PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Author Douglas Adams once said, “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
Adams would have done well in the Pennsylvania legislature, as, for the eighth time in the past 10 years, the constitutionally mandated June 30 deadline is “whooshing” past without a deal in place.
The state Senate is going home for the July Fourth holiday.
“We will conclude this process, I believe, in the next several days with a responsible product, and for that reason, I move we recess to the call of the president pro tempore,” said Senate Majority Leader, Republican Joe Pittman.
Pittman said he is “highly confident” they are well on track to deliver a responsible budget that will “recognize our unique status as a divided government [and] deliver a responsible product to the people of Pennsylvania with no negative impacts.”
He added that there is no reason they cannot conclude their work early next week.
Democratic leader Jay Costa lacks Pittman’s optimism.
“While some may characterize the conversations in the talks that are taking place as hopeful, or that seem to be coming together, based on my just recent conversations within half an hour, that doesn't appear to be the case from the perspective of the Democrats in the House and the Senate.”
Costa said there’s a lot more work that needs to be done.
Over the past 10 years, lawmakers have been anywhere from a few days to several months late with the budget. Last year's budget impasse dragged into November.
