A week after House budget hearings began, the State Senate begins its budget hearings today, with hearings before the Appropriations Committee for the Department of Revenue and Lottery, Independent Fiscal Office, and Public Utility Commission.
Tomorrow, the committee will hear from the Department of State, Historical and Museum Commission, and Department of banking and Securities.
One of the most anticipated hearings will be on Thursday, when the State System of Higher Education’s representatives will testify. Thursday’s session will also include the state police, who have been a particular focus since Governor Wolf’s budget address, with Wolf demanding that local municipalities without police forces pay extra for state police protection. In Indiana County alone, that would cost taxpayers almost three million dollars per year. And also on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is on the agenda.
The Senate budget hearings will continue every session day through March 7th. House budget hearings resume next Monday.
