A boost in funding for education, expanding initiatives to target the state’s workforce development, and a previously announced minimum wage hike are cornerstones of Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2019-20 budget proposal, unveiled Tuesday in the first budget address of the governor’s second term.

Wolf’s plan spends a little over $34 billion, a 2.79 percent increase from last year, but adds in no new taxes, something he touted early and often throughout his address and was a line which drew a bipartisan standing ovation. 

Check out the week as tweeted from lawmakers, influencers, and others around Pennsylvania state government.

Gov. Tom Wolf again called for a natural gas severance tax Tuesday, this time to fund infrastructure in the state However there are no indications that the plan will be any more palatable to opposing legislators than the one he pushed last session.

Whereas past proposals have attempted to use a severance tax to fund education, Wolf is now attempting to raise funds for a program that would invest in an array of infrastructure projects around the state, including flood containment, high speed internet access and blight reduction.

After 12 years climbing his way to the top, Rep. Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) took over as House Majority Leader for this session, replacing former Rep. Dave Reed (R-Indiana).

The PLS Reporter sat down with Cutler for a chat on some of the issues, from redistricting to support for nuclear plants and statute of limitations, that could shape the next year. The interview is printed below with some minor editing for clarity.

A new cabinet position and a commonwealth agency focused on energy production and coordination are on the agenda for state business leaders who want to expand Pennsylvania’s gas economy.

In a report released Thursday entitled “Forge the Future: Ideas for Actions,” industry leaders said that the state’s potential in gas economic growth – totaling $60 billion between production, energy generation and manufacturing - is threatened by poor business conditions in the state, from the nation high 9.99 corporate net income tax to slow permitting.