Pa. Budget Enters Home Stretch
By Tony Romeo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Pennsylvania lawmakers return to the capitol today and may not leave until there is a new budget...whenever that is.
The ostensible deadline for a new budget and lawmakers' summer recess is June 30th, but that deadline has been missed more often than not over the last dozen years.
This year is not shaping up to be an exception to the general rule. There is a wide gulf between what the Democratic governor and Republicans who control both the House and Senate want.
But in addition to differences over to the governor's desire to increase education spending, impose a tax on natural gas extraction, and shift the tax burden to state income and sales taxes and away from property taxes, there are other issues that are priorities for GOP legislative leaders that could hold things up.
Those issues include liquor privatization and reform of pensions for school employees and state workers.
