the Commonwealth Financing Authority to assist in the redevelopment of shopping centers and similar commercial facilities.
The funds will be used to provide grants and loans to developers who will be able to transform former shopping malls into mixed-use commercial and residential projects.
Public safety
The budget includes $1.2 billion for the Pennsylvania State Police but also includes funds to combat violent crime in a more community-focused manner.
The tax code directs the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to award $11.5 million in grants to schools and community nonprofits to provide programs for at-risk youth before and after school and during summer vacations.
The bill also directs the PCCD to provide nearly $13 million to be split between the state attorney general’s office and the district attorneys’ offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, where local and state firearms task forces operate.
Pennsylvania Tourism
Shapiro kicked off the summer with a road trip promoting Pennsylvania as the “Great American Road Trip.” The fiscal code requires the state Department of Community and Economic Development to spend $19.3 million to promote tourism in Pennsylvania.
The tourism bureau would utilize the money in part to promote a range of cultural and artistic activities that generate economic impact throughout the state and region. The bill also directs the bureau to allocate $1 million to conduct statewide competitions for about 2,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities.
