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Battle over state budget heats up with deadline looming

Harrisburg, PA-  The battle over the state’s budget continues to heat up with the deadline now just one day away. It was a busy weekend at the Capitol where Hou...

Harrisburg, PA-  The battle over the state’s budget continues to heat up with the deadline now just one day away.

It was a busy weekend at the Capitol where House Republicans passed their proposal on to the State Senate Saturday, without a single Democratic vote.

The proposal then made its way through a special Senate Committee Hearing Sunday night.

With the deadline now about 24 hours away, it is evident both parties are still divided when it comes to several key issues.

One of them includes funding for public education.

Democrats argue that the GOP’s proposed 30 billion dollar spending plan does not include enough money for education.

After all, Governor Wolf made it very clear during his campaign and since taking office that one of his top priorities is to create “schools that teach.”

Another issue at the center of debate has been taxes.

Wolf’s opponents say his budget creates too many new taxes and that their budget on the other hand doesn’t include any increases.

“I don't think there's a reason why the Governor can't vote for a no tax increase budget that puts billions of dollars into education as well as funding the priorities of what Pennsylvania residents have wanted in a budget,” said Republican Representative, Seth Grove.

The Senate Law and Judicial Committee also passed a bill Sunday night to privatize liquor and wine sales across the state; something Republican lawmakers have been pushing for months now. The full Senate is expected to vote on both the privatization plan as well as the proposed budget on Tuesday.

Governor Wolf, however, has threatened to veto both bills.

The official deadline for the budget is midnight Tuesday.

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