Ward calls state Senate back into session to ‘finalize’ Pa. budget

Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, said in a statement late Wednesday that she was calling the Senate back into session Thursday at 1 p.m. “to finalize the General Appropriations Budget.”

Signing the legislation “will provide the necessary funding to schools, counties, and organizations completing 75% of the budget,” Ward said. She added that the remaining 25% of the budget “requires legislation to authorize expenditures,” and said Gov. Josh Shapiro “has provided us the necessary assurances to guarantee the monies for those programs will remain untouched until the legislature has finalized the language.”

Pennsylvania remains without a budget  a month after the fiscal year ended on June 30. Shapiro, the Republican-controlled Senate, and the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives are at a stalemate caused by disagreement over a proposal to fund private school tuition vouchers with taxpayer dollars.

Ward said Wednesday that Senate Republicans “will continue to negotiate with our counterparts in good faith and in the best interests of Pennsylvanians. We hope our counterparts will do the same.”