New legislators face budget battle

On Tuesday, members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly convened at the state Capitol to be sworn into office. In the state House of Representatives, 12 Republicans and 15 Democrats took the oath for the first time, while the Senate welcomed five Republicans and two Democrats.

The House maintains a 104-99 Democratic majority, with Rep. Keith McCall (D-Carbon) elected as Speaker of the House. In the Senate, Republicans control the chamber 29-20, with Sen. Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) elected as President Pro Tempore.

The mood at the Capitol was surprisingly upbeat considering the state is facing a steep uphill climb in approving the next state budget. Members will begin negotiations soon to determine how to fill the growing deficit that has already reached $814 million.

In an effort to educate the public on the economy and its impact on the budget, the House Democrats will host a series of forums in Oakdale, Cresson, Williamsport, Scranton, and Berwyn the week of January 12.

In a related move, the House Republicans announced the formation of six task forces to examine areas including state spending, education and job training, energy, health care, transportation and infrastructure, and reforming state government in an effort to have proposals prepared for budget discussions.

Talk on the budget is expected to take up the first half of the year.

Related posts:

1. PAR Board approves 2012 budget

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Tags: budget, state

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 8th, 2009 at 7:56 am and is filed under Government Affairs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.