State Appropriations

In July 2017, Governor Tom Wolf allowed the General Fund Appropriations Bill (House Bill 218) to become law without his signature as he awaited a revenue plan to pay for the budget. The Governor received and signed the related revenue measures to pay for the General Fund Appropriations Bill on October 30, 2017. 

Items of significance to Penn in the final budget package include funding from the Physician Practice Plan line in the Department of Human Services budget and funds from the Commonwealth Universal Research and Education Fund (CURE) funded through the Master Tobacco Settlement Agreement. Funds from the Physician Practice Plan are appropriated to regional managed care organizations that redistribute those funds to Academic Medical Centers. The School of Dental Medicine and the Perelman School of Medicine receive funding through the program. Penn receives $3 to $7 million annually from CURE funding.

On October 27, 2017, the Governor signed into law Senate Bill 325, the School of Veterinary Medicine non-preferred appropriation. Senate Bill 325 appropriates $30,416,000 for the School of Veterinary Medicine, the same amount received in the prior year. In February, Governor Wolf had proposed the elimination of funding for the School of Veterinary Medicine.

—Hugh Allen, Senior Director of 

Commonwealth Relations, 

Office of Government and Community Affairs

University Statement Regarding the Commonwealth’s Funding Approval for Penn Vet

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has restored funding to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, and Governor Wolf has signed it into law. This outcome was aided by the support and advocacy of many, particularly by long-standing partners at the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and Penn Ag Industries.

Penn Vet has a long history of working with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, enabling the School to protect the food supply for 12 million Pennsylvanians, contribute to the success of the statewide agriculture community and support public health through infectious disease control programs.

State support for Penn Vet has provided a tremendous return on investment for taxpayers, ensuring their food supply is among the safest in the world.

—Joan Hendricks, 

Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of the 

School of Veterinary Medicine