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Thursday, August 27, 2009

State House Dems: No Vote on City Budget Bill Until After Labor Day

John Baer in Harrisburg reports that Democratic leaders in the state House of Representatives just said that House Bill 1828 – the legislation the city needs to avoid catastrophic budget cuts – will not be voted on next week, but could be voted the week of Labor Day.

Speaker Keith McCall said, "There is support in the (Democratic) caucus for the legislation," but he says the bill is still being analyzed.

Majority Leader Todd Eachus, when pressed on the urgency for the city, said, "We're going to be focusing on the Conference Committee (which is to resume meetings next week)...the state budget is the key issue."

This announcement puts even more pressure on the city's tight time schedule to get this done.

The legislation would allow the city to temporarily raise the sales tax and defer some pension payments. If the state doesn’t approve the city's budget requests -- worth $700 million over five years -- the mayor will have to implement a dire budget that would prompt layoffs of 3,000 city workers.

That budget plan must be submitted to the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority on August 31 and would be implemented in mid-September if there is no action in Harrisburg.
Posted by Catherine Lucey @ 4:26 PM  Permalink | 11 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:32 PM, 08/27/2009
    please pass the state budget before the center closes. My pay has been cut to $7.25 and its hard to live.Whats the hold up?
    — feeclerk
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:42 PM, 08/27/2009
    Just pass the GD thing already!!!!!!
    — phillychik69
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:05 PM, 08/27/2009
    If the financial situation is so dire, why hasn't the mayor started laying off unnessesary employees to conserve money? Just once I would love to see the mayor and council act proactively. But I guess that is too much to expect from this bunch of clowns.
    — lance71
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:11 PM, 08/27/2009
    I'm not getting the impression that this bill is going to be done quickly. There are 50 pages of amendments, and as you can see, people are urgently in need of seeing the state budget passed first. I agree with lance entirely -- the city had all year to start taking steps to help this transition smoothly instead of forcing this crisis. Forcing the crisis isn't going to get this bill out of the process sooner, because Harrisburg doesn't have to concern itself with the financial crisis in Philly. I expect the House Dems to fight at least some of the amendments to get rid of them, in spite of Nutter's request to leave the bill as it is now.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:14 PM, 08/27/2009
    The city unions will feel compelled to show their power by dictating what the final bill looks like if only to show the city that they are a political force that must be reckoned with in negotiations. They can't simply roll over, or they risk weakening their position still further.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:31 PM, 08/27/2009
    The mayor has started the layoff process. Under the CBAs, you can't just layoff people without going through a process that takes 4-6 weeks. Remember that there have been a handful of non-union layoffs in the Mayor's Office and other departments already.
    — Valley Twin
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:42 PM, 08/27/2009
    Let the cuts begin. Start with Latrice Bryant.
    — Kaiser Sosa
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:45 PM, 08/27/2009
    Positions have been cut, positions have not been filled, but these are only positions that have not been filled and are vacant. I think you have to read what is said carefully. There is still hiring and promoting, it certainly has been reported in the news. That can be found out. I think the unions will roll over. Of course I could be wrong, but that is my bet.
    — uandwhosearmy
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:10 PM, 08/27/2009
    I'd like to see what folks here (on this site) and in Harrisburg will do when thousands of people needing nonprofit related health and human services have no where to get those services such as physical and mental health services, foster care and adoption services, housing services & HIV prevention and care services. All the talk about City employees and folsk are missing th efact that most health and humanservices are contracted out to nonprofits who take on a lions share of the States burden.
    — sangoboi
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:34 PM, 08/27/2009
    The unions don't have power any more...they're just an irritant.
    — Philly Phorever
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:12 PM, 08/28/2009
    When ... "thousands of people needing nonprofit related health and human services have no where to get those services such as physical and mental health services, foster care and adoption services, housing services & HIV prevention and care services" do not get such help? They cluster.
    — PoliticiansTV


11 comments
About The Philly Clout Team
PhillyClout
Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics ­– which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.
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Catherine Lucey
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Chris Brennan
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