Kane pleads for money for Pa. attorney general’s office

The Pennsylvania attorney general is asking state lawmakers for a $12 million budget boost.

About a week after Attorney General Kathleen Kane upended the Corbett administration’s effort to privatize the state lottery, she’s warning lawmakers of a different threat if her office doesn’t receive more money.

Mexican drug cartels and child predators were the buzzwords of Kane’s remarks to the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday.

To fight such crime, she’s asking for $6 million to add staff.

“That would include making sure the child predator unit can stay at the same funding levels as well as then increase some of the agents who can track the child predators. And also for the mobile street crimes unit, we would have to put some people out on the street,” Kane said.

Kane says an additional $6 million will be needed to compensate for the nearly 8 percent increase in her office’s expenses.

The governor had proposed to “flat-fund” the attorney general’s office. But Kane says that would necessitate about 57 layoffs and possibly some closed offices.