Wolf: Pennsylvania Budget Will Become Law Without My Signature

Governor Tom Wolf announced on Sunday night that an appropriations bill approved by the state House and Senate would become law without his signature.

Late last month, the legislature agreed to a $31.6 billion spending plan. Wolf said at the time that he supported the plan, which provides additional funding for basic education and programs aimed at battling opiate addiction, but wouldn’t sign it until the legislature specified how the plan will be funded.

Throughout this year’s budget process, Wolf has identified investments in education and addiction programs as his priorities, along with approving a balanced budget that matches all spending with stable revenue. So far, the legislature has not agreed on a revenue package. 

“If a revenue package were already on my desk, I would have been proud to sign it,” Wolf said in a statement Sunday night. “If a revenue package is passed before midnight on Monday, I will be equally as proud to sign it then. But if the General Assembly fails to pass a responsible revenue package by tomorrow evening, this bill will become law without my signature.”

Last year, Wolf and the Republican-controlled legislature missed the June 30th budget deadline by nine months. This year, the spending plan was approved hours before the deadline. Wolf has 10 days to sign that bill, and it will become law at midnight on Monday with or without his signature.

Lawmakers were reportedly working on a revenue package over the weekend.

“Unfortunately, a final revenue agreement has not yet been reached,” Republican senators Jake Corman and Joe Scarnati said in a statement Sunday night. “Various proposals have been put on the table. Negotiations persist and we remain committed to continuing to work toward reaching a final compromise that will fully fund the approved spending plan while at the same time does not include broad-based increases in income or sales taxes.”

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