A photo of the Capitol Main Rotunda from July 9, 2026. Budget negotiations, which stalled after the June 30 deadline, are likely to resume this weekend. (Photo: Whitney Downard/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
After a relatively peaceful week in Harrisburg, state lawmakers appear ready to return to the Capitol this weekend for budget negotiations.
Republican senators have said they will not return to the capital until “final budget language is ready” and have not yet posted a schedule on the website Calendar of the General Meeting since Thursday afternoon. However, senators have scheduled an Appropriations Committee hearing for Friday “from the floor,” meaning they will have to convene as a chamber to make it official.
Neither Republicans nor Democrats have publicly shared their plans for the weekend or whether they intend to complete the delayed budget.
A rainy day funding debate ensues as the budget deadline looms over lawmakers
The House approved Gov. Josh Shapiro’s $53.2 billion spending plan in April’s bipartisan votealthough Republicans in both chambers criticized the proposal of financial commitments that exceeded the state’s capabilities.
To finance the increases, Shapiro proposed $2 billion in taxes on arcade games – which has now happened declared illegal by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court – and recreational marijuana. The latter is not an option for conservative budget makers, but the court’s ruling means lawmakers must act within the next three months to legalize gaming devices.
Once the final package is approved by the Senate – which, under Senate rules, cannot happen until Saturday – it returns to the House for further approval. It must pass through that body’s Appropriations Committee, which is scheduled to meet Saturday at 19:00.
The Full House is scheduled to convene on Sunday, July 12, at noon.
The budget was scheduled to be passed on June 30, which means this is it fifth consecutive behind schedule budget. Negotiations on last year’s $50.1 billion budget were completed 135 days delay.
