Area state lawmakers were cautious in their reaction to Gov. Ed Rendell’s proposed $29 billion state budget, pointing out that there will be close scrutiny and much debate before a final budget is passed.

“It’s no secret we are facing an economic crisis, and we have a long road ahead. But the governor took a first step toward addressing the problems we face,” said Rep. Frank Burns, D-East Taylor Township.

Burns said that it’s important for lawmakers, as they work on the budget, to protect “our most vulnerable citizens, ensuring that our seniors and children have access to health care and other vital services.”

Sen. John Wozniak, D-Westmont, said, “The good news is the budget is balanced.” But he warned that the money the governor is anticipating from federal fiscal relief “comes as a help, but that’s not permanent money.”

Wozniak suggested that the proposal for legalized video poker machines to help fund some scholarships for college students likely will face opposition in the General Assembly.

But Wozniak, who has backed suggestions for mergers or, at least, joint services by school districts, said he likes the governor’s proposal consolidating Pennsylvania’s many districts.

He admitted however, “I don’t know where we (General Assembly) will go on that.”

Wozniak said that reaching a consensus on priorities and dollar amounts will be difficult.

“Nobody could have predicted how quickly the economy would collapse. But if it causes us to examine every line, every program and every dollar spent, it can shape a leaner, more effective government by the time the economy improves,” he said.

Rep. Gary Haluska, D-Patton, said that the governor took “a shotgun approach” in unveiling the massive budget.

“It’s all over the board, talking about layoffs, talking about cuts, shutting down the Scotland School while boosting many areas,” Haluska said. “It left a lot of people in the House, especially Democrats and Republicans I know, just shaking their heads.”

He wondered aloud, for example, how there can be a 10 percent increase in education expenditures while libraries are being reduced 8 percent or 9 percent.

The skyrocketing costs of housing jail inmates is an area of concern, Haluska said. He questioned whether it would be better to place some defendants – especially low-level drug offenders – into rehabilitation rather than incarceration. Such rehabilitation programs might cost $5,000 a year for each person rather than the $18,000 to $22,000 to house an inmate in a state prison.

The proposal of legalizing video poker machines to fund some scholarships “is a novel idea, and it’s going to take long beyond the budget cycle to get done,” Haluska said.

He predicted, “It’s going to be a long, arduous process” until a final budget is approved.

Rep. Bryan Barbin, D-Westmont, said that state lawmakers will have to compromise to enact a budget that will address the state’s economic woes.

Noting that Pennsylvania faces a $2 billion deficit, Barbin said lawmakers need to “craft a solution that engages all parties in the effort to rebuild Pennsylvania’s roadways, bridges and water infrastructure while maintaining essential services for (the) poor, disabled and elderly citizens.”

Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar, R-Somerset, said he was stunned that the governor proposed spending even more money this year than last year while residents in his district are cutting their family budgets to the bone.

“The answer given by this governor to the economic struggles is to spend more and more taxpayer dollars,” he said in a news release. “This does not represent fiscal sanity. In fact, just the opposite is true.”