"Forward" by Tim Hartman
Welcome to the latest edition of Voices of Reason, featuring a special update on the PA State Budget.
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Still waiting for a signed budget...
45 days later
The Pennsylvania state budget is over six weeks late, and lawmakers remain at odds about funding for several categories, including education and public transit. The Republican-majority Senate passed a version this week, but it seems unlikely that the Democratic-majority House will approve it. The Senate Republicans are calling on the House to pass the budget, and the House Democrats are threatening to reject it to get lawmakers back to the table and reach a reasonable compromise. For now, the budget remains at an impasse.
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Big Names Make News
Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and Democratic Appropriations Chair Vince Hughes shared in a statement their opinion that “Senate Republicans had the opportunity to move the ball forward and take real steps towards solving some of Pennsylvania’s biggest problems. Instead, we got ridiculous, unserious schemes that fail to meet the scale, scope, and urgency of the transit crisis facing our commonwealth." [PA Senate ([link removed]) ]
PA House Republican Leader Jesse Topper, published a press release arguing that “the solutions to the incredible challenges we face as a Commonwealth will only be found when all parties engage in meaningful ways and acknowledge the serious problems confronting us in resolving this budget: SEPTA is in crisis. Our state’s education system, in many respects, is in crisis. Our state’s economic outlook is in crisis.” [PAHouseGOP ([link removed]-) ]
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Numbers You Need to Know
* On August 12, 2025, the PA State Senate passed the 2025–2026 budget bill — six weeks late — maintaining last year’s spending level of $47.6 billion. [PhiladelphiaInquirer ([link removed]) ]
* On August 12, 2025, the PA State Senate passed the 2025–2026 budget bill — six weeks late — maintaining last year’s spending level of $47.6 billion. [Commonwealth Foundation ([link removed]) ]
* Over the next two years, the transit House Bill 257 ([link removed]) allocates $419 million from the capital portion of the Public Transportation Trust Fund, along with $173 million from gaming-tax revenues, to support public transit projects and services. [City&State ([link removed]) ]
* In Delaware County, home to about 576,000 residents, only two hospitals — Riddle and Mercy Fitzgerald — are still operating, down from six just a few years ago. [B+L ([link removed]) ]
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News You Need to Know
Chief Investigative Reporter Todd Shepherd, recently reported that “Governor Josh Shapiro continues to cooperate with a voter registration website with a web address deceptively similar to the official Pennsylvania Department of State’s, but which also harvests the registrant’s personal information for partisan political advertising.” [B+L ([link removed]) ]
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In Case You Missed It...
The Voices of Reason podcast has covered the most important issues in Pennsylvania politics – from education funding ([link removed]) to trust in elections ([link removed]) . Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt ([link removed]) , PA Treasurer Stacy Garrity ([link removed]) , and House Appropriations Chairman Jordan Harris ([link removed]) are just a few of many influential guests who have joined us for exclusive interviews and roundtable discussions.
Visit the Voice of Reason YouTube page ([link removed]) to experience all the great moments you missed.
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The Politics PA Playbook will be back on its regular schedule next week!
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