The governor met with the leaders of all four legislative caucuses in the Capitol.
Pennsylvania’s state budget is four months late. In a sign of potential movement towards a deal, Governor Shapiro met in Harrisburg with the leaders of all four legislative caucuses.
Closed-door negotiations between leaders have been ongoing.
Throughout the delay, counties and school districts have been feeling the strain from a lack of expected state funding.
The meeting was the first in-person discussion between Governor Shapiro and all major parties since the June 30th deadline passed.
A spokesperson for Shapiro said the governor convened the meetings. “The need for all five parties to be in the room became clear as conditions changed,” said the spokesperson.
Previous revelations made by lawmakers indicated education and energy policy have been sticking points in negotiations.
Republicans want to keep state spending low and have pushed for the Commonwealth to leave the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, an interstate cap-and-trade program aimed at addressing climate change.
State Senate Republicans approved a $47.9 billion budget proposal that comes far below Shapiro’s original $51.4 billion pitch.
Pennsylvania brought in $46.4 billion last fiscal year. The plans put forth by Shapiro’s administration and the dueling parties would all require dipping into the state’s cash reserves.
To combat the deficit, Shapiro proposed legalizing marijuana and regulating slot-like skill games to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.
Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, a Republican of Indiana County, proposed eliminating some sales tax exemptions to help boost revenue.
Lawmakers involved in the meeting called by Shapiro have not revealed whether any substantial progress was made towards a state budget.
