Municipalities in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale formation have the right to pass zoning laws keeping drillers from extracting gas within their boundaries. They just shouldn’t expect any revenue from Republican Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati’s proposed impact fee.
Scarnati’s legislation would “prohibit a municipality that adopts a zoning ordinance which exceeds [a statewide model published by the Public Utility Commission] from receiving funding from the local impact fee,” according to an outline released Thursday. (The bill itself won’t be introduced until next week, at the earliest.) The legislation boils down to an argument that townships can’t have their cake and eat it, too – if they’re keeping drillers out, Scarnati doesn’t want them taking money from the $10,000-a-well assessment.
“We’re not trying to be heavy-handed on the local level. But at some point, if local officials want to do everything in their power to ensure that natural gas companies cannot drill in their jurisdiction, then at some point for us, there’s got to be a ramification for that,” explained Scarnati’s chief of staff, Drew Crompton. “We don’t believe that there should be a benefit from the impact fees to those few jurisdictions that may elect to ensure that drilling cannot occur in that jurisdiction.”
Pittsburgh is the most high-profile municipality to ban drilling. Its Council passed an anti-hydraulic fracturing ordinance in November.
The executive director of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, Dave Sanko, said he’s “pleased with the concept” of Scarnati’s legislation, but he’s worried by the zoning language, especially if municipalities would lose revenue for simply passing restrictions that are tighter than the statewide standard. “If you start deferring those things to Harrisburg in these one size fits all solutions, and you do it for the gas industry, what’s next?” he asked. “Is Harrisburg going to start making zoning determinations for trailer parks or for adult book stores or for other things they don’t want the locals to handle? We’re the last line of defense for our residents in preserving and protecting the quality of life that they’ve come to expect. So we ought to have the ability to control those things.”
Showing posts with label Joseph Scarnati. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joseph Scarnati. Show all posts
Monday, May 2, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Reaction to Impact Fee: Not Far Enough...or...Too Far
Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati may feel like he just can’t win. In the hours after he introduced a natural gas drilling impact fee in Pennsylvania – a plan that would assess a base levy of $10,000 against every Marcellus Shale well in the state – he’s been pounded by criticism and lukewarm reaction from both sides of the aisle.
House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody of Allegheny County released a statement calling the fee a “weak alternative” to a broader severance tax. “The huge corporations that will make billions of dollars by taking gas out of Pennsylvania must pay their fair share,” he argued. “This small impact fee will not achieve that. Right now, those corporations pay nothing. With this impact fee, they would pay only a small fraction of what they should.” Democratic Senator Jim Ferlo of Pittsburgh, an outspoken opponent of drilling who’s pushing for a statewide hydraulic fracturing moratorium, was equally critical. “There is evidence that the gas drilling industry will leave scars on the Pennsylvania landscape that will place a cost on state government and all Pennsylvania taxpayers,” he said in a statement. “A severance tax is uniform and fair, and is not unreasonable when you compare it to our competitor states. We should enact a severance tax now to make sure that we are not making our taxpayers pay for the impacts of the drilling industry.”
Environmental advocates are also cold on the idea. Myron Arnowitt of Clean Water Action didn’t like the fact the fee puts money into conservation districts, rather than the Growing Greener program. “There’s also no resources that will be available to the Department of Environmental Protection from this proposal. DEP has had their budget cut every year, and they are the agency that gets to oversee and make sure we don’t have negative impacts from Marcellus Shale drilling.”
Scarnati preemptively addressed these concerns during his initial conference call, pointing out a fee directing money to DEP – whose budget is located in state’s the state’s General Fund – would be vetoed by Governor Corbett. “Those that continue to talk about, we want a severance tax – a true statewide severance tax – I think they are forgetting the reality that we have a governor who has for a year said publically and privately he will veto a tax,” he said. “I don’t think that there’s any merit in either legislative body to be pushing ahead with a severance tax, and delaying this for well over another year.”
And while environmentalists and Democrats think his plan is too small, House Republicans are indicating it’s too large. House GOP spokesman Steve Miskin reacted to the idea: “Does our caucus support it, in that it has 102 Republican votes? No, it does not. But since, looking at where the money is spent, it is clearly not tied to the budget whatsoever. So it is an interesting proposal worthy of further staff evaluation.” If you’re not fluent in legislative-speak, when spokesmen say something like, “we’ll evaluate it” or “we’ll take a look at it,” they probably aren’t too inclined to call the measure to a vote.
