July 1, 2015
Budget Briefing
Today is the first day of the new fiscal year, and we are still without a budget. Over the last few days, the legislature sent a number of bills to the governor for his signature, including the General Appropriations bill and budget-related ancillary legislation. The GA bill was promptly vetoed, while the other bills—pension reform legislation, liquor privatization legislation, amendments to the Public School Code and amendments to the Fiscal Code—remain on the governor’s desk for signature, with a last day for action of July 10. Meanwhile, the House is holding a non-voting session today and has scheduled session for August 25, unless sooner recalled by the Speaker, and the Senate has posted September 21 as their next session day, unless called back sooner by the President Pro Tempore.
So what’s a governor to do? News reports indicate that the governor has asked legislative leadership to meet to discuss the budget this afternoon; whether or not they do is yet to be seen. As for the other bills, they can remain on his desk for 10 days, by which time he may either sign or veto the bills. Failure to act will result in the bills automatically becoming law.
While the package of budget bills is the headliner right now, there are a handful of other bills on the governor’s desk. Among them are: S.B. 330 (Ward, R-Westmoreland), which addresses property owners’ failure to comply with local building codes, S.B. 687 and S.B. 688 (Browne, R-Lehigh), which amend the planned communities and condominium laws, and H.B. 1276 (Watson, R-Bucks), which updates and clarifies last year’s changes to the Child Protective Services Law. Like the budget bills, they also have a last day of action of July 10.
So Happy New Fiscal Year to all. While not typically a time for resolutions, we’re hopeful that the governor and General Assembly will resolve to work together to enact a new budget that is the product of compromise and good intentions. When that finally happens, we’ll let you know. Stay tuned to this blog or follow us on twitter @BuchananGov.