Unfinished fiscal business brings Pa. lawmakers back to Harrisburg
Pennsylvania State House lawmakers are coming back to Harrisburg to finish up budget business Monday.
A final vote is expected to approve what’s called the fiscal code — a bill full of key fund transfers.
The summer vote is a somewhat sore subject between chambers.
It was prompted when the Senate took language out of the legislation that suggested the Legislature intended to legalize payday lending.
Such loans are controversial, and the Senate GOP leader said it didn’t belong in a budget-related item.
The nonbinding language wasn’t a move to try to compel the Legislature to act, said House GOP spokesman Steve Miskin.
“Just a note to self, trying to keep everybody on the same page, you know, where they were in the meetings,” he said. “It’s a very important issue for consumer protection.”
The House isn’t the only chamber that added last-minute controversial provisions to budget-related items.
The Senate added language to compel a Medicaid expansion and a tax credit to other key budget legislation — neither of which had been agreed to by House Republicans.
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