Even Scarnati’s partner, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, was lukewarm on the fee, which would not provide funding to counties where drilling isn’t taking place. “My view is that the entire commonwealth needs to benefit from an extraction tax, regardless of whether or not communities have wells or pipelines in their own area,” he said during a brief phone interview.
Where does Corbett stand on the issue? His spokesman, Kevin Harley, told the Post-Gazette, “[the proposal] starts a conversation. The governor is obviously awaiting the findings of the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, who is looking at ways to grow the natural gas industry in an economically and environmentally responsible way and one of the things that they will be looking at is an impact fee.” In other words, we’ll get back to you. Scarnati, however, told reporters that when he and Corbett had lunch together this week, the governor effectively gave the measure a “yellow light.”
Grumblings aside, the reality is that of all the fees and taxes proposed, this new measure is the most likely to end up on Corbett’s desk. As one of the Senate’s top Republicans, Scarnati has the power to bring it to a floor vote. His statement that “it ain’t going to be easy” to pass a budget without also passing the fee shows he’s serious about making the bill a priority during the upcoming budget season, when most legislation gets passed into law. While hard-line liberals like Ferlo may vote against it, Democrats representing districts dotted with drilling rigs will likely vote yes. That would probably offset the “no” votes from conservative Republicans who think the measure goes too far.
The fee’s House fate seems a bit murkier. Majority Leader Mike Turzai is very conservative, especially on fiscal issues. He and a good chunk of GOP lawmakers are inclined to oppose any sort of tax or fee increase, no matter where it goes. That being said, public support for a severance tax or fee continues to grow – this week’s Quinnipiac University poll showed 69 percent of Pennsylvanians are in favor of the idea. Moderate Republicans in suburban districts will likely support the fee for that reason. So, in the House, passage could come down to whether Democrats agree with Scarnati’s assessment that this fee is the best they’re going to get, or whether they’ll vote “no” in a philosophical show of support for a broader tax.
House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody of Allegheny County released a statement calling the fee a “weak alternative” to a broader severance tax. “The huge corporations that will make billions of dollars by taking gas out of Pennsylvania must pay their fair share,” he argued. “This small impact fee will not achieve that. Right now, those corporations pay nothing. With this impact fee, they would pay only a small fraction of what they should.” Democratic Senator Jim Ferlo of Pittsburgh, an outspoken opponent of drilling who’s pushing for a statewide hydraulic fracturing moratorium, was equally critical. “There is evidence that the gas drilling industry will leave scars on the Pennsylvania landscape that will place a cost on state government and all Pennsylvania taxpayers,” he said in a statement. “A severance tax is uniform and fair, and is not unreasonable when you compare it to our competitor states. We should enact a severance tax now to make sure that we are not making our taxpayers pay for the impacts of the drilling industry.”
Environmental advocates are also cold on the idea. Myron Arnowitt of Clean Water Action didn’t like the fact the fee puts money into conservation districts, rather than the Growing Greener program. “There’s also no resources that will be available to the Department of Environmental Protection from this proposal. DEP has had their budget cut every year, and they are the agency that gets to oversee and make sure we don’t have negative impacts from Marcellus Shale drilling.”
Scarnati preemptively addressed these concerns during his initial conference call, pointing out a fee directing money to DEP – whose budget is located in state’s the state’s General Fund – would be vetoed by Governor Corbett. “Those that continue to talk about, we want a severance tax – a true statewide severance tax – I think they are forgetting the reality that we have a governor who has for a year said publically and privately he will veto a tax,” he said. “I don’t think that there’s any merit in either legislative body to be pushing ahead with a severance tax, and delaying this for well over another year.”
And while environmentalists and Democrats think his plan is too small, House Republicans are indicating it’s too large. House GOP spokesman Steve Miskin reacted to the idea: “Does our caucus support it, in that it has 102 Republican votes? No, it does not. But since, looking at where the money is spent, it is clearly not tied to the budget whatsoever. So it is an interesting proposal worthy of further staff evaluation.” If you’re not fluent in legislative-speak, when spokesmen say something like, “we’ll evaluate it” or “we’ll take a look at it,” they probably aren’t too inclined to call the measure to a vote.
Even Scarnati’s partner, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, was lukewarm on the fee, which would not provide funding to counties where drilling isn’t taking place. “My view is that the entire commonwealth needs to benefit from an extraction tax, regardless of whether or not communities have wells or pipelines in their own area,” he said during a brief phone interview.
