After 135 days, Pennsylvania finally has a state budget for fiscal year 2025-26.
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed into law a $50.1 billion spending bill on Tuesday, after the Democratic-controlled State House and the Republican-majority State Senate both agreed to the plan.
The House passed the measure by a 156-47 vote, while the Senate did the same by a 40-9 count.
“Pennsylvania is on the rise, and this budget continues our progress, solving problems that Harrisburg has ignored for years, creating more opportunity for our students, workers, and businesses, and putting the Commonwealth on a path to sustained growth,” said Shapiro.
“In a divided legislature, we proved once again that Democrats and Republicans can come together to get stuff done for the good people of Pennsylvania – cutting taxes, investing in education and workforce development, supporting law enforcement and reducing crime, and keeping our economy growing. Since my first day in office, I’ve been focused on solving the most pressing problems we face by bringing people together and getting stuff done – this budget continues that progress and will speed our rise.”
House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-Delaware/Philadelphia) lamented the delay in passing the budget that was due on June 30, saying she was “resolved to secure a budget that reflects our shared values.”
“This budget represents a compromise that invests in many of the programs I’ve championed for our communities,” she said in a statement.
“First, the budget continues Pennsylvania’s commitment to equitable school funding for districts like William Penn and Philadelphia. This plan also provides relief to Pennsylvania families struggling to pay their bills as costs climb under the Trump Administration’s economic policies. Our plan puts Pennsylvanians first by offering working families a ten percent tax credit when filing their state taxes — savings they can use to pay for childcare, food, or any other household expense. Finally, this budget continues to strengthen public safety with an increase for violence prevention grants and by renewing funding for BOOST — or the Building Opportunity through Out of School Time program, and for school safety and security grants.
“While it took too long, I was resolved to secure a budget that reflects our shared values by investing in our schools, families, and communities, and this plan satisfies those conditions.
In an unscientific poll conducted by PoliticsPA, 56 percent of respondents felt that Senate Republicans were most at fault for the delay in finding a resolution to the budget impasse. One in seven (fourteen percent) placed blame squarely on House Democrats, while another thirteen percent said both sides were at fault for the delay.
Steve Ulrich is the managing editor of PoliticsPA.
