PA. Budget Passes on Party Line Vote; Some last minute $ found for schools; Transp. bill delayed.
So the PA. budget passed tonight on a party line vote in the House. The more bi-partisan-thinking Senate negotiated a deal, and the House had to follow if they wanted to meet the budget deadline.
I tried watching it on PCN, but they cut out in the middle of the debate to have a discussion about the Gettysburg battle. I guess things that happened 150 years ago are more important than current history being made.
Fortunately, some last-minute dollars were found to help reduce, but not eliminate, the severe layoffs in the urban school districts. According to one report, the Feds finally agreed to let Corbett divert some money that was owed to the feds. Few people had thought that would work.
The legislature's numbers crunchers also found that the state was saving money because at least 14,000 teaching positions had already been eliminated. Therefore, the state had to pay much less into retirement accounts than the state had previously budgeted. That money could then be diverted to pay for current school costs.
One rep. said he was told the Transportation bill was delayed until the Fall. The Repubs. wanted Dems to provide the votes needed to approve the tax increases, but the Repubs. wouldn't let the Dems amend the bill. The teabagger Repubs. wanted the bill, but refused to be the ones to vote for it. Also, the House wanted the Senate to pass the liquor bill before the House would approve the Transportation bill.
Apparently, the liquor bill is also delayed until the fall.
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Glad they found some money for schools. 
