June 18th, 2008

Today the Senate passed a Republican crafted budget bill on party lines 29-21, sending the bill off to the House, reports the Associated Press.

The 27.9 billion budget plan has cut about $400 million from Governor Rendell’s initial proposal.  Senate Majority Appropriations Chairman Gib Armstrong (R – Lancaster) stated in a press release that this is just a “starting budget”, passed to move the process forward.  Although, he continues that it’s ”a budget in balance, as well as can be done without knowing the final revenue number the Administration will set.” 

Armstrong also said that their budget bill cuts back from Gov Rendell’s proposal “becaue revenues will fall several hundred million dollars short of [Rendell's] prediction.” 

Democrats say the cuts are just too much.  The party has the biggest problem with Senate R’s cutting Rendell’s $291 million increase to public school subsidies, down to $120 million.