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Capitolwire
HARRISBURG -- The question of whether the state should provide millions of dollars to help schools improve security and counties upgrade voting systems is looming ahead of the state budget debate next month.
When Gov. Tom Wolf delivered his budget address for Fiscal Year 2018-19 on Feb. 7, neither subject was on the immediate political horizon.
The Feb. 14 Parkland School shooting in Florida, and nationwide demonstrations that followed, put the school security issue back on the front burner.
Wolf put election security on the map last month, calling for Pennsylvania's 67 counties to replace their electronic voting systems with machines that have a verifiable paper trail by the end of 2019. Adhering to that schedule would have the new machines available for use during the 2020 presidential election.
Pennsylvania's improving fiscal picture could make discussions about providing state aid to local governments easier than in previous years, when significant revenue shortfalls shaped the budget debate. State tax revenue is meeting projections so far thanks to strong wage growth.
However, even if tax collections come in as expected this month and next, lawmakers could still face as much as a $200 million shortfall in anticipated revenue due to federal litigation preventing a $200 million transfer to the General Fund from the Pennsylvania Professional Liability Joint Underwriting Association, according to a recent revenue estimate issued the state Independent Fiscal Office.
Lawmakers said they aren't taking anything for granted and want to wait and see what the May and June revenue reports bring.
House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana, said recently that lawmakers will leave resolution of the budget until the end of June so as not to be blindsided by an unanticipated late revenue shortfall.
"It's tough to do a really early budget because you don't want the bottom to go out underneath you in the last month or so," Reed said.