HARRISBURG — House Democrats passed a $50.6 billion state budget on Monday that is not the result of negotiations with the Republican-controlled Senate, meaning lawmakers may be no closer to a final spending agreement two weeks past the budget deadline.
The total pricetag of the House bill would be a $2.8 billion increase from the previous fiscal year, which ended June 30, but is short of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s $51.5 billion plan.
Democrats’ proposal, passing in a near-party-line vote, would spend roughly $23.1 billion on education, including $8.2 billion on basic education and $1.5 billion on special education — both amounts are increases from last year that mirror those pitched by Shapiro earlier this year.
It would also increase funding for the Human Services Department, which oversees the state’s Medicaid program, to $20.6 billion, from last year’s $19.1 billion.
Shapiro told reporters in the Capitol Monday afternoon that the House bill “does not represent an agreement between all the parties.” Instead, he said the legislation is likely to serve as a vehicle for lawmakers to advance a final spending plan quickly once lawmakers reach a deal.
“We’re not there yet,” Shapiro said. “But we’re going to keep at it and then get there soon.”
Legislative leaders have remained tight-lipped about what issues are impeding a final deal. Still, lawmakers have repeatedly said that talks behind closed doors have progressed in recent weeks and that Republicans and Democrats are not yet at an impasse.
A spinning wheel
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jordan Harris, of Philadelphia, called the Democrats’ budget legislation “a compromise” with Senate Republicans when speaking with reporters after the committee advanced the plan along party lines Monday afternoon.
Before the vote, Harris stressed the importance of passing a final budget as quickly as possible, citing the fact that school board directors and nonprofit leaders across the state need to know how much funding they’ll receive from the state.
“Any more delay brings havoc to those schools and those school districts,” Harris said. “It requires nonprofits to take out lines of credit to continue to operate that they will not be reimbursed for the interest that they’re paying.”
Kate Flessner, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, an Indiana County Republican, said the Senate does not see the House’s bill “in its current form as a final product.”
“Senator Pittman remains very upbeat and is actively engaged in discussions, however there is still much work to do,” Flessner added.
Senators have been on 24-hour notice that they may need to return to the Capitol for weeks. GOP leaders in the chamber have yet to schedule a voting session to approve a budget deal.
Meanwhile, though House Democrats continued to add session days to the calendar to move non-budget legislation, representatives learned over the weekend that planned sessions for Tuesday and Wednesday were canceled. As of Monday evening, the House is not scheduled to hold a voting session again until September.