UPDATE: HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The main spending bill in a $32 billion bipartisan budget package is past the Pennsylvania Legislature on the state fiscal year’s final day, although lawmakers don’t know how it’ll all be funded. The House voted 173-27 on Friday, hours after the Senate voted 43-7. The package was unveiled a day earlier, after being negotiated in secret. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf supports it, but has yet to say whether he’ll sign it if lawmakers can’t figure out a spending plan.
Both chambers recessed until at least Wednesday, and lawmakers say they’ll try next week to find $2 billion-plus to cover the shortfall. The governor’s office says spending is virtually flat under the package. Counting the amounts above the last approved budget of $31.5 billion, the increase is nearly 3 percent. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to universities is awaiting passage until lawmakers pass a revenue plan.
