Read all of the Capital-Star’s budget week coverage in one place

By: - June 29, 2019 6:30 am

President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, speaks at a June press conference Wednesday after a vote on General Assistance led to a shouting match on the Senate floor (Capital-Star photo).

With the final votes out of the way, and the ink from Gov. Tom Wolf’s pen drying on the finished documents, another Pennsylvania budget season is in the books. And since it’s the Capital-Star’s first-ever budget season, we thought it would be useful to have all our coverage from this very busy week in one place.

Since the $34 billion spending plan is a many-headed beast, we’ve grouped our coverage below by subject area to make it easier for you to navigate your way through the stories.

The foundational stuff

Gov. Tom Wolf wants a higher minimum wage and more money for teachers — with no new taxes (2/5/19)

Five takeaways from Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2019-2020 budget address (2/5/19)

The General Assistance debate

Will cash assistance for disabled adults be a budget casualty?

Pa. House votes to eliminate cash assistance for adults with disabilities, addiction

General Assembly moves closer to eliminating cash assistance for disabled Pennsylvanians

How a bill to eliminate cash assistance for the disabled turned into a ‘Faustian’ budget dilemma

Democrats storm off the floor as the Senate sends bill eliminating cash assistance for disabled Pennsylvanians to Gov. Wolf

Why the General Assistance floor fight was an inflection point in our politics (Morning Coffee)

Top Republican on Senate chaos: ‘Today we saw what happens when rules aren’t followed’

Education

Here’s what Pa. education advocates think of this year’s budget plan

Some Pa. teachers could still get a raise as part of this year’s budget negotiations

Minimum wage

Pa’s women and families will benefit from a higher minimum wage. Here’s how (Frances Wolf op-Ed)

How raising the minimum wage gets people to work their way off public assistance (Teresa Miller op-Ed)

How Pa’s failure to raise the minimum wage will make the affordable housing crisis even worse (John L. Micek column)

Everything else

It’s Budget Week: Here are five, essential things to know (Morning Coffee)

Turzai’s budget season fast one: Catholic church gets an exemption on adoptions by same-sex couples

Gov. Tom Wolf will get an on-time budget. But will he get a win? (Morning Coffee)

House Republicans consider rider cutting funding to Pitt to prevent fetal tissue research

Pennsylvania’s Rainy Day Fund, explained: Why a $250 million deposit is getting so much attention

Cracking the Code: These Pa. budget bills are where the deals get made

‘A very serious vote:’ A few scenes from Day 2 of Budget Week (Morning Coffee)

Keeping ‘the lights on:’ Pa. libraries get first funding boost in a decade

The end game

Without minimum wage, cash assistance, $34 billion budget falls flat with some House Democrats

Lawmakers work late into Tuesday as 2019-20 budget moves forward

Pa. House passes $34 billion budget plan without widespread Democratic support

Pa. budget bill on its way to Gov. Tom Wolf after education bill temporarily derails process

Pa. Senate votes to send $34 billion budget to Gov. Tom Wolf

The Top 5 Tweets that sum up our very weird #PaBudget Week (Morning Coffee)

Wolf will sign $34 billion budget full of bipartisan wins, but missing progressive priorities

Cash assistance for disabled Pennsylvanians will be eliminated, as Wolf says he will sign budget bill

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John L. Micek

A three-decade veteran of the news business, John L. Micek is the Pennsylvania Capital-Star's former Editor-in-Chief.

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