For Immediate Release
7/03/07

CONTACT:

Erik Arneson
(717) 787-4712

Senate Authorizes Budget Conference Committee;
Announces Budget-Related Public Hearings

HARRISBURG – Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware) today announced that the Senate has authorized the formation of a Conference Committee to consider House Bill 1268, the 2007-08 state budget.

"The state budget should be our only focus until our work is completed," Sen. Pileggi said. "We are hopeful that the conference committee will be convened immediately so that we can forward without any further delay."

Because the legislation is a House Bill, the conference committee can only be convened by the House. Sen. Pileggi and Senate Appropriations Chairman Gib Armstrong (R-Lancaster) will be the conferees for Senate Republicans.

Also today, Sen. Pileggi announced two public hearings scheduled for later this week. "These hearings are designed to give the public better insight into some key elements of the state budget which have been in the news recently," Pileggi said.

On Thursday, the Senate Community, Economic & Recreational Development Committee will hear testimony regarding the impact a delayed budget could have on casinos. Some reports indicate casinos will be forced to shut down, reducing the amount of money available for property tax reduction. Informal inquiries have resulted in conflicting information.

Until very recently, Senate Republicans believed that a state budget would be completed by the constitutional deadline of June 30, avoiding this issue. House Bill 1287, which would fund the Gaming Control Board and other agencies involved in gaming oversight, awaits action in the House.

On Friday, the Senate Appropriations Committee will look into the recent revelation that the Department of Public Welfare could owe up to $800 million for repayment to the federal government for improper Title IV(E) documentation. This revelation was first made public on June 29 in an article in the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

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