HARRISBURG, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania is three weeks into the new fiscal year, and the state still does not have a budget, as a political stalemate drags on. A top House Republican says there’s no end to the impasse in sight, as Democrats accuse Senate Republicans of holding the budget hostage with a political maneuver.
The main budget bill passed both the State House and Senate, but after Gov. Josh Shapiro pledged to line-item veto private school tuition vouchers, Senate Republicans have withheld their signatures, meaning the bill can’t go to the governor.
Senate Republicans say the House must first pass supporting bills that specifically detail how money in the budget will be spent, before they can sign off.
But House minority appropriations Chairman Republican Seth Grove says, after a House Democrat resigned this week, erasing the Democrats’ one-seat majority in the chamber, evening the parties at 101-101, he doubts legislators will be back to work on the budget before September.
Related
“They're not coming back at 101-101. They could we could do bipartisan work together, but they have shown interest to date in doing that,” Grove said.
“I don't believe for a second the House Democrats are bringing us back until they have 102 votes. So you're not going to see any conclusion of this until October timeframe at the earliest.”
Until the budget is signed by the governor, Grove said, by law, the only state payments that can go out, are ones that are specifically designated for health and safety.
Related
“You need to have statutes and clear delineation of how and why this money will be spent,” he said. “This is actually dealing with public health and safety.”
Grove says he expects some non-profits, counties and school districts to start feeling the pinch next month.
But House Democrats pin the blame on Senate Republicans, saying they’re withholding their signatures because they’re upset the governor is going to line-item veto private school tuition vouchers for some public school students.
Philadelphia Democrat Malcolm Kenyatta calls it “a catastrophe of the Republicans’ own making.”
“They refuse to come back into session to simply sign one piece of paper and then allow the governor to sign this, you know, bipartisan budget, and we can move the Commonwealth forward,” Kenyatta said.
Related
Related
