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Analyst: Pa. Gov't Likely To Juggle Two Budgets In Months Ahead

By Tony Romeo

HARRISBURG, Pa., (CBS) -- Pennsylvania may soon to find itself in a situation not seen in decades: a divided government wrestling with a second budget proposal while the first one is still not completed.

In late December, Governor Wolf partially signed and partially vetoed a budget, urging lawmakers to return and work on a final spending plan for the current fiscal year that ends June 30th. But that hasn't happened and now, Franklin and Marshall College political analyst Terry Madonna points out, Governor Wolf in just a month will be presenting his budget proposal for the next fiscal year.

"The legislature is going to have to deal with two budgets… the end of Governor Wolf's first year budget, and of course, the new proposal, which is likely to be very ambitious."

Madonna sees little urgency among majority Republican lawmakers to finish work on the current budget before the Democratic governor's next budget address. He believes Pennsylvania could simply limp along with temporary funding schemes for some time to come.

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