Mustio: Updates from Harrisburg

House Returns to Session

Members of the Pennsylvania House will return to the state Capitol next week for fall legislative session.
 
Several important issues will be on the agenda, including pro-jobs measures and pension reform. In addition, lawmakers will continue to work to identify funding for much-needed repairs to the state’s transportation infrastructure, while also working to ensure any plan does not substantially increase the burden for taxpayers. 
  

House Appropriations Committee Examines Agriculture, Tourism Industries 
   
As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I attended public hearings in Gettysburg this week to focus on two of Pennsylvania’s leading industries – agriculture and tourism. 

The first hearing examined the impact of tourism on the state’s economy. Tourism is a $39 billion industry in Pennsylvania that generates $3.8 billion in tax revenue and supports more than 450,000 jobs. 

The committee also addressed what state government can do to further leverage state tourism spending to support economic growth and development. It is estimated that for every dollar the state spends on tourism promotion, it receives a $267 return on that investment. 

The second hearing focused on agriculture, the state’s top industry. With $5.7 billion in cash receipts annually from production agriculture, Pennsylvania farmers and agribusinesses are the leading economic driver in our state. 

In addition to production agriculture, the industry also raises revenue and supplies jobs through support services such as food processing, marketing, transportation and farm equipment. In total, production agriculture and agribusiness contributes nearly $57 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy.