SUNBURY – One Valley legislators is on the inside of the state budget talks… House member Garth Everett (R-84th, Muncy) is on the house appropriations committee and says the dueling budget bill passed by the House and Senate are $600,000 apart.
The Senate passed a $30.8 billion budget bill while the House passed its own $30.2 plan, “The Senate has not identified where that money is coming from. We have identified where the money is coming from for our $30.2 proposal.”
Everett says the House pays for its spending primarily through taxes on cigarettes, tobacco and vapor nicotine. Legislators will stay in Harrisburg to continue working on a budget deal, “We’re scheduled to work. We’ve worked through this weekend; we’re scheduled to work through the week and the coming weekend. We’re going to get this done.” (Jennifer Wakeman)