The Patriot News reports on yesterday's BIG budget meeting.
Republican legislators left the room within an hour after the meeting started, with paperwork in hand outlining the cuts they agreed to during last week's negotiations as well as additional cuts that Rendell put on the table.
"We're moving the process," Rendell said afterward. "That's the good news."
Altogether, one source said the cuts totaled no more than $150 million, well short of the near $2 billion gap separating Rendell's proposed budget and the Republicans' appetite for spending.
Well, if $150 million isn't much help, the "real" number is definitely not going to cut it. John Micek says yesterday's proposed cuts were only $72 million.
A high-level negotiating session held at Gov. Ed's Capitol offices has broken up after legislative leaders were presented with $72 million in additional budget cuts by the administration.
Republican Senate leaders left Rendell's
second-floor offices just 25 minutes after the 6 p.m. negotiating
session began. Attendees said they were leaving it to staff to go over
the numbers, and that their departure should not be construed as a
breakdown.
"We're still working," House Speaker Keith McCall, D-Carbon, said as he crossed a second-floor hallway to enter Rendell's main suite of offices near the entrance to the House of Representatives.
A lot of tonight's heavy lifting "can be handled by staff," Senate President Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, said as he left, flanked by aides and his state police security detail.
"There is no walkout. We're going to meet again tomorrow," Scarnati said.
For the fun of it, if we use the current $2 billion gap between the Dems and GOP, and both sides agree to chip away a combined $72 million a day, it would take an additional 27 days to settle on a budget. Using these numbers and, if lawmakers work 27 straight weekdays (no weekends), Pennsylvania will have a budget on August 12th.
What a fantastic effort by our public servants...
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