What you need to know about the Pa. budget impasse

Pennsylvania lawmakers have yet to approve a state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1.

The state Senate and the House have both approved a spending plan, but the state will likely stay in a budget standstill for the summer.

The controversy is centered on Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s promise to veto a budget item that would have created a school voucher program. Republicans, who supported that plan, accused Shapiro of backtracking on a deal that he made with them.

Shapiro rejected the idea that he’d made a final deal with GOP lawmakers and said the veto promise was necessary to get the budget through the House, where Democrats hold a narrow majority and don’t support the voucher program.

» READ MORE: Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget breakdown over school vouchers was a rare misstep

Here’s what you need to know about what comes next:

Pennsylvania’s budget is at an impasse after lawmakers failed to send Gov. Josh Shapiro a completed budget by June 30, which is the start of the state’s new fiscal year. Both the House and Senate left Harrisburg for the summer, so there’s no telling when Pennsylvania’s state budget will be approved.

The House and Senate approved a $45.5 billion spending plan, so both chambers have technically passed the budget. However, they need to sign the bills during a legislative session before going to the governor for his signature. This is usually a routine task that goes unnoticed.

Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland) said that, as of now, she does not intend to recall the Senate before its next session day on Sept. 18. Therefore, Pennsylvania remains at a budget impasse until the Senate returns.

Lawmakers in Harrisburg still need to finalize the omnibus code bills — which provide the instructions for how the state can spend its approved plan — before the state can actually start spending any of its money.

Ward told The Inquirer that she and Senate GOP leaders are working to “slim down” these code bills, which could mean that some of the money lawmakers approved in the spending plan might not ever get spent.

The budget allows the state to pay its bills and send out its funds. The longer it takes to approve, the longer some school districts, county government, and nonprofits have to wait and need to dip into their own savings or take out loans to stay afloat.