Pennsylvania lawmakers to return for rare weekend session as budget deal appears close

The Senate will convene Friday and remain through the weekend, while the House will hold a voting session Sunday.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania lawmakers are returning to the Capitol for a rare weekend session as negotiations over the state’s 2026-27 budget appear to be entering their final stages.

Both the Pennsylvania House and Senate announced they will reconvene this weekend in hopes of approving a spending plan just days after the July 1 budget deadline. 

This story continues below.

More in Politics

If lawmakers reach an agreement, the budget would be about two weeks late — a significant improvement over last year’s 135-day stalemate that stretched into November.

The renewed push comes after tensions flared in the Senate last week when Republican leaders adjourned the chamber while budget negotiations were still underway.

The budget is considered a financial lifeline for public schools, county social services and nonprofit organizations, many of which have urged lawmakers to reach an agreement as soon as possible.

State Rep. Justin Fleming (D-Dauphin) said passing a budget sooner rather than later is important to maintaining the Commonwealth’s commitment to increasing public education funding under the court-ordered adequacy formula.

“What we saw last year was absolutely unacceptable, with the budget not being passed into November,” Fleming said. “This is going to be a long-term plan in order to make the gains and the progress that we really want to see. We were given a mandate by the Commonwealth Court to thoroughly and efficiently fund public education, and so I think that absolutely needs to be a part of it.”

While a timely deal is seen as a positive, groups are still pining for what they believe is the right deal.

Nathan Benefield, Chief Policy Officer at the Commonwealth Foundation, said his organization remains concerned about proposed spending increases and the state’s long-term financial outlook if it overspends and induces an unchecked deficit.

“If that happens, what happens next year?” Benefield said. “Then you need tax increases. So, it really is incumbent on controlling that spending number, protecting our emergency reserves and preventing tax increases.”

Benefield said any budget that relies on the state’s roughly $8 billion rainy day fund or raises taxes should be rejected.

“If it raises taxes or takes from the rainy day fund, that would be a nonstarter, and everyone should vote against,” he said.

Fleming said lawmakers should focus less on partisan disagreements and more on delivering a budget for Pennsylvanians.

“Regular folks don’t really care about the blame game, right?” Fleming said. “I think they just want us to work to get a budget done.”

The House is scheduled to return Saturday evening for an Appropriations Committee meeting at 7 p.m., followed by a voting session Sunday at noon. The Senate is expected to remain in session throughout the weekend as lawmakers work toward finalizing a budget agreement.