Without an approved revenue package, the state\u2019s already wobbly credit rating is in jeopardy of taking further beating.<\/p>\n
The so-called \u201cTaxpayer\u2019s Budget\u201d that the House revised to include the possibility of gambling expansion plans to plug the state\u2019s deficit without raising any taxes. Instead, it proposes shuffling about $630 million from existing special state funds dedicated to things such as transportation, infrastructure, and environmental clean-ups to fill different budget gaps.<\/p>\n
The proposal was roundly criticized by Democrats and Gov. Tom Wolf, who has said that some of money cited in the plan \u201cdoes not really exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
These opponents say it\u2019s unwise to increase spending by $700 million, as called for in a $32 billion budget passed by the House in June, without creating new ongoing revenue streams to balance it.<\/p>\n
“Even if you had $1.5 billion in [special] fund balances, you still don’t have $700 million to pay for the recurring expenses,” Rep. Bryan Barbin said to Penn Live on Wednesday.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Gambling\u2019s $200 Million Glimmer<\/h2>\n
The only new revenue stream suggested in the deal was the expansion of legalized gambling. That’s credited for raising $200 million per year, even though it’s not yet clear which specific types of new gambling would generate that amount.<\/p>\n
Still, this is pretty much the only point of agreement between the Senate and the House. The Senate passed their budget plan in July, and also included $200 million from gambling expansion.<\/p>\n
\n
Both chambers have seemed broadly supportive of regulating online gambling, but there is a large contingent in the House that also advocates for the authorization of video gaming terminals (VGTs) in bars and restaurants, a cause for which there is little support in the Senate.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\nOnce both chambers can reconcile their differences to agree on a budget plan, a gaming expansion bill will need to be voted on separately, and VGTs are likely to prove a sticking point.<\/p>\n
Late last year, the House passed a wide-ranging gambling expansion package that would have authorized VGTs in airports and bars and legalized online gambling, online lottery and DFS, but the bill fizzled out in the Senate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pennsylvania\u2019s Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a long-awaited budget plan on Wednesday night, and gambling expansion, having been left out of earlier drafts, is now part of the deal. However, this doesn’t mean online gambling legalization is a certainty. The provision adding it to the House budget plan doesn’t specify which of several gambling possibilities […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":58584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,10,19,13,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Pennsylvania House Adds Gambling to Controversial Budget Plan<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n