Progress Slow on Passing Budget

Pennsylvania’s budget is now three months overdue.
While lawmakers have vowed to wrap up the impasse within the next week, yesterday saw little progress on either chamber floor.The House of Representatives has postponed a vote on a Marcellus Shale severance tax, and recessed today without tackling any major budget-related bills. Meantime, a Senate committee approved a measure legalizing table games at Pennsylvania casinos.
During a brief session, House members debated and voted on a resolution condemning domestic abuse, honored a Capitol staffer headed to Afghanistan, and declared November “Patriotic Music Month.” But no budget items were discussed.
House Democratic spokesman Brett Marcy says that doesn’t mean the day was wasted.

"There’s an awful lot of work going on behind the scenes that you don’t see on the tv screen on PCN. There’s an awful of work happening at the staff level to try and get all these bills in a position where they can run and where we can move forward on this budget once we’re ready to roll. "

Marcy says the House will be in session this weekend.

Across the rotunda, The Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee did approve a measure legalizing table games in Pennsylvania casinos, though members have yet to consider and debate amendments to the legislation.
Senate President Pro Tem Joseph Scarnati says a gaming reform bill will need to pass both chambers before table games are addressed.

"It’s our understanding that the reform bill will run ahead of the expansion of table games, and we have not been told anything differently."

House Democrats haven’t publicly committed to passing a reform measure before the table games bill, though they’ve expressed support for the idea.
Scarnati says Senate and House leaders have yet to agree on a compromise tax rate or license application fee. The Senate bill puts a 12-percent tax rate on table games, the House rate is 21%.