Editorial: Reconcile with PA Legislature, relieve Pennsylvanians

Gov. Tom Wolf called the Pennsylvania budget deficit a “ticking time bomb,” but he isn’t treating it like one.

Wolf spoke in front of lawmakers in Harrisburg on Tuesday about his new budget proposal for 2016-2017, despite never reaching a deal on the previous year’s budget. He blamed the record-long state budget gridlock on the Republican-controlled legislature that has fought against his tax-imbued budget for more than seven months.

While the reluctance on the legislature’s part to pass this budget is certainly hindering progress, our governor is the one who needs to step up and reclaim control, or else we’re going to pay for it — more than we already have.

The long-overdue budget that has stalled has loomed over Pennsylvania long enough that many of Pennsylvania’s schools, health care centers and nonprofit organizations have had to dip into savings, take out loans, lay off employees — and even close their doors.

West of Pittsburgh, Burgettstown Area School District is just one of the many districts that has had to take out loans to keep its schools open for the first two months of 2016.  Public universities — including Pitt — have also had to dip into their reserves because of the lack of state funding. While Wolf’s budget calls for a 5 percent increase in education spending, we need an immediate resolution to the state’s budget impasse.

Although Pitt initially waited for the state to pass a budget before planning the University’s budget, the Board of Trustees has since decided to move forward with the assumption that the University would receive a similar amount of funding as it did last year, which Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said was risky.  He addressed the continuing state education budget on Jan. 20, and said by continuing University operations without state funding, we are “eroding our long-term financial health.”

Human service providers that rely heavily on state funding have been hit the hardest. According to PennLive, Meals on Wheels of Northeastern PA has had to decrease staff hours, reduce salaries, delay bill payments and take out loans in order to continue helping those in need. Foster care services have had trouble remaining afloat because they don’t have money to pay for reimbursements and salaries for foster parents and employees.

Nursing homes also continue to face serious challenges. According to Russ McDaid, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association in a statement Tuesday, Pennsylvania’s nursing homes lose about $8,500 annually for each Medicaid resident in their care during the impasse, and two-thirds of all nursing homes rely on Medicaid. Not only is this monetary loss unsustainable, but it puts additional financial stress on homes whose jobs are to provide quality care for their residents.

Domestic violence and rape programs are also at risk, many having to rely on credit to pay their bills in order to keep serving victims. The leaders of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence urged the governor and legislature in a statement Tuesday to resolve their differences, warning that services to victims of rape and domestic violence hang in the balance.

The people and organizations providing services to those in need of care shouldn’t have to stop and risk lives because of the lethargic performance in Harrisburg.

In order to ensure no student, rape victim, foster child or hungry person is deprived of the support they need, Wolf needs to convene with Pennsylvania legislatures and agree to a budget.

It’s time to set aside partisanship and compromise for the sake of Pennsylvanians.