PA Budget Talks Take Sharp Turn

Senate Republicans have boycotted this afternoon’s budget conference committee. The committee was to hash out details on the handshake budget agreement released last month. Instead, Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi says the Senate will introduce and pass a new series of budget-related bills in the coming days. Pileggi wouldn’t release specifics, but says this budget package will be less than the $27.945 billion package legislative leaders agreed to Sept 18th. Pileggi says he’s hopeful the bills will receive bipartisan support. He says, “We have shared this set of proposals and set of bills with the Governor, and are hopeful he will be supportive of the plan. We have worked in cooperation with the Governor in developing the plan.” Pileggi says the “conference committee has been a disappointing process.” A spokesman for House Appropriations Committee Chair Dwight Evans disagrees with the Senate Republicans’ decision to introduce new bills, saying the committee is “the appropriate entity to resolve differences” in budget legislation.