Where does Corbett stand on the issue? His spokesman, Kevin Harley, told the Post-Gazette, “[the proposal] starts a conversation. The governor is obviously awaiting the findings of the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, who is looking at ways to grow the natural gas industry in an economically and environmentally responsible way and one of the things that they will be looking at is an impact fee.” In other words, we’ll get back to you. Scarnati, however, told reporters that when he and Corbett had lunch together this week, the governor effectively gave the measure a “yellow light.”
Grumblings aside, the reality is that of all the fees and taxes proposed, this new measure is the most likely to end up on Corbett’s desk. As one of the Senate’s top Republicans, Scarnati has the power to bring it to a floor vote. His statement that “it ain’t going to be easy” to pass a budget without also passing the fee shows he’s serious about making the bill a priority during the upcoming budget season, when most legislation gets passed into law. While hard-line liberals like Ferlo may vote against it, Democrats representing districts dotted with drilling rigs will likely vote yes. That would probably offset the “no” votes from conservative Republicans who think the measure goes too far.
The fee’s House fate seems a bit murkier. Majority Leader Mike Turzai is very conservative, especially on fiscal issues. He and a good chunk of GOP lawmakers are inclined to oppose any sort of tax or fee increase, no matter where it goes. That being said, public support for a severance tax or fee continues to grow – this week’s Quinnipiac University poll showed 69 percent of Pennsylvanians are in favor of the idea. Moderate Republicans in suburban districts will likely support the fee for that reason. So, in the House, passage could come down to whether Democrats agree with Scarnati’s assessment that this fee is the best they’re going to get, or whether they’ll vote “no” in a philosophical show of support for a broader tax.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Environmental Group Not Impressed With Impact Fee
Senate Republicans' Marcellus Shale drilling impact fee proposal has moved closer to reality but it's not formal legislation just yet.
The bill itself won't be introduced until next week. But Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati has unveiled the outlines of his plan, which would assess a $10,000 annual base fee on every Marcellus Shale well in Pennsylvania. The plan includes multipliers based on production and gas prices, which could increase the levy to more than $20,000 or $30,000 for some wells.
Scarnati's proposal would send more than half of the revenue to counties and townships where drilling is taking place. The rest would go to environmental conservation districts, and to fund environmental cleanup and infrastructure repair projects. Of the money designated for local governments, 36 percent would head to counties hosting Marcellus wells; 37 percent would go to municipalities where drilling is taking place; and 27 percent would be designated for municipalities having no producing sites but located in counties with producing unconventional gas wells.
"This is not a giveaway," said Scarnati. "Even the conservative numbers that we use are well above the estimated severance tax from last year's [Senate Republican severance tax] model."
A spreadsheet distributed by Scarnati's office estimates $121 million in 2011 and retroactive 2010 collections, and $103 in 2012 revenue.
Scarnati is hoping for an early June Senate vote, and passage of the law alongside this year's state budget.
"I cannot see how we can get the budget process done, with all the cuts that are occurring on so many lines, without addressing an impact fee for this industry," he said. "It's not going to solve our budget problem. Not by any sense. But the political pressures that are on legislators because of the cuts starts connecting dots."
Under Scarnati's proposal, the Public Utility Commission would collect and distribute the fee money. That, in his mind, works around Governor Corbett's demand that fee revenue stay out of Pennsylvania's General Fund.
Jan Jarrett of PennFuture isn't too impressed with Scarnati's plan, at first glance. "We need a robust and broad-based tax on the drillers that will protect the local communities, provide funding for environmental cleanup and protection, and benefit all Pennsylvanians for the loss of our natural resources. Senator Scarnati's plan unfortunately fails to provide vitally necessary environmental protection funding, and does little to benefit the average Pennsylvania taxpayer," she said in an emailed statement.
Anticipating criticism, Scarnati said hopes for a broader tax are unrealistic, given the fact Corbett has promised to veto any tax increase. "Those who have been clamoring for a severance tax or impact fee on the issue of issue of the environment, they should be very supportive in fact that we are putting dollars into real cleanup programs. "
Katherine Klaber, the president and executive director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, issued the following statement on the proposal: "Our industry understands that, while there are tremendous financial opportunities in Marcellus Shale development, there also can be impacts felt by our host communities. Policy decisions made at the state and local levels of government most certainly have an effect on job creation and the investment of capital needed to develop and maximize the benefits of clean-burning natural gas from the Marcellus. Pennsylvania has the opportunity to create a sustained and highly-competitive environment for growth of this productive industry, with all of the associated benefits for its residents. In order to meet this goal together, any local impact fee on Marcellus production must be clear, straightforward, and competitive. We are open to discussing with the governor's Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, and all legislators, proposals that focus on strengthening our partnership with municipal governments, while providing funds to local communities."
