After months of political stalemate, Pennsylvania lawmakers are inching closer to a long-overdue state budget.
For the first time in more than 130 days, there’s real momentum behind Pennsylvania’s stalled budget talks.
Governor Josh Shapiro may sign the bills by day's end.
Last night. a senate committee passed a house budget bill, sending it to the full Senate for a vote.
The Senate convened this morning and House members are returning to the capital for a vote. The budget has a $50-billion price tag, about $2.3 billion more than last year.
Changes expected in the spending plan include an additional $105 million for basic education funding, $650 million for highway and safety improvement and an extra $1 billion for highway maintenance.
Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa confirmed on KDKA’s Big K Morning Show with Larry Richert that progress is being made.
“I think we’re going to see strong support for both the GA bill, which is the spending bill and also some of the policy matters,” said Costa. “So, I think it’s been the work, the last week or so, that we needed to get it done.”
Costa discussed other things being worked on for families in Allegheny County including the earned income tax credit.
“That reaches probably close to 90,000 households in Allegheny County,” said Costa.
The latest deal would reportedly remove Pennsylvania from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a controversial climate program that’s divided lawmakers for years and been tied up in court since 2019.
Costa says both Republican and Democrats have realized there needs to be compromise on the budget bill and policy.
Both chambers return to the Capitol Wednesday prepared to spend the next two days working toward a final agreement.