Final budget plan promised this week

Governor Rendell and legislative leaders are vowing to stay in Harrisburg until they transform their budget accord into a final spending plan.

Governor Rendell and legislative leaders are vowing to stay in Harrisburg until they transform their budget accord into a final spending plan.

Listen:
[audio: 090928sdbudget.mp3]

The House and Senate resume voting sessions Wednesday.

Leaders from both parties say lawmakers will keep working until there’s a budget, and Governor Rendell is challenging them to finish up by Sunday.

In the meantime, Rendell says the Department of Revenue is processing invoices so it can begin rolling out payments to priority line items like child care reimbursements, basic and special education funding and children’s health insurance as quickly as possible.

Rendell: We’re hopeful that they will receive payments within four to six business days after a budget is signed. All other payments should be received within ten business days of the budget enactment. And that includes operational payments for utilities, leases, information and technology services.

Both House Democratic and Senate Republican leaders say they’re hoping to meet Rendell’s Sunday deadline, but Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi says that would be a “best-case scenario.”

Pileggi says “six to twelve” separate bills need to pass before the budget process is complete.