Eastern Montco Lawmakers React To End Of PA Budget Impasse

EASTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Lawmakers are reacting to the end of the PA state budget impasse after the Pennsylvania Senate passed FY 2025-2026 budget bill on Wednesday night.

The vote comes 135 days after the budget deadline.

State Sen. Maria Collett (D-12 Montgomery, Democratic Caucus Chair) voted in favor of the general appropriations bill.

“I’m proud that this budget — while the product of compromise — delivers historic wins for everyday Pennsylvanians,” Collett said. “For the first time, we’ve created the Working Pennsylvania Tax Credit, a $193 million investment that means up to $805 extra in their pockets for nearly one million hardworking families. That’s real relief — for groceries, for gas, for keeping the lights on.”

Collett said the 2025-26 budget includes several of her top priorities: Investments in childcare workforce recruitment and retention, increasing investments in public and special education, increasing support for direct care workers, and boosting local economies — all without raising taxes.

Collett, a registered nurse, highlighted the creation of the Nursing Shortage Assistance Program to provide up to $30,000 in tax-free student loan repayment for eligible Pennsylvania nurses.

“This investment builds upon the success of my Student Loan Relief for Nurses program and will be a permanent fixture in expanding the healthcare workforce pipeline," Collett said.

Other state representatives representing Montgomery County also spoke about the impasse end.

"We have a long-overdue Pennsylvania budget signed into law," State Rep. Ben Sanchez said. "I was happy to vote for this bipartisan, balanced budget."

"We have successfully passed the state budget," State Rep. Melissa Cerrato said. "After extensive negotiation, this agreement puts critical funding back in the hands of our schools, counties, and essential service providers."

Collett said that while the budget makes "critical progress," lawmakers need to push for more improvements.

"I remain fully committed to delivering results for my constituents, including sustained transportation and transit funding," Collett said. "The goal is simple: to rebalance the playing field —so that our working families, our students, our seniors matter more than corporate interests and deep pockets.”