Governor Rendell Hails Key Vote in U.S. Senate on Extended Federal Stimulus Aid to States

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today welcomed a key vote in the U.S. Senate on a bill that would, if finally approved, extend federal stimulus aid to help states maintain critical programs and services.

"It's a tremendous relief. I'm extremely gratified that the Senate voted to invoke cloture on the bill that would extend the stimulus money for Medicaid. While it is not 100 percent of the original appropriation, it would extend about 70 percent of the funding – and that is crucial for our commonwealth."

The Governor said if Congress finally approves the bill, the state will receive approximately $600 million instead of the $850 million it had anticipated – an outcome that he characterized as "significantly better" than the prospect of losing all extended stimulus funding.

To further strengthen Pennsylvania's fiscal situation, he repeated his call for the General Assembly to end the one-percent vendor discount that businesses receive for paying sales taxes to the state on-time. He offered the idea as part of his original budget proposal in order to generate more than $70 million in new revenues for this fiscal year.

"I think it's insane for Pennsylvania to give big retailers a discount simply for paying their taxes on time. They actually make a profit on the sales tax, and I find that ludicrous," he added.

CONTACT: Gary Tuma of the Pennsylvania Office of the Governor, +1-717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

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