Pa. House passes Shapiro-driven budget; Republicans have ‘profound concerns’

(The Center Square) – The opening gambit in 2026-27 budget bill-passing happened Tuesday when the Democratic-controlled state House approved a measure conveying Gov. Josh Shapiro’s $53.3 billion proposal – one that caused Republicans who control the Senate to express “profound concerns.”

Meanwhile, in another signal of party positioning 11 weeks before the June 30 budget deadline, Democrats on the House Education Committee made it clear they may want to shrink or even eliminate the $680 million Educational Improvement Tax Credit program. It has strong support among Republicans.

As budget positions by the parties begin to take shape, two big factors loom in the background. One is the gap of about $5 billion between the amount spent by the state and the amount of revenue it receives, and the other is last’s year’s fiasco in which Read Entire Article