No action on latest bid to end 3-month Pennsylvania budget stalemate
HARRISBURG — Lawmakers returned to the Pennsylvania Capitol amid a three-month-old budget stalemate Monday, but optimism from top Republican lawmakers about an evolving proposal to fill a $2.2 billion revenue gap did not translate into action.
The Capitol was a flurry of lobbying and rumors, as Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's office and top lawmakers negotiated details behind closed doors. No votes were scheduled, and no drafts of bills emerged, as hundreds of pages of legislation remained in private discussions.
The proposed package leans heavily on borrowing, one-time fund transfers and an expansion of casino-style gambling to help bail out the state's deficit-riddled finances from its biggest cash shortfall since the recession, lawmakers said.
A package of tax increases also would be part of the mix. The deal under discussion does not include a tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas production after House backers — including Democratic leaders — could not raise enough support last week to overcome opposition from House GOP majority leaders and rank-and-file members from northern and Western Pennsylvania.
Read more: http://triblive.com/state/pennsylvania/12800324-74/no-action-on-latest-bid-to-end-3-month-pennsylvania-budget-stalemate
