Governor Rendell, speaking alongside a number of County Commissioners, offered an update on the budget this afternoon. Reiterating his availability to go over the numbers that will “drive the budget” with members of the press and legislators, the Governor nevertheless acknowledged a June 30th consensus is now out of the picture. He said the next deadline to work for is now July 17th, the first day state employee paychecks would be impacted. Check the Capitol Toolbox for the full story.
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Posted by Mike | Tags: Budget, county commissioners | Category: Administration, Face to Face, Press Conference | Comments are closed | Share:
The House has adjourned for the weekend to a six-hour call of the chair. What does this mean? If budget negotiations start to go well, the Speaker will call members back with six hours notice, so don’t go too far away! Barring an agreement, the House will return to session as usual on Monday. As always, PLS will stay on top of the latest action and make sure you know when we know, so make sure you check in with us. House Rules met this morning and voted out HB 1607, HB 1648 and HB 1720 as committed. Posted by Mike | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, House Republican Policy, House Rules | Comments are closed | Share:
The committee held a public hearing on the nomination of John Quigley as Secretary of Conservation and Natural Resources. Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati (R-Jefferson) said Quigley is a “man who knows his business” but stated “the water DCNR is carrying for the Governor is shameless.” He charged the Administration and the Department with using “scare tactics” in order to raise taxes and urged Quigley set priorities that would keep state parks open. Quigley’s nomination was unanimously reported out for consideration by the full Senate. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox for the full story. Posted by Matt | Category: Senate Environmental Resources and Energy | Comments are closed | Share:
Representative Jim Christiana (R-Beaver) and a large group of bipartisan House members stood in front of the Office of Open Records to discuss the importance and relevance of House Bill 1460. HB 1460 would create a searchable online database of government tax revenues and expenditures. The movement towards greater transparency is a necessary one, said Rep. Christiana, who stated that it is time for Pennsylvania to join 25 other states that grant their citizens the ability to check how the state is spending their tax money. Rep. Christiana said that the database would also produce cost savings by increasing efficiency and eliminating wasteful spending. Check the Capitol Tool Box later for more information. Posted by intern | Tags: MIND, PennWATCH | Category: Face to Face, Press Conference | Comments are closed | Share:
RENDELL, SCARNATI STICK TO SCRIPT ON BUDGET IN TV INTERVIEWS According to an article in the Morning Call, The state’s top Democrat and top Republican defended conflicting plans for balancing the state budget in an unusual forum before a statewide television audience Wednesday night. Less than a week before the deadline for approving a new budget, neither Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell nor Republican Senate President Joe Scarnati yielded ground in separate interviews taped earlier in the day. Scarnati, of Jefferson County, accused the governor of using scare tactics to sell an assortment of new taxes, including a proposed 16 percent boost in the personal income tax, to legislators. ”When you’re selling snake oil, you need to really up the hype, and he has upped the hype to the point where this is like a nuclear doomsday,” said Scarnati. Scarnati said Pennsylvania should set an example by balancing its budget solely with spending cuts, as proposed in a bill passed by the GOP-controlled Senate. Rendell said cuts must be accompanied by tax increases to avoid serious consequences, such as the layoffs of hundreds of state troopers and the loss of subsidized health care for thousands Continue reading Eye Opener – June 25, 2009 Posted by Matt | Category: Eye Opener | Comments are closed | Share:
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