(File Photo: Source for Photo: Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives attend a session at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Thursday, June 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) The Pennsylvania state budget for this year is due on June 30th, which is a constitutionally mandated deadline the state has not met since 2021. Governor Josh Shapiro’s spending proposal is worth a total of $53.5 billion and was approved by the state House of Representatives in April. However, it is unclear if it will pass on time. It took until November 12th, 2025 to pass last year’s budget even though the deadline was on the last day of June. Shapiro has requested around $4.7 billion from the rainy day fund, also known as the Pennsylvania Budget Stabilization Fund, to balance his spending plan. That savings withdrawal would cover funding increases that are proposed for agencies including corrections, education, human services and the Pennsylvania State Police. Republicans in the General Assembly are arguing that a savings draw would downgrade Pennsylvania’s credit rating and spur future tax hikes.