(The Center Square) – The day after the Pennsylvania House of Representatives sent them a hefty spending plan, Senate leaders aren’t rushing to act.
Instead, they are halfway across the state at a summit in Pittsburgh with congressional, industry and state leaders discussing Pennsylvania’s role in powering the future of artificial intelligence. President Donald Trump will feature at the event.
Still, the $50 billion bill awaiting action in the upper chamber isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, according to Kate Flessner, spokeswoman for Senate Republicans.
“While we can’t speak for the House, a procedural process needs to occur while we continue to work to reach an agreement,” she wrote in an email to The Center Square. “We do not view HB1330 in its current form as a final product.”
She said Sen. Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, “remains very upbeat and is actively engaged in discussions, however there is still much work to do.”
House Democratic leaders expected as much after the proposal cleared the chamber 105-97, with four Republicans crossing the aisle in support.
Republican Appropriations Chairman Jim Struzzi of Indiana – not one of the consenting votes – called the bill a necessary step forward given the delays in the Legislature, but he urged his caucus to vote against the bill.
“This bill itself spends too much, and we still don’t know how we’re going to pay for this,” said Struzzi.
Minority Leader Jesse Topper, R-Bedford, agreed with Struzzi. He emphasized that “it’s public policy that will drive economic growth in Pennsylvania.”
Specifically, policy points Republicans want to see prioritized are deregulation in the energy sector that would allow the state to “unleash” its massive natural gas reserves and other fossil fuel resources. Topper also advocated for “benefits integrity” to ensure social safety nets are getting to those who need it most, and school choice funding.
Democrats said that they have listened to their colleagues across the aisle in cutting a billion dollars from the budget proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro in February.
Majority Leader Matt Bradford, D-Norristown, said concerns about energy were reflected in the budget along with other issues raised by Republicans. He also highlighted that through their stewardship, the government has amassed $10.5 billion in reserves.
The intractable nature of some issues, however, were hard to ignore. Bradford noted that, in order to provide the revenue Struzzi said was missing, a policy change was presented in adult use cannabis, something the Senate Republican majority shot down.
He also said that further school choice funding without first adequately funding the state’s public school system was a “no-starter, period, full stop.”
Bradford emphasized that the thin majority in the House demanded leaders be “humble, pragmatic, and wise,” especially in the face of the “unbelievable carnage coming at the hands of our friends in Washington,” referring to the massive cuts levied by the congressional budget resolution.
A similar sentiment was echoed by House Appropriations Chairman Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia, who called the body “humble, flexible, and nimble.”
“This is not a dictatorship,” said Harris. “What we did is we came to the table and said ‘OK, let us work together.”
Harris said constituents had been waiting far too long to find out “how much the commonwealth would invest.”
All parties seemed to agree that the budget is not complete, but all signaled a desire to move the legislative process forward. Standout issues like mass transit funding remain as questions hanging heavy over the Senate.
Christina Lengyel contributed to this report.
