Pennsylvania House Republicans tried again to solve the state's 5-month-old budget stalemate with a spending plan of their own on Tuesday, a day after a bipartisan Senate vote that approved a rival approach supported by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.
The House voted 115-86 for a $30.3 billion general appropriations bill, saying it would be paid for with new tobacco taxes, by imposing the personal income tax on lottery winnings and by getting other revenue from Internet gambling. Wolf and other supporters of the $30.8 billion, Senate-passed budget have not worked out how they'd pay for it.
"There's been a lot of talk in the Capitol regarding our framework, our lofty goals," said Appropriations Chairman Bill Adolph, R-Delaware. "But the toughest part of passing a budget in this framework is how to pay for it."
Democratic critics said it was very similar to a Republican budget that was vetoed by Wolf.
"As you may recall, the governor vetoed that plan because it was inadequate," said Rep. Joe Markosek of Allegheny County, the ranking Democrat on Appropriations. "It didn't solve the budget deficit and it didn't go far enough to restore the cuts to education and human services."
Adolph said the Republican plan would add money for K-12 education, special education, colleges, agricultural programs, long-term care, services for people with disabilities, rural hospitals and child advocacy centers.
The proposal, he said, would not harm working people or the state's economy.
"This budget has a revenue plan that is achievable," Adolph said. "It makes huge investments in areas that all of us care deeply about."
Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, R-Bucks County, one of two "no" votes for the GOP budget in June, voted for the latest plan, saying it set the stage for a spending compromise between the two total figures.
"Let's get this budget done," he told colleagues. "Let's take those other issues off the table, pensions and liquor, and let's concentrate on getting this budget done and getting out of town and getting the money out to our school districts and getting the money to our counties."
Along with the negotiated budget, the Senate on Monday also approved widespread changes to the two large public-sector pension plans, designed to decrease the state's risk from stock market downturns. Senate leaders said they also plan to vote this week on changes to Pennsylvania's system of state-owned liquor stores.
