The state budget is now one month overdue. As a result, Pennsylvania's public-school districts have been notified there won't be education payments for six weeks.
That unnecessary development has administrators tapping district reserves or taking on debt to meet payrolls. And the fallout isn’t limited to education.
Tech schools and libraries, agencies providing mental and behavioral health services, child protection and more were also informed that state payments will be delayed for a month and a half.
The reason for the budget impasse is Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on how much the state should spend.
They can’t even agree on the state of the negotiations.
Two lawmakers recently told KDKA they are either very far apart or close to a compromise. It's unacceptable.
The legislature is required to pass a budget by June 30th but has done so just 12 times in the past 20 years.
We support a proposal by Westmoreland County Representative Jill Cooper to keep lawmakers and the governor from being paid when the budget is past due.