PBPC Hosts Forum on State Budget Deficit

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December 2, 2008

Pennsylvania is among 41 states facing budget deficits in 2009 and beyond. On Tuesday, December 2, the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center hosted a forum in Harrisburg to discuss the impact of the national recession on Pennsylvania's budget and policy options for balancing the budget. The event brought out 63 attendees to the Hilton Harrisburg and featured presentations from:

  • Elizabeth McNichol of the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who addressed the impact of the fiscal crisis on the states (download PowerPoint);
  • Mark Price, Ph.D., a labor economist with the Keystone Research Center, who outlined Pennsylvania's economic outlook (download PowerPoint);
  • Michael Wood and Sharon Ward, both of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, who presented an analysis of the state budget, historic revenue trends and tax policy (download PowerPoint); and
  • A legislative panel consisting of Thomas Starke, executive director of the Pennsylvania Senate Majority Appropriations Committee, and Elizabeth Balaban, a senior analyst for the Pennsylvania House Majority Appropriations Committee.