With the State’s 2015-16 budget finally completed, legislators are well into the 2016-17 process. Will the next budget be passed on time? Get insights from our State delegation and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry at an upcoming breakfast.

Jennifer Reis, Manager of Government Affairs with the PA Chamber, will provide an overview of the 2016-17 budget proposal, highlighting issues which impact business. Representatives Kurt Masser and David Millard with provide updates on the negotiations. Attendees will also be invited to ask questions.

The program will be held Friday, May 6^th from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. at the Pine Barn Inn, Danville. Cost is $18 for members and includes a buffet breakfast. Register for the event online or by calling the Chamber office at 570-784-2522.

Last week, an overwhelming majority of House and Senate lawmakers sent Gov. Wolf an amended version of the Fiscal Code Bill that provides direction for how certain state funding should be spent. The governor vetoed a previous version of the legislation in March, based on his resistance to provisions relating to school funding distribution, environmental regulation and other issues – an action that led to the loss of $439 million to public schools and the threat of lawsuits. The newly passed Fiscal Code – H.B. 1589 – contains borrowing to reimburse for school construction costs and the distribution formula that was approved last year by the Basic Education Funding Commission and earned bipartisan support. In his veto last month, Governor Wolf bypassed this formula in favor of funding schools through his own distribution formula, which left legislative leaders questioning whether he had the authority to do so.

Unlike last month, the governor has made no threat to veto H.B. 1589. This is perhaps because the broad-based support for the measure in both chambers indicated that there would be enough votes for a two-thirds veto override in the legislature. A number of members in the governor’s own party voted with Republicans to pass the bill. It passed by a 149-45 vote in the House; and cleared the Senate in a 37-11 vote. Should the governor choose to veto the bill, a veto override would require a total of 136 votes in the House and 33 votes in the Senate (although this will jump to 34 following the special election on April 26).

While the administration was mum on what action Gov. Wolf intends to take with the new Fiscal Code bill, Wolf spokesman Jeff Sheridan told reporters that the governor plans to review the legislation in its entirety.

On March 1st, the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau unveiled two new interactive kiosks located in the Danville area. The first kiosk was placed at Geisinger Medical Center in the Atrium Café, which is a heavily trafficked area of the hospital complex.  The other kiosk is located in the lobby of the Pine Barn Inn.  These displays are linked to the Visitors Bureau website to assist users in finding information about local businesses, upcoming events in the area, dining and shopping options, local attractions and other activities in Columbia and Montour Counties.  Jim Wilson, Executive Director of the Danville Business Alliance, highlighted the impact of the new technology on the area. “The kiosks are strategically placed in two of the busiest pedestrian locations in Danville and Montour County:  Geisinger Medical Center and the Pine Barn Inn.  Literally thousands of people (patients, their families, visitors) will pass by them every day.  They will provide an unparalleled opportunity to promote the many natural, historic, cultural and commercial assets of both Columbia and Montour Counties.”

Data trends show that the new kiosks are indeed having an immediate impact on the area.  In the months preceding the installation of the new kiosks, the Visitors Bureau website averaged 300-400 unique page views from the Danville area every month.  In the one month after the kiosks were placed, this number dramatically increased to reach nearly 2,000 unique page views in the month of March.  Several local business owners have expressed their excitement about the new installations, and hopes are high that downtown Danville will see greater foot traffic in the upcoming summer months.

More than 600 businesses and organizations belong to the Columbia Montour Chamber to receive benefits and support efforts to strengthen our region. Increased membership allows us to offer additional programs and benefits, have a stronger voice in advocacy, and be involved in more activities and initiatives in our communities. The Chamber welcomes six organizations that joined in March to help us fulfill our mission:

487 Rustics – 1549 State Route 487, Orangeville

Can U Xcape – 95 East 10th Street, Unit 1, Bloomsburg

Keystone Payroll – 355-C Colonnade Boulevard, State College

Resurrection Movement Studio – 1408 Montour Blvd, Danville

Sokol Quarries, Inc. – 3860 State Route 487, Stillwater

Susquehanna Valley Limousine, Inc. – 2225 Ridge Road, Northumberland

Additional contact information is available on the Chamber’s Online Directory.    A reminder that anyone who recommends Chamber membership will receive a $25 gift certificate when that organization joins.

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry

The 2015-16 PA budget was finalized last week as Gov. Tom Wolf allowed various appropriations bills to become law. Of the number of bills sent to the governor’s desk, only one – the Fiscal Code – was vetoed. The veto reduces by $439 million the amount of money that Pennsylvania’s public schools will receive – an interesting result given that the Wolf administration continuously pushed for more education funding during the budget impasse. Senate Republicans say that a $150 million increase in basic education funding and $289 million in school construction reimbursements can’t be distributed due to the Fiscal Code veto – a fact the Wolf administration is trying to make up for by proposing $200 million in PlanCon funding in the 2016-17 budget. Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, decried the governor’s action as making the schools a pawn in a tax and spend agenda. “At the tip of the governor’s veto pen are schools left searching for ways to pay the interest on loans or school construction costs,” Corman said.

