Pennsylvania’s Senate returns for an unusual August session and a budget stalemate
1 year, 3 months ago

Pennsylvania’s Senate returns for an unusual August session and a budget stalemate

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate reconvened Wednesday for an unusual August session mired in a two-month budget stalemate with the Democratic-controlled House. Some of the bipartisan provisions approved Wednesday would boost insurance reimbursements to ambulance squads, increase Medicaid reimbursements for nursing homes and reauthorize court filing fees that help fund local courts. Some provisions allow the distribution of hundreds of millions of dollars to various programs and institutions, including one that Democrats had sought to fund universal free school breakfasts in public schools. The legislation also includes an additional $75 million in tax credits — up to $480 million annually — in exchange for business donations, primarily to private schools, and it imposes a two-year tuition freeze on Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities.

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate Republican House Million  unusual  stalemate  budget  republicans  university  tuition  democratic  schools  senate  million  millions  state  session  provisions  returns  pennsylvanias

History of this topic

Pennsylvania lawmakers pass nearly $48B budget almost 2 weeks late
5 months, 1 week ago

Pennsylvania lawmakers pass nearly $48B budget almost 2 weeks late

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania lawmakers ground through a flurry of votes Thursday to approve a budget deal, nearly two weeks into the new fiscal year after being slowed by disagreements during closed-door negotiations over Democrats’ push for more public schools aid. The $47.6 billion plan for the fiscal year that started July 1 represents a 6% increase over last year’s …

Pennsylvania to begin new fiscal year without budget, as Shapiro, lawmakers express optimism
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Pennsylvania to begin new fiscal year without budget, as Shapiro, lawmakers express optimism

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Work by Pennsylvania lawmakers to complete a new budget was on track to blow into the new fiscal year, with Democratic Gov. For Shapiro, it will be his second straight budget that failed to get across the finish line by the constitutional deadline of July 1 in Pennsylvania’s politically divided government. The consequence of failing to get …

Pennsylvania Senate approves GOP’s $3B tax-cutting plan, over objections of top Democrats
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Pennsylvania Senate approves GOP’s $3B tax-cutting plan, over objections of top Democrats

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Republican lawmakers on Tuesday advanced legislation for a $3 billion tax cut, their just-unveiled counterproposal to Democratic Gov. They also said it lacks any help for public schools, considering last year’s court decision that found Pennsylvania’s system of funding public schools violates the constitutional rights of students in poorer districts. People want a good quality of life, …

Pennsylvania lawmakers OK millions for universities, but feud over private and public school aid
1 year, 1 month ago

Pennsylvania lawmakers OK millions for universities, but feud over private and public school aid

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s Legislature on Wednesday approved hundreds of millions of dollars for universities after a fight that has dragged on five months into the fiscal year, although the politically divided body continued to feud over elements of school funding. Legislation to send just over $600 million to several higher education institutions passed both the House and Senate within …

Pennsylvania House passes legislation to complete overdue budget. Decisions now lie with the Senate
1 year, 2 months ago

Pennsylvania House passes legislation to complete overdue budget. Decisions now lie with the Senate

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Democrats who control Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives are making another attempt to send hundreds of millions of dollars to four Pennsylvania universities and get around a partisan dispute that has delayed the money. The bill passed amid a flurry of activity, as House Democrats advanced various priorities and tried to resolve partisan disputes around the state’s $45 …

Governor signs Pennsylvania’s main budget, leaving work ahead for some programs’ funding
1 year, 4 months ago

Governor signs Pennsylvania’s main budget, leaving work ahead for some programs’ funding

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s overdue state budget moved closer to completion Thursday after Senate Republican leaders summoned their colleagues back to the Capitol to complete work they had held up when budget negotiations with Democratic Gov. A final signature in the Senate sent the main spending plan to the governor’s desk on Thursday afternoon, allowing millions of dollars to begin …

Pennsylvania governor calls on divided Legislature to finalize budget past deadline
1 year, 5 months ago

Pennsylvania governor calls on divided Legislature to finalize budget past deadline

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro called on the Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday to return to the Pennsylvania Capitol to finalize a state spending plan, as the state government neared a week without full spending authority. Senate Republican leadership criticized him for lacking “enough respect and standing within his own party to follow through with his promise.” Shapiro said …

Pennsylvania to begin new fiscal year without budget plan in place
1 year, 5 months ago

Pennsylvania to begin new fiscal year without budget plan in place

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Republicans who control Pennsylvania’s Senate passed spending legislation hours ahead of Saturday’s start of a new fiscal year, but they lacked agreement with the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives to keep state government’s full spending authority intact. The main budget bill in the Senate GOP’s $45 billion spending plan passed 29-21, a couple hours after it emerged Friday. …

Pennsylvania budget agreement is elusive as fiscal-year deadline nears
1 year, 5 months ago

Pennsylvania budget agreement is elusive as fiscal-year deadline nears

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature appeared on track Thursday to start the state’s fiscal year without a spending plan in place, with closed-door talks yielding optimism from Republicans, but discontent from Democrats. Many Democratic lawmakers have muted their criticism of an emerging budget agreement between Republicans and Shapiro, but they say it doesn’t carry …

What to Watch: Pennsylvania budget talks near deadline, and get contentious
1 year, 5 months ago

What to Watch: Pennsylvania budget talks near deadline, and get contentious

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Democratic Gov. But top Democratic lawmakers have long opposed what they call “private school vouchers” — including this program — and that has sowed doubts about whether Shapiro can secure a deal in the coming days. The massive reserves are easing spending decisions, while the court decision has emboldened Democratic lawmakers to demand far more money for …

Growing budget fight in divided Legislature could test Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor
1 year, 6 months ago

Growing budget fight in divided Legislature could test Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania state lawmakers returned to session Monday for a weekslong slog to the budget deadline, as House Democrats advanced a spending plan that could test whether Gov. Within hours, House Democrats unveiled and passed a spending plan that goes well beyond what Shapiro requested for the year starting July 1, insisting on more money for public schools …

With court win, Pennsylvania schools want plan, down payment
1 year, 9 months ago

With court win, Pennsylvania schools want plan, down payment

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — When Pennsylvania Gov. “We think that this is an appropriate investment to start to address the scale of the problem we’re facing,” said Maura McInerney, legal director at Pennsylvania’s Education Law Center, which helped represent the school districts along with Public Interest Law Center and the O’Melveny & Myers law firm. A judge ruled in February that …

Senate signs off on Pennsylvania’s delayed main budget bill
2 years, 5 months ago

Senate signs off on Pennsylvania’s delayed main budget bill

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the main Pennsylvania state budget bill Friday, more than a week after it was due — a plan fattened by federal stimulus cash and unusually robust state tax collections. Big winners were public schools, environmental programs and long-term care facilities, but the budget also will leave some $5 billion in the state’s rainy day …

Discover Related