Pa. lawmakers return to Capitol to hash out budget

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania lawmakers are returning to the Capitol with two weeks left in the fiscal year amid closed-door work on a $29.4 billion budget plan whose deficit seems to grow by the day.

House Rep. Daryl Metcalfe quipped today that everybody in the building is wondering what’s going on.

Meanwhile, Gov. Tom Corbett is keeping a low profile and isn’t saying how he wants the problem solved. He has, however, suggested he’ll hold up a budget until the Republican-controlled Legislature passes acceptable legislation to overhaul the state’s public employee pension systems.

The big problem is this: Weak tax collections have left a shortfall of about $1.2 billion in Corbett’s original budget proposal. Other problems include teetering assumptions in Corbett’s budget that have widened the potential hole to nearly $2 billion.