Stefano to introduce bill that would fund entities during budget impasse
State Sen. Pat Stefano seems determined to avoid the recent spectacle of cash-strapped school districts and social services going into debt and begging for help during the state budget impasse.
On Thursday, Stefano, R-Bullskin Township, said he plans to introduce legislation that would create a Budget Impasse Critical Services Fund that would disburse state money to entities at their current level if a budget is not passed by the June 30 deadline.
Specifically, it would continue funding for school districts, higher education grants, certain state police expenses and programs under the state Department of Human Services.
“When Gov. Wolf vetoed the state budget in June and vetoed a stop-gap budget we sent him in September, schools, social service agencies and other organizations were forced to take out loans and, in some cases, shut their doors,” Stefano said in a statement.
“They should not be used as hostages because of an impasse, particularly since the state is still collecting tax dollars,” he said. “Core government services must be guaranteed funding.”
Stefano’s bill, which he has dubbed the Commonwealth Budget Impasse Act, also takes aim at some perks for legislators that were uninterrupted during the state budget impasse, but it does not address legislators’ pay, which continued during the stalemate. The budget crisis is only partially resolved, though, after Wolf conducted a line-item veto freeing up money for school districts and social services.
If a budget is not approved by June 30, state officials and legislators would not be allowed to travel, publicly funded websites and social media accounts with “editorial content” from elected officials would be frozen and legislators would be prohibited from collecting expenses and per diems, and not be allowed to retroactively receive them, either.
“Two things surprised me during this year’s budget battle,” Stefano said. “First, because we were in session, the cost to the state actually increased because of the increased use of per diems by members and the need to reimburse for hotels, travel and meals while in Harrisburg.”
Stefano said he was also surprised “that we seemed to spend more time coming up with clever ways of attacking those who disagreed with our ideas than actually working to end the impasse. It seems that nothing gets done without consequences, so these provisions should provide that pressure to get the job done.”
Stefano began circulating a co-sponsorship memo Thursday to gain support in the Senate.