Gov. Rendell says he will sign temporary budget early next week
Gov. Rendell says he will sign temporary budget early next week
Gov. Rendell said he will sign a sharply scaled-back budget early next week that will allow most state employees to be paid - but will not provide billions in funding for education, health care and human services.
The governor stressed that his action is only a temporary solution to the state's budget impasse, which has now entered its fifth week. He said he still holds out hope that a permanent agreement on a spending plan can be found soon. A joint conference committee of House and Senate leaders is meeting today and over the next few days to try to hammer out a deal.
But if the committee makes little progress on reaching an agreement by early next week, Rendell said he will sign the temporary budget to keep essential government operations running.
"I want to make it clear, this is not a final budget," Rendell told reporters at a news conference in the Capitol this afternoon of the temporary measure he intends to sign next week. "This is a bridge. It is a very important bridge ... This is a way to get our state employees paid."
Roughly 77,000 state workers have received partial paychecks over the last two weeks, and the first batch of those employees are to have a "payless payday" this Friday. No payments to vendors have been made this month.
The deadline to pass a budget was July 1. Without an enacted spending plan, the state operates under a diminished capacity to spend money.
The temporary budget Rendell would sign next week would allow the majority of workers to get paid, as well as receive backpay, likely by the second week in August.
But that budget would not provide funding to schools, counties and hospitals, or grants for the arts or state fairs. Those funding questions would be addressed as the administration and the legislature continue negotiations on a final spending plan for the state.
The Rendell administration has been fighting with Republicans in the legislature for months over the best way to balance a budget in recessionary times.
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GOP needs to hang tough, and tell fatboy to shove his 16% PIT where the remnants of his hoagies and steaks come out!!!!— Mike S.
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- Please publish the names, phone numbers, emails of all of house and senate members and the governor. We live out of state and my husband works at a hospital in PA that is not receiving funding and he and his co-workers and nurses will probably not be getting a check next week because the state budget isn't passed. How are we supposed to pay our bills? There are no loan deals for non-state workers to "help." What a joke. The officials should be locked in a room until this budget is passed. We have budgets, and there should be no excuses. The state workers should walk out and send a message. I appreciate their protesting, but it isn't enough.— Brenda720
- Just a reminder folks, the governor doesn't pass the budget, he just signs it. While he does shepherd it through the process, it's up to the legislature ultimately to get this done. Blame those bums.— AMC4232
This is the laziest legislature in the country. The Gov has been begging them to get to work for months. We need to change it - especially the pa senate.- And Brenda, all of that information is available at state.pa.us. I hope the legislators are all getting calls from their constituents, because they are doing a lot of damage while they drag their feet and figure out all their new posturing ploys.— AMC4232
- AMC4232, thanks for the website information. I'm going to getting all of their email addresses and start emailing them. We'll see who responds. Calling will be the next step. It is frustrating since we live out of state but still PA taxes. We don't get to vote, but still pay the salaries for their laziness and per diems. What is our recourse?— Brenda720
- why was he on DNL last nite when there is no budget— phillyflava
- other than state employees who don't get paid, does anyone even notice if the state government shuts down? I hope they never pass a budget, all the less damage those greedy slimeballs can do at our expense ("OPM")— illadelf
- "the governor doesn't pass the budget, he just signs it." Apparently some here need that reminder. NOW we need to pass a bill that removes over $800,000 in Per Diem payments that will go to PA State Legislators for DOING NOTHING! Especially those in the PA Senate GOP who just purposely Stalled to receive the Extra Per Diem payments.— pal
- Ask the PA Senate Republicans WHY it Wants Huge Cuts to Education - but will only Cut a teeny 5% from its own Legislative Budget Expenses -- only a 5% Cut after it has Increased its Staff and Expenses by Over 20% just in the last 4 years (over $80 Million increase). Tell the PA Legislature to CUT More Than 5% from their own Staff and Expenses - call Harrisburg (717) 787-2342— pal
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