The bill itself won't be introduced until next week. But Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati has unveiled the outlines of his plan, which would assess a $10,000 annual base fee on every Marcellus Shale well in Pennsylvania. The plan includes multipliers based on production and gas prices, which could increase the levy to more than $20,000 or $30,000 for some wells.
Scarnati's proposal would send more than half of the revenue to counties and townships where drilling is taking place. The rest would go to environmental conservation districts, and to fund environmental cleanup and infrastructure repair projects. Of the money designated for local governments, 36 percent would head to counties hosting Marcellus wells; 37 percent would go to municipalities where drilling is taking place; and 27 percent would be designated for municipalities having no producing sites but located in counties with producing unconventional gas wells.
"This is not a giveaway," said Scarnati. "Even the conservative numbers that we use are well above the estimated severance tax from last year's [Senate Republican severance tax] model."
A spreadsheet distributed by Scarnati's office estimates $121 million in 2011 and retroactive 2010 collections, and $103 in 2012 revenue.
Scarnati is hoping for an early June Senate vote, and passage of the law alongside this year's state budget.
"I cannot see how we can get the budget process done, with all the cuts that are occurring on so many lines, without addressing an impact fee for this industry," he said. "It's not going to solve our budget problem. Not by any sense. But the political pressures that are on legislators because of the cuts starts connecting dots."
Under Scarnati's proposal, the Public Utility Commission would collect and distribute the fee money. That, in his mind, works around Governor Corbett's demand that fee revenue stay out of Pennsylvania's General Fund.
Jan Jarrett of PennFuture isn't too impressed with Scarnati's plan, at first glance. "We need a robust and broad-based tax on the drillers that will protect the local communities, provide funding for environmental cleanup and protection, and benefit all Pennsylvanians for the loss of our natural resources. Senator Scarnati's plan unfortunately fails to provide vitally necessary environmental protection funding, and does little to benefit the average Pennsylvania taxpayer," she said in an emailed statement.
Anticipating criticism, Scarnati said hopes for a broader tax are unrealistic, given the fact Corbett has promised to veto any tax increase. "Those who have been clamoring for a severance tax or impact fee on the issue of issue of the environment, they should be very supportive in fact that we are putting dollars into real cleanup programs. "
Katherine Klaber, the president and executive director of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, issued the following statement on the proposal: "Our industry understands that, while there are tremendous financial opportunities in Marcellus Shale development, there also can be impacts felt by our host communities. Policy decisions made at the state and local levels of government most certainly have an effect on job creation and the investment of capital needed to develop and maximize the benefits of clean-burning natural gas from the Marcellus. Pennsylvania has the opportunity to create a sustained and highly-competitive environment for growth of this productive industry, with all of the associated benefits for its residents. In order to meet this goal together, any local impact fee on Marcellus production must be clear, straightforward, and competitive. We are open to discussing with the governor's Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, and all legislators, proposals that focus on strengthening our partnership with municipal governments, while providing funds to local communities."
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
"Broad Parameters" of Impact Fee Not Specific Bill
State Senate Republicans will unveil their plan for a natural gas drilling impact fee in Pennsylvania on Thursday, but the proposal is far from complete.
Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati said he'll release an outline of an impact fee but not an actual bill -- on a Thursday morning conference call.
"It will be, the broad parameters of what we're looking at, and certainly trying to answer as many specific answers as we can. We're obviously putting it out for feedback. It's not a bill. It's a proposal and a concept at this point. Why not introduce the bill itself this week? The purpose of it is, basically, to get input and feedback before we put it in bill form. A lot of moving parts to it," Scarnati reasoned.
The fee would reimburse local governments for increased services and infrastructure repairs caused by natural gas drilling. Senate Republicans also want the fee to fund environmental cleanup efforts, even though Governor Corbett is leery of anything beyond impact payments to municipalities and counties.
The bill may not win support of environmentally-friendly Democrats, despite the fact the broader severance tax they'd prefer will likely never come to a vote in the Republican-controlled House or Senate.
