Ray's Round Up: A Step Back on the State Budget

An eventful Monday before Thanksgiving in Harrisburg with the focus entirely on the State Budget.  Governor Wolf spoke before the Pennsylvania Press Club and confirmed that he and the General Assembly have taken a step backwards in working toward an agreement to pass a state budget, which is now almost five months overdue.  The framework agreement that appeared to be in place a week ago is no longer acceptable to either side.  A method to reduce property taxes is now the main sticking point, as the two sides cannot agree on a formula for implementing the reduction.  With that disagreement in mind, the State Senate held a vote on a budget amendment to eliminate property taxes in Pennsylvania.  The vote failed 24-25.

Expect intense budget discussions to continue over the next few days as lawmakers are finally expressing a sense of urgency.  More and more service providers are restricting services and laying off employees across the state – for example, a number of areas have announced the closing of senior centers until a state budget can be passed.  The idea of compromise has been resisted up to this point in these negotiations, but perhaps with the failure of the property tax elimination vote in the Senate, the General Assembly and the Governor will approach the continued talks with a goal of reaching an agreement instead of holding out for their preferred solution.

“Ray’s Round Up” features updates on current state and federal issues by Ray Landis, AARP PA’s Advocacy Manager.