We were among many in Pennsylvania who had high hopes as Gov. Josh Shapiro began his administration this year.
The Montgomery County Democrat had won an unusually decisive victory in this closely divided state. He campaigned on a theme of bipartisanship. After his victory he followed through by putting Republicans in some key positions in his administration. After eight years of combat between Gov. Tom Wolf and a Republican-led General Assembly, it looked as if we might be seeing a more productive environment in Harrisburg.
Yet eight months later we find ourselves in an all too familiar position. The 2023-24 state budget, which was due on June 30, has yet to be enacted, and it’s not clear when it will be.
State budgets have been late more often than not in recent years. A delay of a week or two doesn’t cause big problems. But we recall what happened just eight years ago when Wolf and lawmakers were locked in a nine-month budget impasse. It put tremendous strain on the school districts, county agencies, nonprofits and others that depend on state funding.
During that impasse in 2015 and 2016, schools had to cancel tutoring, elective classes, and some extracurricular activities, according to Spotlight PA. State-subsidized pre-K programs had to shut down until a budget was passed, which left some parents without child care. State-funded domestic violence centers faced similar problems. Students at Lincoln University, Penn State, Pitt, and Temple couldn’t collect their in-state discount right away, which forced them to take out higher loans until funding cleared.
The lack of a state budget has a particularly tough impact on county governments, which often serve as a pass-through, receiving money from the state that is then paid to service providers and other vendors. The longer the impasse, the more likely that counties will have to delay making some payments.
Perhaps most infuriating of all is that a 2009 court ruling took away one important incentive for promptly enacting a budget: Now lawmakers along with other state employees get paid even while the spending plan is in limbo.
This impasse is unusual, in part because the makeup of state government is different than it has been in years. Democrats have been holding a tenuous majority in the state House. At full strength they have a one-vote margin, but vacancies have clouded the picture. A recent departure leaves the body locked in a tie until a September special election.
This very situation in the House took a heavy toll on the temporary era of good feeling at the start of Shapiro’s term. In January Republicans temporarily held the House majority pending special elections for vacant seats. Berks County Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Democrat, was named speaker with Republican support but almost immediately was at odds with GOP members over whether or not he was keeping his promises on how he would go about leading the chamber.
The narrow Democratic majority in the House complicated budget negotiations as well. Shapiro worked out a deal with Senate Republicans to include funding for private school vouchers intended for students who live in districts with low-performing schools. The Senate passed a budget that included the provision, which was a high priority for Republicans and something Shapiro had supported.
But House Democrats would not go along with that, In an ill-fated attempt to avoid a stalemate, Shapiro persuaded the House to pass the Senate budget with his promise that he would line-item veto the voucher item. This infuriated Senate Republicans, and they are in no hurry to help move things along. Even though the budget has passed both chambers, it can’t be enacted until the Senate returns to session. At this point that’s scheduled for September. And accompanying legislation needs to be passed as well.
This is unacceptable. It is time for Shapiro and legislative leaders to work out their differences, revise the budget if necessary and get this over with. Then let’s hope they can put these hard feelings behind them and regain the bipartisan momentum we were hoping to see.
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment