With the budget deadline now just nine days away, both the state House and Senate will be in session this week, but Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman said last week he sees “no practical way that a budget will be completed on June 30th,” adding that discussions are ongoing, but “those conversations have not gone as quickly as we would prefer.”
While Senator Pittman says he’s encouraged that all of the budget negotiators see a need for a balanced spending plan, two big “pillars” remain to be resolved: Governor Shapiro’s desire to increase Medicaid spending by $2 billion, and the regulation of skill games.
Pittman said he would support a short-term budget to give time for more talks and was cautiously optimistic that a final budget could be reached relatively close to the deadline.
State Representative Jim Struzzi says the House took several legislative actions last week which he believes will help lawmakers come to a final budget agreement, including fraud prevention measures for families relying on state assistance, and protections affecting utility costs.
Struzzi also says he opposed several bills, including one that would allow electric utilities to turn off certain appliances during peak-demand periods.
Despite the June 30th mandate, last year’s budget was not enacted until November 14th, 135 days late. In 2024, it was signed into law on July 11th.
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