$32.7B Spending Plan Heads To Pennsylvania Governor's Desk

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The main appropriations bill in a $32.7 billion spending package for Pennsylvania's approaching fiscal year is heading to Gov. Tom Wolf's desk, more than a week early.

The Senate voted 47-2 on Friday, three days after first details of the no-new-taxes package were unveiled. The bill passed the House overwhelmingly Wednesday and Wolf supports it after negotiating it with Republican majority leaders.

The package boosts spending through the state's main operating account by $700 million, or 2 percent, largely for schools, social services, pensions and prisons. However, critics say it masks the true spending increase by sending roughly $900 million in Medicaid costs off-budget.

Hundreds of pages of budget-related bills are pending, including guidelines for a new $60 million off-budget school-safety grant program.

The new fiscal year begins July 1.

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