Tuesday, July 17 2007
(The proposed PA tobacco Tax is off the table - for now. Read this article by Christina Gostomski and John L. Micek in The Morning Call.)
HARRISBURG - The first state government shutdown in recent memory ended Tuesday as employees returned to work and lawmakers began fine-tuning details of the $27 billion budget.
Lawmakers broke the logjam with compromises and delaying tactics, putting off until later a number of issues. Final votes on the main accord are expected Saturday.
''It's hard to say that it was one moment, per se,'' Gov. Ed Rendell said when asked what resolved the impasse. A 11/2-hour meeting Sunday with Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, helped reach ''an understanding on both sides that this was possible,'' he said.
Continue reading Rendell: Both sides blinked on budget
