Pa. House GOP ready for interim budget if $1B tax plan lacks support

Pennsylvania House Republican leaders say they’ll seek an interim spending plan this week to end the state government’s five-and-a-half month budget stalemate if there’s not enough support to pass a forthcoming plan for a $1 billion-plus tax increase.

House Majority Leader Dave Reed told reporters Wednesday he wants to hold final votes this weekend.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, the Republican-controlled Senate and House Democrats are lining up behind a 6 percent spending increase and an accompanying $1 billion-plus tax plan that’s still under wraps. The huge House Republican majority has battled for smaller spending and tax increases.

Wolf wants the money to deliver a record boost in public school aid and narrow a long-term budget deficit. Senate Republicans signed on as a trade-off for Wolf’s support for legislation they’ve long sought to overhaul public pension benefits.