No budget deal yet, but Pa. House to reconvene
HARRISBURG - The House of Representatives will return to the Capitol on Sunday, even though budget negotiations have dragged on without agreement on how to pay for the $31.5 billion spending plan the legislature approved last month.
HARRISBURG - The House of Representatives will return to the Capitol on Sunday, even though budget negotiations have dragged on without agreement on how to pay for the $31.5 billion spending plan the legislature approved last month.
It was not clear late last week what the House planned to vote on when it convenes at 4 p.m. Steve Miskin, spokesman for the GOP-controlled chamber, said Friday he anticipates there will be floor votes on bills, albeit ones not necessarily related to the budget.
"Do we have an agreement at this moment? No," Miskin said Friday. ". . . But we are working to get there."
At issue is how to pay for the $31.5 billion budget proposal the legislature sent to Gov. Wolf on June 30, the last day before the start of the new fiscal year. House Republicans have proposed raising about $1 billion from gambling expansion, allowing some private retailers to sell wine, new taxes on tobacco products and instituting a tax amnesty program.
But Wolf, as well as Republicans who control the Senate, believe the plan does not raise enough money and is based on revenue projections that are unrealistic.
Senate leaders also have misgivings over the House's gambling legislation, which would make Pennsylvania the fourth state to legalize internet gambling. And Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre) has said that he is uncomfortable with hiking taxes on smokers when the state needs a quick way to raise cash. House leaders have said they support a $1-per-pack increase for cigarettes.
Negotiations over the last week have zeroed in on making changes to some of those measures, as well as finding new ways to raise more revenue.
The Democratic Wolf administration, as well as some Republican senators, had advocated for resurrecting a tax that would be passed on to natural-gas consumers. But Republican House leaders pushed back, saying there was little support for it in their chamber.
The tax, which was rescinded under Republican Gov. Tom Ridge, would be levied on natural-gas companies but passed along to households and businesses that use natural gas. It is projected to raise about $500 million.
On Friday afternoon, it was unclear whether that proposal was still being seriously discussed.
Drew Crompton, the Senate's top Republican lawyer, said GOP senators are not "entirely comfortable" with the idea.
But, he said, "we've tried to signal that the Republican caucus will try to bend - but not break - to meet everyone in the middle."
He added: "I'm not sure that's the sentiment of all the people involved. Compromise is hard."
Negotiators have also discussed taxing digital downloads of movies, books, music, and apps, and eliminating the discount the state gives to retailers who collect and remit sales taxes in a timely fashion.
All sides are under pressure to quickly resolve their differences.
Wolf has until 11:59 p.m. on Monday to decide whether to veto, either partially or in full, the $31.5 billion spending plan the legislature has sent him.
The governor has said that he will not sign a spending plan without the corresponding revenue package to pay for it.
"Our hope is that it does not come to the point where we have to choose any other option but signing it," said Wolf spokesman Jeff Sheridan.
He added: "There still is time to reach agreement."
717-787-5934
@AngelasInk