Capitol quiet during 5th day without new Pennsylvania budget
HARRISBURG — Most Pennsylvania lawmakers were absent from the state Capitol on Tuesday, five days into the new budget year without a state government spending agreement in place.
Leaders were hoping negotiations would wrap up over the coming days and the House announced voting sessions were scheduled through Friday.
Thursday “might be a strong possibility for a lot of budget action,” a spokesperson for the majority Republicans in the state Senate told reporters in a Tuesday morning email update. Erica Clayton Wright, press secretary for Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, said that could change “based on discussions and staff preparations.”
The state House, whose schedule is also controlled by majority Republicans, planned to return to session Wednesday afternoon and also posted public notice of floor sessions to start Thursday and Friday mornings. Clayton Wright said it was possible that the Senate also will return to the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon and that more details would follow.
She said “'steady progress' has been made and there are no new items to report on directly.”
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