State Senators are scheduled to return to session Wednesday for a two-day stint, in an effort to iron out differences in a budget that’s nearly a month overdue.
The chamber plans to pick up where it left negotiations two weeks ago, and appears to be largely disregarding last week’s House session.
The major options being considered to fill a $2 billion gap in the $32 billion budget have been borrowing against a state fund to plug last year’s significant shortfall, select fund transfers, and a gambling expansion.
Leaders have also floated some form of tax increase.
Last week, House Speaker Mike Turzai tried to push through an alternative, tax-free plan, but didn’t have enough support to get it anywhere.
So, Senate GOP spokeswoman Jenn Kocher said, they’re returning to Plan A.
“We were looking at the different things that were out there and put out there by the House, and we’re assuming that they didn’t have the support because they didn’t run it, so now we’re trying to go back to where we were,” she said.
Kocher says the Senate’s aiming to have a plan passed this week—something they’ve said before.
If the chamber does come to a consensus, it’s unclear when a revenue package could get to Governor Tom Wolf.
The House—which is currently on call—hasn’t scheduled any session days this week.
