December 23, 2015

House Goes Home Without Final Vote On Any Budget Bill

(Dec. 23, 1:10 p.m.) -- Speaker of the House Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) just announced the House is adjourning without taking a final vote on any state budget bill and is going on a 6-hour call.
           This after a dramatic 100 to 99 vote Tuesday when the full House  voted to revert to the Senate’s “agreed-to” $30.8 billion General Fund budget bill-- Senate Bill 1073 (Browne-R-Lehigh)-- and then voted 100 to 97 to move the bill up for what would have been a final vote December 23.
The Associated Press and other media is reporting opposition to pension reform legislation ultimately sunk the agreed-to budget framework. Without the pension reform bill, Senate Republicans said they would not vote for any tax increases.
The Senate's pension reform legislation-- Senate Bill 1071 (Browne-R-Lehigh)-- was defeated in the House by a vote of 52 to 149 primarily because of unified opposition by House Democrats.
41 days until Gov. Wolf presents his next budget address.
Among many ironies, a violinist was playing music in the Capitol rotunda, much like the string quartet played on the deck of the Titanic as it was sinking.
NewsClips:
Op-Ed: Dear House Republicans, Thanks For Nothing

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