Wolf says he hasn’t yet decided what to do with another Republican bill to reform Pennsylvania’s pension structure, but he thinks the plan to sell off the liquor system just didn’t work.
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“We can support and bolster consumer convenience without selling an asset and risking higher prices and less selection for consumers”, Wolf said.
It was. Wolf said he is open to selling wine in supermarkets, but that privatizing state stores was bad business.
The Democratic governor also vetoed an education funding bill that applied a new formula for distributing aid to school districts.
Last week, House Bill 466 was passed by the Senate by a vote of 27-22.
If Wolf has made concessions to Republicans on the state-controlled aspect of wine and spirit sales, he hasn’t made them public.
The liquor privatization plan would allow about 14,000 beer-sales license holders – retailers, restaurants, grocery stores and others – to pay a fee for permission to also sell wine, liquor or both. Republican lawmakers also want to lease the Liquor Control Board’s wholesale operation and eventually close State Stores.
Senate Republican leaders issued a statement saying Wolf sided with special interests and against the priorities of consumers.
“This privatization bill was bringing in more than 200 million dollars – new recurring revenues – each year, and for this year’s budget”, Miskin said.
The stalemate between the General Assembly and the governor, if not resolved quickly, could have real and long-lasting effects on health and human service providers who depend on state funding to protect the health and welfare of the individuals they serve throughout the commonwealth. “Simply stated, it fails to meet our constitutionally required obligation of providing a thorough and efficient system of education”.
We are disappointed that Governor Wolf would choose the status quo and side with powerful special interests over Pennsylvania consumers.
The third veto was of the Fiscal Code, a key element of the bills that together make up the state’s budget. “It is not a balanced budget and it will lead to a $3 billion deficit and credit downgrades for the Commonwealth”. Wolf and legislative leaders met briefly behind closed doors Wednesday.
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The privatization plan “would have eliminated most of our small, family-owned and operated businesses”, the Malt Beverage Distributors Association said in a statement.
