Pa. only state without a budget

HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania will soon be the only state without a budget.

Connecticut also had lacked spending authority since July 1, but its Democrat-led General Assembly has approved a $37.6 billion budget that is scheduled to take effect Sunday.

Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Tuesday she will let the budget to become law without her signature, but vowed to veto more than $8 million in what she called pork-barrel projects.

In Pennsylvania, a House-Senate conference committee on the budget met Tuesday for the first time in more than a month. But the conferees made little progress toward settling a stalemate over taxes between Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell and Republicans who control the Senate.

Pennsylvania’s state government is operating on a partial budget that pays state workers and maintains limited programs.