House Republicans Pass, Senate Moving A Budget To Fund State Thru November With 50%+ Cuts, Heavy Lifting To Fill $5.2 Billion Deficit After Nov. Election

On May 26, House Republicans passed and the Senate is moving a General Fund budget bill-- House Bill 2387 (Saylor-R-York)-- to fund state government through November that includes cuts of between 50 and 85 percent to line items.

The vote was 103 to 99, Republicans supporting in the House.

In the Senate Appropriations Committee there were only two votes opposed-- Senators Collette (D-Bucks) and Santarsiero (D-Bucks). The bill is now before the full Senate for action.

The Senate is scheduled to be in voting session May 27 and 28, which is enough time to get the bill to the Governor’s desk for his action, if no changes are made by the Senate.

The apparent strategy is to make the cuts so the House and Senate have to come back after the November 3 election-- a sine die session where defeated lawmakers still retain their seats-- to finish the budget for the remainder of the year and fill the now estimated $5.2 billion budget deficit for the current and new fiscal year.

Both the Senate and House have not held a sine die session since about 2007 because of a series of “reforms” made after the 2005 debacle that resulted in an initial pay raise for legislators and automatic pay raises year after year since then.

Budget Cuts

Some examples of General Fund cuts from FY 2019-20 include--

-- Dept. of Agriculture -- 21.3 percent

-- Dept. of Conservation & Natural Resources -- 45.9 percent 

     -- Heritage and Other Parks - $1.025 million to $1.365 million increase

-- Dept. of Environmental Protection - 51 percent

     -- Conservation District Fund - $2.5 million cut to $1.044

     -- Chesapeake Bay Pollution Abatement - 52.7 percent

     -- Delaware River Basin Commission - $217,000 cut to $90,000

     -- Susquehanna River Basin Commission - $205,000 cut to $86,000

     -- Chesapeake Bay Commission - $300,000 cut to $125,000

     -- West Nile Virus - 58.3 percent

     -- Black Fly Control - 58.3 percent

Click Here for a copy of the budget line item spreadsheet comparison.

Both primary and higher education will be funded at last year’s levels for all of FY 2020-21.  Property tax relief funded by casino revenues are cut by $300 million.

There is no word yet on what may be in the accompanying Fiscal Code bill, which usually contains the damaging environmental riders seen in the past.

Recall the FY 2019-20 budget failed to address any major environmental priorities.

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[Posted: May 26, 2020]  PA Environment Digest