Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Unlike last year, when lawmakers missed the deadline for a new state budget by five months<\/a>, Pennsylvania\u2019s $50.8 billion spending plan<\/a> has been approved by the General Assembly, signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/a>, and is now in place.<\/p>\n But faced with the prospect of another embarrassing budget impasse<\/a> at the expense of state-funded services like schools and libraries, Harrisburg chose another shameful option: They punted.<\/p>\n The Keystone State has a divided legislature. In the Senate, Republicans<\/a> hold 27 seats, while Democrats<\/a> hold 23. In the House, the margin is even closer. Democrats hold 102 out of 201 seats. With the commonwealth this closely divided \u2014 and the state facing evident funding challenges \u2014 bipartisanship should be the order of the day, not political gridlock.<\/p>\n Voters have every right to ask their representatives why they still have not been able to find common ground on addressing such annually recurring budget topics as whether to tax skill games, whether there is a sustainable means to increase public transportation funding, or how to go about raising the state\u2019s minimum wage<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Todd Blanche hasn\u2019t stopped putting Trump ahead of the law. That\u2019s why he can\u2019t be attorney general. | Editorial<\/a><\/p>\n By putting off decisions on those fiscal questions and others, Pennsylvania\u2019s ability to invest in its infrastructure is limited to a narrow range of options that include raising taxes or raiding the Rainy Day Fund. This year\u2019s budget also papers over a potential deficit by \u201crolling over<\/a>\u201d more than $1 billion in Medicaid spending until next year.<\/p>\n One of the biggest ways to generate more revenue for the state would be by taxing and regulating the slot machine-like devices known as games of skill. While many Harrisburg observers felt that a recent state Supreme Court ruling<\/a> classifying these devices as a form of gambling would spur action, legislators chose to do nothing.<\/p>\n Of course, if state leaders were more driven by doing the right thing than by thinking mostly of political convenience, they\u2019d ban the devices<\/a> altogether. But lawmakers can\u2019t even find a way to agree on such basic questions as what rate to tax the machines at, which agency should regulate them, and what priorities should be funded by the money they generate.<\/p>\n Another untapped revenue source is recreational marijuana. While that money comes with legitimate concerns about public health and regulatory conflicts, the reality is that residents of the commonwealth already have access to cannabis products for recreational purposes. The money is just flowing to the black market and across Pennsylvania\u2019s borders into nearby states instead.<\/p>\n Of the six states that share a border with Pennsylvania, only West Virginia continues to ban recreational use, even as the federal government moves forward with easing marijuana restrictions<\/a>. While the bulk of the revenue from recreational marijuana sales should go to the general fund, some should also be reserved for research and prevention. Programs like Alaska\u2019s Marijuana Education and Treatment Fund<\/a> provide a good model. Some of the revenue could also be used to support more youth development programs<\/a>.<\/p>\n The collective \u201cPhilly Shrug\u201d<\/a> by the General Assembly also means another year of uncertainty for SEPTA<\/a>, which has made significant progress in reducing its deficit, increasing paid ridership, and keeping vehicles and stations clean.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Trump\u2019s all-out assault on free and fair elections undermines trust in democracy | Editorial<\/a><\/p>\n The transit agency\u2019s customer satisfaction surveys show record-high results<\/a>, serious crime is down<\/a>, and the agency has saved around $30 million per year in operating costs despite investments in additional police and hundreds of new cleaners. If next year\u2019s budget process fails to adequately fund transit, these efforts will not be enough to forestall the devastating service cuts the region narrowly avoided last fall.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say there\u2019s nothing to celebrate in this budget.<\/p>\n