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 and saying strong recent tax collections can support it. The House Democratic plan would increase spending by almost $1.4 billion above Shapiro’s proposal, about half of it for public schools. In a statement Monday, Shapiro praised House Democrats “for taking this important step forward and adding to our shared priorities.” “Now, as this process moves on to the Senate, we look forward to continuing to work with Republicans and Democrats alike to bring people together and deliver a budget that addresses the most pressing issues facing our Commonwealth,” Shapiro’s office said.

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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, …

Connecticut lawmakers debate spending remaining COVID-19 funds, forgoing changes to state budget
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Connecticut lawmakers debate spending remaining COVID-19 funds, forgoing changes to state budget

Associated Press  

HARTFORD, Conn. — Facing a Dec. 31 deadline, Connecticut lawmakers were on track Tuesday to approve a Democratic plan to spend at least $360 million in remaining federal COVID-19 pandemic funds on key areas, including higher education, not-for-profit social service agencies, municipal aid and children’s mental health. Republicans in the House and Senate argued the Democrats’ plan sets the state …

Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers roll out higher ed plan built around grants and tuition discounts
8 months, 1 week ago

Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers roll out higher ed plan built around grants and tuition discounts

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania on Wednesday rolled out a counterproposal to Democratic Gov. Republicans also signaled that key elements of Shapiro’s higher education plan rolled out earlier this year are essentially dead in the Legislature. And we hear constantly now from employers who are really ringing alarm bells.” Enrollments have been falling for years at Pennsylvania’s state-owned …

Pennsylvania governor seeks billions for schools and development in budget that envisions legal weed
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Pennsylvania governor seeks billions for schools and development in budget that envisions legal weed

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Josh Shapiro ’s second budget proposes significant increases to education and economic development and would regulate adult use marijuana, while leaning heavily on Pennsylvania’s flush reserves to underwrite his vision. After a relatively modest first-year budget proposal, Shapiro returned in his second year with an admittedly “ambitious” $48.3 billion plan that marshals billions more for underfunded …

Pennsylvania governor to deliver budget while seeking money for higher education and public transit
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Pennsylvania governor to deliver budget while seeking money for higher education and public transit

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Josh Shapiro is set to deliver a second budget proposal to Pennsylvania lawmakers on Tuesday with a firmer grasp on how he wants to pursue several top priorities, his state in a relatively strong fiscal position and lessons learned from last year’s ugly budget fight. He also wants to spend more money to attract major companies …

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 …

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 …

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 …

The final Pennsylvania budget doesn’t include adult mental health funding. Democrats want it added
1 year, 4 months ago

The final Pennsylvania budget doesn’t include adult mental health funding. Democrats want it added

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Democratic lawmakers in Pennsylvania say they are angry that millions of dollars to expand adult mental health services got cut out of the budget, and are pushing to get it included now that the legislation is held up in a month-old partisan stalemate. The House, controlled by Democrats, approved legislation last month that would direct $100 million …

With state budget talks extending, North Carolina Democrats criticize GOP for delay
1 year, 5 months ago

With state budget talks extending, North Carolina Democrats criticize GOP for delay

Associated Press  

RALEIGH, N.C. — With a budget deal already a couple of weeks late, North Carolina Democrats complained on Wednesday that the absence of a state government spending deal by Republicans is delaying the expansion of Medicaid and setting up more obstacles to hire and retain teachers and law enforcement. “There’s nothing on our side to stop anything from going through …

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 governor backs off $100M private schools program, eases House budget vote
1 year, 5 months ago

Pennsylvania governor backs off $100M private schools program, eases House budget vote

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday backed off his insistence on money for a new private-school funding program, giving the Democratic-controlled House the opening to approve a new state spending plan after a days-long stalemate in Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature. The holdup was primarily over education spending — including Shapiro’s support for a new $100 million program …

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 …

Editorial: House Republicans want to balance the budget on the backs of America’s kids
1 year, 7 months ago

Editorial: House Republicans want to balance the budget on the backs of America’s kids