"No," said Allegheny County Senator Jim Ferlo, when asked whether he would vote for an impact fee. "Because the issue, it should be some level of statewide uniformity. The state should be collecting it. The industry should have a common obligation or responsibility across the state. Our proposal is that it be a statewide, uniform collection. And it has to be something greater than the minimal, minimalist approach that Senator Scarnati and others have."
Scarnati is hoping to pass the bill alongside the state budget in May or June.
Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati said he'll release an outline of an impact fee but not an actual bill -- on a Thursday morning conference call.
"It will be, the broad parameters of what we're looking at, and certainly trying to answer as many specific answers as we can. We're obviously putting it out for feedback. It's not a bill. It's a proposal and a concept at this point. Why not introduce the bill itself this week? The purpose of it is, basically, to get input and feedback before we put it in bill form. A lot of moving parts to it," Scarnati reasoned.
The fee would reimburse local governments for increased services and infrastructure repairs caused by natural gas drilling. Senate Republicans also want the fee to fund environmental cleanup efforts, even though Governor Corbett is leery of anything beyond impact payments to municipalities and counties.
The bill may not win support of environmentally-friendly Democrats, despite the fact the broader severance tax they'd prefer will likely never come to a vote in the Republican-controlled House or Senate.
"No," said Allegheny County Senator Jim Ferlo, when asked whether he would vote for an impact fee. "Because the issue, it should be some level of statewide uniformity. The state should be collecting it. The industry should have a common obligation or responsibility across the state. Our proposal is that it be a statewide, uniform collection. And it has to be something greater than the minimal, minimalist approach that Senator Scarnati and others have."
Scarnati is hoping to pass the bill alongside the state budget in May or June.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Counties' Officials Want Flexibility With Impact Fee
Republicans in the Pennsylvania Senate are hoping to introduce its natural gas drilling impact fee by the end of the week.
Drew Crompton, the chief of staff for Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati, said the caucus is drafting the bill from scratch, rather than re-writing last year's severance tax proposals.
"That requires significant data runs and analysis, as it relates to the number of wells, the number of active wells, the number of permitted wells across the Commonwealth. So that work, as well as the legislative drafting work, has been ongoing for weeks. We hope we have a product by the end of the week."
It's not clear how Senate Republicans would assess the fee. The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania is calling for a flat levy for each wellhead. The group's executive director, Doug Hill, said county officials should be given flexibility on how to use the revenue, arguing drilling's impact goes far beyond infrastructure wear and tear.
"Counties are dealing with things like increasing the planning requirements for our emergency management systems. Doing addressing, so we can respond properly if there is an emergency at one of the sites. Even doing exercises so we can properly train our county staff and our volunteers to do those responses. We've also seen impacts on things as diverse as land use, records management, human services, even some touches on the criminal justice system."
Governor Corbett has said he's open to an impact fee, but wants to wait for input from his Marcellus Shale Commission before moving forward. He stayed vague on Monday, when asked about the Senate GOP's new timeline.
"Obviously whenever they introduce legislation, we always take a look to see what the legislation is. I think the first question is, what is an impact? Is it more than just the trucks? Which I think it is more than just the trucks. And where the money would go."
Drew Crompton, the chief of staff for Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati, said the caucus is drafting the bill from scratch, rather than re-writing last year's severance tax proposals.
"That requires significant data runs and analysis, as it relates to the number of wells, the number of active wells, the number of permitted wells across the Commonwealth. So that work, as well as the legislative drafting work, has been ongoing for weeks. We hope we have a product by the end of the week."
It's not clear how Senate Republicans would assess the fee. The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania is calling for a flat levy for each wellhead. The group's executive director, Doug Hill, said county officials should be given flexibility on how to use the revenue, arguing drilling's impact goes far beyond infrastructure wear and tear.
"Counties are dealing with things like increasing the planning requirements for our emergency management systems. Doing addressing, so we can respond properly if there is an emergency at one of the sites. Even doing exercises so we can properly train our county staff and our volunteers to do those responses. We've also seen impacts on things as diverse as land use, records management, human services, even some touches on the criminal justice system."
Governor Corbett has said he's open to an impact fee, but wants to wait for input from his Marcellus Shale Commission before moving forward. He stayed vague on Monday, when asked about the Senate GOP's new timeline.
