Details of budget yet to be resolved
Friday, October 16th, 2009
By: Tom MacDonald
tmacdonald@whyy.org
Pennsylvania's budget still is not complete, the remaining parts include dealing with expanding casino gambling and funding schools.
Listen:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Expansion of gambling to include table games is part of the state budget, but the details have yet to be worked out. Governor Ed Rendell says the bill must generate a billion dollars a year in education funding. If it doesn't, he says, he won't sign it.
Rendell: The initial license fee, the state taxes, if there is any local taxes and there's wide disagreement on that we've got to get an agreement and it's got to produce enough revenue to to fund the remaining part of the budget that is outstanding, funding the non-preferred state related schools Penn State Pit, Temple and Lincoln, and that's a big part of our budget.
The Governor says he plans to bring all the parties together next week, and if a table games compromise can be struck, the remaining parts of the budget could be approved in a few days.