With just two days before Pa. begins a new fiscal year, work continues to pass a budget on time. Last years spending plan wasn’t formalized until last winter. On Tuesday, the state house approved a senate bill that would create a $31.5-billion dollar budget that would start on July-1st. While the legislation received dozens of votes from the chamber’s minority Democrats as well as from the majority Republicans, Governor Tom Wolf says he has some concerns about whether the measure is truly balanced. The York County GOP delegation voted ‘no’ on the plan which adds $1.4-billion in new spending. The budget increases spending for public education by $250-million and it earmarks $10-million to battle the state’s opioid crisis. Both amounts are lower than what Wolf proposed. The plan is paid for using a combination of liquor reform, increased taxes on tobacco and expanding gambling.