"Obviously whenever they introduce legislation, we always take a look to see what the legislation is. I think the first question is, what is an impact? Is it more than just the trucks? Which I think it is more than just the trucks. And where the money would go."
Thursday, June 24, 2010
McCall: Next 24 Hours Critical for On-Time Budget
With a week to go before Pennsylvania’s state budget deadline, legislative leaders are holding several rounds of negotiations a day.
House Democrats have presented a 28.2 billion dollar spending plan to their Republican counterparts.
Their budget would include a 300 million dollar increase in basic education spending, which is 54 million dollars below Governor Rendell’s initial proposal.
Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati says Senate Republicans are backing a smaller budget.
"We certainly are in the basement of the number of spend – the 27.5. That’s not saying we can’t move that number somewhat, but we certainly are a world away from 29 billion, where the governor started."
House Speaker Keith McCall says the “next 24 hours are critical,” if legislators want to get a budget to Rendell by June 30.
"We don’t have an agreement on a particular number at this point. We’re going through the exercise of the macro of what the balance sheet would look like. They have a number, we have a number, and then the line items. And that’s the exercise we’re going through right now by putting together a budget line item by line item. When we have all that detail, when we have agreement on that, then we can take it to the caucus."
Leaders met three times yesterday including once with Governor Rendell.
Today they’ll present line item specifics of the Democratic and Republican spending plans to Governor Rendell.
House Democrats have presented a 28.2 billion dollar spending plan to their Republican counterparts.
Their budget would include a 300 million dollar increase in basic education spending, which is 54 million dollars below Governor Rendell’s initial proposal.
Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati says Senate Republicans are backing a smaller budget.
"We certainly are in the basement of the number of spend – the 27.5. That’s not saying we can’t move that number somewhat, but we certainly are a world away from 29 billion, where the governor started."
House Speaker Keith McCall says the “next 24 hours are critical,” if legislators want to get a budget to Rendell by June 30.
"We don’t have an agreement on a particular number at this point. We’re going through the exercise of the macro of what the balance sheet would look like. They have a number, we have a number, and then the line items. And that’s the exercise we’re going through right now by putting together a budget line item by line item. When we have all that detail, when we have agreement on that, then we can take it to the caucus."
Leaders met three times yesterday including once with Governor Rendell.
Today they’ll present line item specifics of the Democratic and Republican spending plans to Governor Rendell.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Legislative Leaders Still Hoping For On-Time Budget
Legislative leaders will sit down with Governor Ed Rendell again this afternoon, as they continue to negotiate the details of next year’s budget for Pennsylvania.
The June 30th budget deadline is a bit more than a week away, and leaders from both parties insist that unlike last year, they’re doing everything they can to pass a spending plan beforehand.
Senate and House leaders met twice yesterday.
House Speaker Keith McCall says leaders haven’t agreed on a spending number yet.
"We really haven’t worked all those numbers out at this point. That’s still a matter of what we’re trying to reconcile right now."
Joe Scarnati, the top Republican in the Senate, says talks have been productive.
"We don’t have anybody drawing lines in the sand, arbitrary statements that it has to be this way or it’s not going to happen. And I think that’s very encouraging."
Scarnati says Republicans are opposing any tax hike, and says he’s “encouraged” the House has not been able to pass a revenue plan featuring increased tobacco taxes and a natural gas levy.
He warns Senate Republicans will oppose a spending plan that includes 850 million dollars in increased federal medical assistance, if Congress still hasn’t passed the FMAP extension by the time the budget is voted on.
The June 30th budget deadline is a bit more than a week away, and leaders from both parties insist that unlike last year, they’re doing everything they can to pass a spending plan beforehand.
Senate and House leaders met twice yesterday.
House Speaker Keith McCall says leaders haven’t agreed on a spending number yet.
"We really haven’t worked all those numbers out at this point. That’s still a matter of what we’re trying to reconcile right now."
Joe Scarnati, the top Republican in the Senate, says talks have been productive.
"We don’t have anybody drawing lines in the sand, arbitrary statements that it has to be this way or it’s not going to happen. And I think that’s very encouraging."
Scarnati says Republicans are opposing any tax hike, and says he’s “encouraged” the House has not been able to pass a revenue plan featuring increased tobacco taxes and a natural gas levy.
He warns Senate Republicans will oppose a spending plan that includes 850 million dollars in increased federal medical assistance, if Congress still hasn’t passed the FMAP extension by the time the budget is voted on.
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