News from Second and State

July 31, 2015

Weekly Wrap:

Month two of the budget impasse is upon us, with no real developments to report this week. Some back and forth in the press between the House Republicans and House Democrats brought speculation of a possible budget bill veto override, but no session days sooner than those scheduled have been added to take such an action.

For the Speaker’s take, check out:  http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/8812650-74/wolf-budget-turzai

And for the Democratic response, go to: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/07/pa_house_democrat_says_overrid.html#

Meanwhile, the state and local governments continue plugging along, but it’s likely they’ll start to feel the squeeze pretty soon.  Gov. Tom Wolf has offered the following guidance related to the impasse: http://www.pa.gov/Pages/budgetFAQs.aspx, but by now, counties are preparing to tighten their belts: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/budget-pinch-hits-counties-soon, and school districts may have to borrow funds to pay the bills in the short term: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/07/27/pennsylvania-budget-impasse/.

A Look Ahead:

Right now, we’ve got about as much to look forward to as a child who has been naughty all year has on Christmas Eve. On Tuesday of next week, the House Liquor Committee will hold a public hearing on the logistics and distribution of alcohol in the Commonwealth, which may or may not address the great privatization debate that wages on as part of the state budget deal. If anything else is scheduled, it will be posted here: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/session.cfm

However, there are a few special elections in the near future. Check out our previous blog at: https://www.buchanangovernmentrelations.com/worth-another-look-upcoming-special-elections/

In Other News:

And that’s the news as we know it. For updates, stay tuned to this blog or follow us @BuchananGov on Twitter.