BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE

Little progress has been made in budget negotiations, as the commonwealth completed its first full month without a FY 2015-2016 spending plan. On Aug. 3, Gov. Wolf met with Speaker of the House Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) and Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson), reportedly to discuss a total budget spend number, but one has not been announced. With the House scheduled for a single session day on Aug. 25, both Sen. Scarnati and Rep. Turzai told the media they are looking at options to mitigate the impacts of the budget impasse. One possibility mentioned is to bring individual line items in HB 1192, the House and Senate Republican budget vetoed by the Governor, before the chambers to attempt override votes. While specific lines have not been identified for such an effort, human services programs have been mentioned. To override a veto, both the House and Senate would have to do so by a 2/3 vote in each chamber, requiring a bipartisan vote.

Without an enacted FY 2015-2016 budget, core human services programs are being impacted by delayed state payments. Counties will take the necessary steps to keep the doors open, but they do so under difficult circumstances, as cash flow issues could result in slower payment to vendors, borrowing, or use of reserves. CCAP has created a web page to document these impacts, which is available by going to www.pacounties.org and clicking Budget News and Updates, then FY 2015-2016 Budget Impasse on the right side of the page.

Counties are asking legislators and the Governor to support critical priorities, including taking any proposed rebalancing proposals related to child welfare lines off the table and assuring they are not used to bargain on the larger spending and revenue plan. The inaccurate funding assumptions House Bill 1192 used to shift child welfare dollars would seriously endanger the ability of county child welfare agencies to meet their mandates, which have dramatically increased as a result of recent changes to the Child Protective Services Law.

In addition,CCAP members are asking the Governor and the General Assembly, as a priority for 2015, to restore the ten percent reduction to the seven line items that are part of the Human Services Block Grant and affect core services across all 67 counties. The request is consistent with the Governor's budget proposal, which called for a three-year restoration of the Block Grant lines, with a $28 million increase intended for FY 2015-2016.

CONGRESS PASSES THREE-MONTH EXTENSION OF MAP-21

As the July 31 expiration loomed for the current surface transportation law, MAP-21, the U.S. Senate voted 65-34 to approve a six-year federal surface transportation bill that would fund highway and infrastructure projects for three years. H.R.22, known as the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act, addresses a number of counties' transportation priorities, including increased and designated funding for off-system (county-owned) bridges, secured with the help of Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).

While the U.S. House did not take further action on H.R. 22, that chamber did approve a three-month extension of MAP-21 that will prolong spending authority for transportation through Oct. 29 and transfer $8 billion to the Highway Trust Fund, sufficient to provide funding to states through December. All members of the U.S. House Pennsylvania delegation, except Congressman Lou Barletta and Congressman Scott Perry, voted for H.R. 3236. Although the Senate accepted and approved H.R. 3236 on a 91-4 vote, with both Sen. Casey and Sen. Pat Toomey voting in favor, that chamber did so with the stipulation that those three months would provide sufficient time for the House to finalize and pass a long-term bipartisan bill that could be conferenced with the DRIVE Act this fall. President Obama signed the short-term extension into law on July 31.

DEP HOLDS FIRST MEETING OF PIPELINE TASK FORCE

CENTER FOR RURAL PA HOLDS HEARINGS ON OVERDOSE CRISIS 

DHS OUTLINES ACTION ON MANAGED LONG-TERM CARE