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House Positions Budget Bills For Amendments When They Return June 4
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Much of the legislative action in the House this week revolved around positioning the Senate's budget proposal on the House Floor for what is expected to be the annual Budget Amendment Festival when they return to session on June 4.
The first step was in House Appropriations which took two and a half hours and lots of wrangling over the ground rules for amendments before the bills made their way unamended to the House Floor.
House Majority Appropriations Chair Rep. Bill Adolph (R-Delaware) made a preemptive motion at the beginning of the meeting to require that any amendments in Committee be revenue neutral, meaning any increases in the budget had to be offset by budget cuts somewhere else. The motion effectively ruled most of the amendments prepared by House Democrats out of order.
The House, like the Senate, has a rule on the Floor that any amendments had to be revenue neutral effectively making the $27.6 billion Senate spending level the ceiling for budget spending. This was the first time it was used in Committee.
Several sources said House Republicans are looking to restore the entire $38 million in funding for the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund and would continue funding farmland preservation programs through a portion of the state Cigarette Tax.
The Senate Republican budget restored $19 million for the Keystone Fund. Gov. Corbett's proposed budget would divert monies going to the Keystone Fund to balance the state budget.
But nothing is done until it's done in the budget world.
NewsClips: House Sends Senate GOP Budget To Floor
Legislative Surplus A TargetFuture Pension Benefits Of PA Public Workers Eyed |
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5/28/2012 |
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