Pennsylvania Senate returns to move short-term spending plan

It’s not likely he’ll go along with any stopgap bill unless “we have a general agreement on what the budget looks like and it’s going to take some time to actually get the details in place”, Wolf told Pittsburgh radio station KDKA-AM.

Wolf said he offered major concessions on two agenda items dear to Republicans – pension changes and liquor privatization.

Notwithstanding Wolf’s position, Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman says he does not believe stopgap legislation is a waste of time. Nothing. I got nothing on property tax relief. I got nothing on education – nothing. We have a stopgap measure to keep money flowing to Homeland Security.

The Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth, and Family Services, which represents more than 100 private providers of child welfare and juvenile justice services in Pennsylvania, said the legal challenge filed Tuesday in Commonwealth Court is an attempt to protect its members’ funding during state budget fights in the years to come.

As a compromise, administration officials said they offered to hire a private manager to run the state’s wine and liquor system. “They want to see, I guess, how far they can push me”. I mean this is – they’re poking me in the eye again. That included the possibility of allowing alcoholic beverages into supermarkets and convenience stores, they said.

The plan advanced by Senate leaders Wednesday uses that vetoed spending plan as its starting point, and would provide about $11 billion – or approximately four months – of funds. On pensions, he outlined a plan to move new employees into 401(k)-style plans on any income they earn over $75,000. The administration said that its reforms would save billions over the long term. GOP legislative leaders said Wolf rejected their proposals on education funding and pension reform.

Senate leadership is looking to schedule final votes for Friday, which would leave the bills sitting in the House when they return to session on Monday. The governor and Legislature are in violation of the law because no budget has been adopted.

The state has been operating without a budget since July 1, holding up payments to counties, public schools, and social service nonprofits that rely on state aid.

“The people that are hurting mainly are the people that need the most”, said Sen.

The governor’s office blames the legislature, saying it can’t send money to the counties that largely fund these services until a budget is passed.