A perfect storm of grievances sunk the final remaining piece of the state budget Thursday evening, as the House voted down the School Code bill over what Democrats called broken promises, while Republicans expressed concern over a provision to alter the compulsory school.

By a vote of 77-121, a bipartisan group of lawmakers voted against the bill, which was unveiled in the Senate late last night.

The House voted Tuesday to approve a $33.9 billion spending bill for the 2019-20 fiscal year despite the repeated objections of many Democrats, who pushed to turn the debate towards a raise to the state’s minimum wage.

Citing concerns ranging from eliminating the General Assistance program to the lack of a minimum wage increase to support for public education that didn’t go far enough, all-in-all, 62 members, including seven Republicans, voted not to support the budget. 

The House voted Tuesday to approve the $33.9 billion General Appropriations budget, sending it to the Senate, who are set to follow suit later in the week.

The budget bill is agreed to by both chambers, as well as by Gov. Tom Wolf. But there are still no shortage of loose ends to tie up outside that bill, with lawmakers and the Wolf Administration still in discussions on a range of issues present in the numerous code bills set to be passed in the coming days.

A resolution urging the US Congress to ratify a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada quickly sparked a floor debate Thursday about whether or not to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania.

 

House Democrats took issue with the Republican-backed resolution because the trade deal requires Mexican auto workers make at least $16 per hour for the country to avoid US tariffs.

In an event as bipartisan as they come, House and Senate leaders gathered in the Rotunda Wednesday for the yearly Capitol All Stars Bat Grab, which allows winning captains to select two players of their choice for the annual Capitol All Stars Game in September.

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) and House Minority Leader Frank Dermody (D-Allegheny), captains of the Youse team, selected Rep. Jennifer O’Mara (D-Delaware) and Sen. Scott Martin (R-Lancaster), after Scarnati won the bat grab competition against Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny).