Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement praising Republicans in the General Assembly for the passage of the state budget.
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The state’s budget year came to a whirlwind end Tuesday with lawmakers passing a $30.2 billion spending plan coupled with historic bids to dismantle the state’s liquor monopoly and overhaul its public pension.
Federici said a deal will be struck, but it could take several weeks and will likely be struck “when there’s real talk about inadequate funding for government programs, and then politicians begin to feel pressure because they worry about constituents holding them responsible in the next election”.
Wolf has said the spending plan shortchanges public schools, lets the Marcellus Shale natural gas industry off the hook without a severance tax and adds to the state government’s deficit because it is packed with one-time stopgaps, including transfers from off-budget funds and payment delays. Shortly after 9 p.m., Gov. Tom Wolf undid their planning on the budget.
Since the current privatization plan being considered by the Senate will increase the number of establishments selling wine and liquor for off-premise consumption from 600 to almost 14,000, product selection will suffer as well.
He noted that Wolf has proposed $4 billion in higher state taxes, but said the GOP budget achieves numerous same goals, including boosting dollars for schools, without a new tax burden. The details of the compromises between the House and Senate Republicans were revealed only in recent days, prompting criticism from Democrats that the legislative process had been rushed.
Besides Reed, other Republicans attending the meeting included House Republican Whip Bryan Cutler and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Adolph. It’s an attack on our state employees. Wolf has said he supports modernizing the system to make to make it more consumer-friendly, such as expanding Sunday hours and identifying the most convenient locations for customers.
“The math doesn’t work”, Wolf said during a Capitol news conference.
It passed amid a flurry of votes as Republicans pushed through an ambitious agenda Tuesday.
The legislature also sent Wolf two other major pieces of legislation, bills that would privatize liquor sales and would overhaul pensions for school and state employees.
“At such a critical time in Pennsylvania’s budget history, Tom Wolf has chosen to focus on his political distortions than on the future of this commonwealth”.
Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, said he hopes work can start on an authentic budget once the dust settles from the veto. “Where is their contribution to the state’s economy?”
Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, has said Democratic lawmakers would be disappointed if Wolf signed the GOP bill, but Young thinks the governor is leaning the other way.
After changes in the House, the plan now differs in two important ways from a version that passed the Senate in May.
The Pennsylvania Senate has given final approval to a new state spending plan, but the Republican-penned bill didn’t get a single Democrats’ vote and it’s facing a veto by Gov. Tom Wolf.
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Under the plan, state-run wine and spirit stores would shutter once privately operated alternatives open nearby. They also opposed pension reform, saying Republicans were fleecing state employees and public school teachers of their retirement security.
