Ray’s Round Up: Budget Takes Backseat to Kane’s Controversy

You would think that the big news coming out of the State Capitol this week would be the crisis caused by entering a sixth week without a state budget.  But, sadly, you would be mistaken. It seems the state budget is taking a backseat, at least in the attention of elected officials, the public, and the media, to the storyline of Attorney General Kane.

On Saturday, August 8 ^th, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane was arraigned on charges of felony perjury and several misdemeanors including obstruction, false swearing and official oppression.  Attorney General Kane did not enter a plea, but her attorney has stated she plans to plead not guilty, fight the charges, and remain in office.  Calls for her resignation have come from Governor Tom Wolf and numerous legislative leaders of both political parties, and if she does not resign, it is very possible the General Assembly will begin impeachment proceedings against her.

Rumors of this action have been building over the past few months, but it was still a dramatic development to have the sitting Attorney General charged with these crimes. The news coverage around this case is likely to escalate over the coming weeks and months.  It is likely that elected officials, the media, and the public will devote a great deal of their time and attention to the Attorney General’s situation instead of other matters.

But I digress. We were talking about the state budget after all.  See how distracting the news about the Attorney General is?

So far, the lack of a state budget has not caused a crisis, and without a crisis, the pressure on the Governor and General Assembly to resolve their differences and reach a compromise is weak.  In past budget disputes, funds to pay state government workers and keep state services functioning stopped flowing at the end of the fiscal year (June 30) if a new budget was not enacted.  But due to a court ruling from a few years ago, state workers must continue to be paid while the budget talks continue.  Consequently, state services, such as state parks, drivers’ license centers, state legislators’ local offices, etc., remain open.  Some social service agencies are not receiving state funds at this point, but many have secured short-term loans in order to continue providing necessary services.  Public schools open in a few weeks, and most (but not all) school districts have reserve funds that will allow them to operate for a few months before they absolutely need to utilize state funds.

Without the pressure from unpaid state workers, unavailable services, or schools that can’t open due to the state budget, the Governor and the General Assembly may not feel compelled to shift their positions on the issues that prevent a budget from being signed.

More specifically, they are entrenched in their positions on the tax imposition for Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction, public pension reform, increased education spending, or partial privatization of alcoholic beverage sales.  Negotiations continue but, until the pressure increases, we may not see much progress.

 

Upcoming News/Events

Pennsylvania has two new State Representatives as a result of special elections held on August 4th.  In the 87 ^th District, located in Cumberland County, Greg Rothman, the Republican candidate was declared the victor.  In the 161 ^st District, located in Delaware County, Democrat Leanne Krueger-Braneky won a three-way race.  Both new Representatives will be sworn in when the House returns to session on August 24.

In addition, three new State Representatives were chosen in special elections held on August 11, all in Philadelphia.  The newly-elected democratic Representatives are:

 

• Ed Neilson in the 174^th District
• Joanna McClinton in the 191^st District
• Donna Bullock in the 195^th District

 

All three will assume their offices at the end of August.

 

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