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Budget bill lacks funding

Spending plan $1 billion short

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Legislature on Thursday sent Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf the main budget bill with just hours to spare before the start of the new fiscal year, and left undone the challenge of figuring out how to raise more than $1 billion in new revenues to fund it.

The House approved the more than $31.5 billion spending package that boosts public school support by $200 million and directs new money to tackle the state’s opioid drug crisis by a vote of 144 to 54.

“We’ve been working in a bipartisan manner, let’s continue,” Appropriations Chairman Bill Adolph, R-Delaware, told members. “Now is the time, take the ball over the goal line. This budget is a compromise — it’s not everything that everyone wanted.”

Some of 45 House Republicans who voted against the bill along with nine Democrats made clear its increase in spending and the prospect of new taxes were not at all what they want.

“I feel like I’ve stepped into an episode of ‘The Twilight Zone,”’ said Rep. Dan Truitt, R-Chester. “We’re about to vote on a bill to spend $31.6 billion and we literally don’t know where we’re going to get the money.”

Wolf has 10 days to decide what to do about the bill, which he did not negotiate ahead of time, adding time pressure to touchy revenue negotiations that could easily derail the budget.

The governor issued a statement after the vote that was generally supportive but cautioned he would not sign the main budget bill without a “sustainable revenue package to pay for it.”

Among the revenue sources under consideration are higher tobacco taxes, money from tax delinquents, expansion of legalized gambling and changes to how wine and liquor are sold.

Some senators have questioned proposed revenue assumptions as overly optimistic and raised doubts about House legislation to expand casino-style gambling to airports, off-track betting parlors and casino-owned websites. The bill would make Pennsylvania the fourth state to authorize Internet gambling.

Details have not been made public about a proposal to generate new taxes from cigarettes and other tobacco products.

“There still remains to be seen how anyone’s going to pay for this budget, because we don’t have currently the revenues on track to pay for it without legislation that hasn’t been revealed to the general membership,” said Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler.

Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, said he wanted to avoid a repeat of the budget standoff with Wolf during the governor’s first year.

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