LA Times  

The budget spearheaded by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy simply calls for 22% in funding cuts without considering what students need. Republicans propose slashing funding for critical education programming that would affect low-income students, students with disabilities and students who need mental health support. In contrast, the Department of Education says that Biden’s $6.9-trillion budget proposal would add funding to low-income …

Proposal to lower Connecticut income tax rates advances
1 year, 8 months ago

Proposal to lower Connecticut income tax rates advances

Associated Press  

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut state lawmakers on Wednesday night advanced a Democratic proposal to reduce state income tax rates, but for some legislators the plan is not nearly enough. Rep. Maria Horn, D-Salisbury, the committee’s co-chair, defended the package, which was debated behind closed doors for about eight hours in the lead-up to Wednesday night’s vote. “So the taxes that …

Pennsylvania school allies criticize Shapiro’s budget plan
1 year, 9 months ago

Pennsylvania school allies criticize Shapiro’s budget plan

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Lawyers for the districts that won a landmark school funding court case in Pennsylvania say that Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal falls short of the financial commitments that are needed to help the state’s poorest school districts. “The moment calls for more.” A coalition of groups called Level Up said Shapiro should have set aside money just …

Shapiro’s 1st Pennsylvania budget stresses schools, prudence
1 year, 9 months ago

Shapiro’s 1st Pennsylvania budget stresses schools, prudence

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Shapiro’s budget proposal comes as Pennsylvania keeps taking in robust tax collections, leaving it with billions in reserve, even as the administration faces demands for more money for schools, highways and social services. But, Shapiro said, he is also making “investments to build an economy that works for everyone, to create safe and healthy communities, to …

Biden will buck tradition and unveil budget in Pennsylvania
1 year, 9 months ago

Biden will buck tradition and unveil budget in Pennsylvania

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — With an eye on 2024, President Joe Biden will showcase his election-year budget plan this week in must-win Pennsylvania rather than the usual White House setting. The White House budget plan will be a “what if” document, aimed at telling voters what the federal government could do if Democrats were solidly in control of the White House and …

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 …

Shapiro to take office with mandate from Pennsylvania voters
2 years, 1 month ago

Shapiro to take office with mandate from Pennsylvania voters

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor-elect of Pennsylvania, will take office with a decisive mandate from voters, who overwhelmingly rejected a Republican drive to pare back abortion rights and voting laws in the premier battleground state. Shapiro, the state’s two-term attorney general, scored a massive 14 percentage point win over Republican rival Doug Mastriano in last week’s midterm …

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 …

Pennsylvania House targets colleges’ fetal research in bill
2 years, 5 months ago

Pennsylvania House targets colleges’ fetal research in bill

Associated Press  

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! HARRISBURG, Pa. — A proposal to require Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities to promise they are not conducting research or experiments with fetal tissue from elective abortions was added to a state budget bill by House Republicans on Monday. The annual appropriation for the four state-related schools …

Arizona lawmakers approve bipartisan $18 billion budget
2 years, 6 months ago

Arizona lawmakers approve bipartisan $18 billion budget

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Arizona’s legislature approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan early Thursday that will make substantial investments in public schools, build new highways and pay down long-term debts. The budget also makes a $1.1 billion deposit into the pension fund for public safety and corrections officers, paying off the state’s unfunded liability for future retirement benefits. “With this budget, …

Arizona lawmakers begin hearings on state budget plan
2 years, 6 months ago

Arizona lawmakers begin hearings on state budget plan

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — The Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature began hearings Tuesday on a long-delayed state budget plan that was immediately panned by some Democrats and public school advocates for failing to use a huge surplus to significantly boost school funding. Critics call the plan’s new school funding miserly, especially when the state is sitting on a unprecedented $5.3 billion surplus even with …

House GOP unveils budget bill ahead of governor’s speech
2 years, 11 months ago

House GOP unveils budget bill ahead of governor’s speech

Associated Press  

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky House Republicans unveiled a two-year state budget plan Friday that includes increased education spending and pay raises for state employees, deciding not to wait to hear the Democratic governor’s proposals in his budget speech planned next week. “This is not good government; in fact, it’s barely government at all.” The GOP spending blueprint does reflect some …

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