June 9th, 2009

Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee voted down the Senate Republicans $27.3 billion budget proposal on a 20-14 party line vote – a result that was less than surprising.

The Associated Press reports:

Republicans on the committee mostly kept their comments to criticism of how the 2009-2010 budget debate was being handled in the lower chamber, while Democrats warned about the impact of proposed cuts on seniors, students, parks patrons and others.

Several said excessive state cuts would force counties, schools and local municipalities to pick up the slack.

“If we allow these cuts, in a lot of these areas, the only recourse is going to be for our local governments to increase property taxes,” said Deberah Kula, D-Fayette.

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Rep. Thomas Killion, R-Delaware, said before the vote that the result was inevitable, and asked Democratic leaders what they planned to do to get a budget bill to the House floor. Rep. Brian Ellis, R-Butler, called the Senate bill’s consideration by the Democrats “gamesmanship.”

Lawmakers said they were anxious to see Rendell’s final revenue projections for the coming year, a figure that will drive much of the final debate.

“The issue that comes up is how much do they want to spend, and we can’t find that out,” said Rep. Mario Civera of Delaware County, the ranking Republican on the Appropriations Committee.

Democrats focused their attention on the Senate bill, including a criticism that it should have drawn at least some revenue out of Pennsylvania’s “rainy day” contingency fund.

“If it’s not raining in Pennsylvania … then I don’t know what it means to feel wet,” said Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Allegheny.

Read more about the Appropriations meeting in the Philadelphia Inquirer.