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Would it be a good idea to …
… revise state law so Harrisburg’s budget standoffs don’t end up hurting Pennsylvania’s school districts, social service agencies and county governments – and the millions of people who rely on them?
This year’s protracted, five-month battle between Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, and the Republican-led Legislature caused a lot of collateral damage. The deadline to pass a new budget came and went on July 1. Ever since, the state has shut off the flow of most funds. Governments and groups that were counting on that money have had to scrimp, scrounge and borrow. Or close.
In mid-September, a coalition representing more than 100 juvenile justice and child welfare groups reportedly sought an injunction that would have compelled the Wolf administration to release overdue payments. Counties, too, considered legal action. As Thanksgiving approached with no budget resolution, the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania was flirting with the notion of filing suit, the Associated Press reported.
In Bucks County, commissioners weary of the standoff already had decided not to remit money the county government collects on behalf of the state. A commissioner told the AP it “was our way of sending a message.”
Luzerne County’s government seemingly was on the verge of a shutdown until an 11th-hour borrowing plan gained approval last month from a slim council majority. Northwest Area School Board members recently vowed to close the district’s schools Feb. 2 if state money doesn’t soon begin to flow. Similarly, the Hazleton Area School Board considered, then rejected, a plan to borrow $31 million to get through the dry spell.
Would stripping the Pennsylvania governor of the power to block funding be too extreme, rendering him or her unable to negotiate budget deals with the General Assembly? What if, during future budget impasses, the funding stream continued but at, say, 50 percent of the prior year’s level? Or 25 percent?
As is, the setup seems to benefit only attorneys and the makers of antacids.
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