Governor Signs SB 850; Stresses It Is Not A State Budget

On August 5, Governor Rendell bluelined and signed Senate Bill 850, emphasizingit is merely legislation to enable state workers to get paid, and is not a budget in itself. The Governor said he hopes the bill will send legislators back to the table to negotiate “anew and in earnest.” Following the Governor's bluelines, Senate Bill 850 totals roughly $11 billion in spending, and will cover “critical public health and safety services” in addition to state worker pay. “A small number of cases where lives are at stake or public safety is in immediate peril are also funded in this budget,” he said.

Funding for the Pennsylvania Tourism Office and grant programs for local and regional tourist promotion agencies was bluelined by the Governor.

Since the passage of the Governor's Stopgap budget, budget negotiations have stood at an impasse.