Highlights of PA Budget Agreement as Lawmakers Prep for Votes

We will report further as information becomes available. Notable–$100 million increase for education, and no $50 million decrease in school transportation.

Associated Press, 6/30/2017

PA lawmakers will take up a $32 billion bipartisan spending package on the state fiscal year’s final day, although lawmakers don’t know how it’ll be paid for. Senate and House floor votes were expected Friday, less than 24 hours after the details became public. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf supports it. Lawmakers say they’ll try next week to find $2 billion-plus to cover a two-year projected shortfall … It carries more money for schools, pension obligations and services for the intellectually disabled. It demands belt-tightening across government agencies and in Medicaid, and counts on savings from a shrinking prisons population. Here are highlights of a bipartisan spending plan for PA state government’s 2017-18 budget year that starts Saturday:

THE BIG PICTURE

• Increases spending through the state’s main bank account to $32 billion. Approves about $870 million, or almost 3%, in spending above the last enacted budget of just over $31.5 billion, including approximately $400 million to go on the just-ending fiscal year’s books. Otherwise, increases spending $54 million, or 0.2%.
• Lacks legislation to fund it and requires more than $2 billion in yet-to-be-identified cash to balance, according to lawmakers.

SPECIFICS

• Plans to merge the Dept of Corrections and PA Board of Probation & Parole into a new Department of Criminal Justice.
• Plans to merge the Human Services & Health departments, but keep the Aging and Drug & Alcohol Programs departments separate.

EDUCATION

• Increases aid for public school operations & instruction by $100 million, an increase of nearly 2% to $6 billion.
• Increases early-childhood education funding by $30 million, an increase of 15% to $226 million.
• Increases special education funding by $25 million, an increase of 2% to above $1.1 billion.
• Increases state-owned university aid by $9 million, an increase of 2% to $453 million; otherwise holds higher education funding flat at $1.6 billion.

DEPARTMENT SPENDING

• EDUCATION: Grows 3.5% to $12.2 billion.
• HUMAN SERVICES: Cut 2% to $12.1 billion.
• PRISONS AND PAROLE: Cut by less than 1% to $2.5 billion.
• COURTS: Held flat at $355.5 million.
• GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Grows 5% to $325 million.
• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: Cut by less than 1% to $148 million.
• ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE: Held flat at $96 million.