Senate Republicans Friday passed their stopgap budget package by a party line 30 to 19 vote and moved it to the House where two of the three bills will be considered in the Appropriations Committee on Monday.

Unfortunately, the package faces a certain veto by Gov. Wolf who said Republicans should be focused on passing a real budget.

Senate action follows 14 failed attempts by House Republicans two weeks ago to override Gov. Wolf’s veto of portions of the budget Republicans passed in June.

The stopgap budget bills include Senate Bill 1000 (Browne-R-Lehigh) General Fund Stopgap Budget Bill (summary and Senate Fiscal Note); Senate Bill 1001 (Browne-R-Lehigh) Fiscal Code Stopgap Bill (summary and Senate Fiscal Note); and amended House Bill 224 (Christiana-R -Beaver) with the Education Code Stopgap Bill (summary and Senate Fiscal Note).

The stopgap budget is about $11.2 billion of the $30.2 billion General Fund budget passed by Republicans in June and includes the so-called "agreed-to" budget provisions included in the vetoed House Bill 1192 General Fund budget bill in June. 

It also includes funding for the Senate and House and the Judiciary as well as the pass-through of federal funding to state agencies and organizations reliant on that money.

Click Here for a Senate Republican spreadsheet on the General Fund stopgap budget.

The new Fiscal Code bill has project funding and other special provisions legislators put in the original Fiscal Code bill-- Senate Bill 655-- vetoed by Gov. Wolf in June.

It does not have the provisions included in the June bill to kill DEP regulations covering conventional oil and gas drilling or language further hobbling Pennsylvania's efforts to comply with EPA's Clean Power Climate Plan.

It does have language directing DCNR to use $750,000 in existing funds to finance the operation of Washington Crossing State Park and for several water and sewer projects in DEP's budget.

“I sympathize with the human service agencies at the county level and the nonprofits,” said Wolf.  “What they (Republicans) are doing is a very cynical, hypocritical attempt to make people believe that they are actually trying to make human services agencies’ lives easier. They’re not.  This stopgap is not that. This stopgap is a poke in the eye and I am treating it as such, and I am going to veto it.”

Gov. Wolf also floated two new proposals on pension reform and liquor privatization to Senate and House Republicans on Wednesday saying they were “historic proposals.”

“My (pension) plan is about 80 percent, I think, of what they (Republicans) had in Senate Bill 1,” said Wolf.  “This plan, unlike my March 3rd plan, has a 401k provision in it, it has a stacked hybrid. This plan is very different. This is not something the Democrats would do normally. We did it because we understand that we have a divided government and in good faith we put up on the table real pension reform, we put on the table real changes in the liquor system.”

“(On liquor reform) I offered a contract that could be for any period from ten to 25 years,” said Wolf. “There would have happened to be protections for workers, protections for consumers, we would have protection for the citizens of Pennsylvania so we are not just giving this away...and that we are actually getting something in return, and that we are actually going to get services like wine and beer in the supermarket.”

What was the Republican reaction said Wolf?

“I got nothing.  I got nothing on severance tax, nothing. I got nothing on education, nothing. I got nothing on property taxes relief. I got nothing on how we are actually going to balance this budget,” said Wolf.

“What we need is a budget,” said Wolf. “We actually need to have the pension and the liquor, and all the things combined into one package and it’s called a budget.”

Click Here to watch a video of some of Gov. Wolf’s comments on the budget stalemate.

Senate Comments

Senate Republicans said they are negotiating in good faith, but they have core principles they are defending.  The vote on the stopgap budget, is a vote to keep state government open, said Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-Centre), unlike in Congress where they are talking about shutting down the federal government.

"I am pleased that today, we have advanced legislation to provide our schools and vital services with needed funding," said Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson). "This stop-gap budget would provide financial stability for our Commonwealth while a final budget agreement continues to be negotiated. As members of the General Assembly, it is our job to ensure that taxpayers' money is not being held hostage during the current budget impasse."

"Tax dollars continue to flow to Harrisburg. The money is being collected from people's paychecks and through the state sales tax. Voting to provide this funding is the right thing to do," said Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-Centre). "Frustration with the budget negotiations continues to mount – both inside and outside the Capitol building. Understandably so. Adopting stop-gap funding is our only option to help fund our schools and human services organizations, who are being hit hard by the loss of state funds."

"We are and will continue to work with the Governor to come to an agreement on a final appropriations bill, but the Governor's current approach and the levels of spending and taxes he is requesting do not allow for that accommodation at this time," Senate Appropriations Committee Majority Chair Pat Browne (R-Lehigh) said. "In the meantime, however, this short-term budget is something we can and must do to meet the obligations we have to provide necessary and critical funding to school districts, nonprofits and state agencies, while simultaneously continuing those conversations."

"These are important local services that affect our most vulnerable citizens: seniors, school children, at-risk youth, women in dangerous domestic situations," said Senate Majority Whip John Gordner (R-Columbia). "It's past time to get funding to these critical programs."

Senate Democrats said Republicans should be at the negotiating table not the microphone and start talking about enacting a real budget.

Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) said, “The Senate Republican stopgap budget plan is a political ploy that drags down efforts to construct a long-term, comprehensive budget agreement that includes real dollars for education, human services, deficit reduction and property tax cuts. Stopgap budgets are only used when you are not up to the task of negotiating a full budget.

“We keep wasting time on budget tricks and veto-override maneuvers instead of bargaining sessions that would ultimately result in a comprehensive spending plan.”

The Senate has canceled voting session for September 21, 22 and 23 and the House is scheduled to be in voting session September 21, 24 and 25.

NewsClips:

Senate Passes Short-Term Spending Plan, Wolf Vows Veto

Senate Passes Stopgap Spending Plan

Senate Passes Short-Term Spending Plan

Who Wants What In PA’s Budget Impasse

Wolf’s Latest Budget Plan Gets Chilly Reception

GOP Moving Forward On Stopgap Budget Over Wolf Opposition

Wolf, GOP Spar Over Budget, Governor Vows Veto Of Stopgap

Full Speed Ahead In Senate For Stopgap Budget

Quiet Crisis As PA’s Budget Stalemate Grinds On

Budget Impasse Has Lawmakers Turning To Plan B

Presque Isle Open As Budget Impasse Continues

Op-Ed: Land Conservation Boosts Poconos’ Environment, Economy

9/21/2015