Capitolwire reports that the governor is defending his Fiscal Code veto by stating that the bill contained objectionable provisions including the funding formula for new money – which the governor agrees with, but only after more basic education funding has been distributed via the old funding formula – and a borrowing plan for school construction, which he claims would be too costly given the state’s current credit rating situation. It was further reported that the veto affects more than $25 million in agricultural funding, as the Fiscal Code bill would have allowed for spending from a restricted receipt account within the supplemental appropriations bill that became law.   House and Senate lawmakers returned to Harrisburg this week for session to examine the implications of Gov. Wolf’s veto and spending levels for the 2016-17 budget.

With the start of the Chamber’s new fiscal year on April 1, several new members will be welcomed to the Board. Incoming members are as follows:

Martin Bowman, Columbia Alliance for Economic Growth

Diane Ljungquist, Berwick Hospital Center

Travis Petty, Borough of Berwick

Denise Stone, Geisinger Health System

Jeff Whitenight, First Columbia Bank & Trust

Sharon Wilkin, CSS Industries

Officers are as follows:

Mark Gardner, Chair, M&T Bank

Karen Wood, Vice Chair, Service 1^st Federal Credit Union

Diana Verbek, Treasurer, Danville Child Development Center

Fred Gaffney, President

A complete list of Chamber Board members is available online.

Exiting the Board are Jim Nemeth, Autoneum, and Andrew Pruden, Inn at Turkey Hill. Chair Mark Gardner expressed appreciation for their service at the March Board meeting. Both continue to be active on the Partnership Board and committees.

In February, the majority of Bloomsburg Town Council members voted not to advance an ordinance that would have expanded parking enforcement times in the downtown. That decision followed calls from the Chamber and dozens of business and property owners for a more comprehensive approach to managing parking. A sub-committee was formed by the Town’s Community and Economic Development Committee and is now meeting regularly to discuss the issues and make recommendations to Town Council.

The committee is comprised of representatives of Council, Police Department, Columbia County, the Chamber, DBI, Bloomsburg University, downtown merchants, the Bloomsburg Landlord’s Association, and residents. In the first two meetings, the committee agreed on areas of focus, and assessed the existing parking inventory in the commercial district. The committee is next scheduled to review data from parking studies conducted in 2009 and 2015. The members recognize that parking in the downtown is confusing and can be frustrating in certain areas, and are interested in proposing long-term solutions.

A revitalization plan being spearheaded by Downtown Bloomsburg Inc. suggests a number of improvements to the downtown commercial district. Ideas include increasing the amount of green space, building improvements, incentive programs for businesses, and a roundabout in front of Town Hall. The phase 2 report of the 3-phase plan was presented last Thursday evening at the Greenly Center. Duane Greenly, benefactor of the Greenly Center, Mayor Sandy Davis, and Chamber President Fred Gaffney expressed support for the initiative.

The presentation and a list of major supporters to date is available on DBI’s website at www.visitbloomsburg.org. The DBI Board would like to move forward with phase 3 immediately upon securing funding.

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry

With the looming threat of layoffs at hospitals and educational institutions as a result of the budget impasse, the General Assembly attempted yet again last week to resolve unfinished portions of the 2015-16 budget by sending Gov. Tom Wolf a budget bill that would bring total state spending for this fiscal year to $30 billion, without raising taxes. House Bill 1801 passed the House in a 128-63 vote, with 115 Republicans and 13 Democrats voting in the affirmative. The Senate passed the bill in a 31-18 vote along mostly party lines.

House Bill 1801 would result in the state spending 3 percent more than was spent in 2014-15 – about $238 million less than the budget plan that the General Assembly passed in December and Gov. Wolf line-item vetoed. The sentiment among lawmakers who voted “yes” on H.B. 1801 was generally that spending increases that were agreed-to last year can no longer be put in place, as it’s the last quarter of the fiscal year. The new plan sets education funding levels at $5.93 billion – an increase of $203 million over 2014-15 – but still about $175 million less than the governor wants. The budget plan provides for a 5 percent increase in funding for the state’s 18 public universities and the 14 community colleges.

Given that his 2016-17 budget plan relies on more hypothetical revenue from the final 2015-16 spending number, Gov. Wolf not surprisingly announced an intent to veto the legislation. Moments after the Senate passed the bill (with all Republicans and one Democrat supporting it) the governor issued a statement saying that the plan simply doesn’t spend enough: “In its current form, I will veto this budget, and I urge Republicans in the legislature to … negotiate a final budget that funds our schools and eliminates the nearly $2 billion deficit. I look forward to working with both parties in the legislature to finally end this impasse, fix our schools, and eliminate the deficit.”

However, there is a growing possibility that the legislature could have the two-thirds majority needed to override the governor’s veto this time around. According to a story in Pennlive, between 13 and 28 House Democrats crossed the aisle to vote with Republicans on Wednesday to approve the various funding bills. A veto-proof majority would require a minimum of 16 Democratic votes, and GOP leaders have said they will schedule an override vote if the governor vetoes the legislation.