HARRISBURG (AP) – The Keystone State has enacted a no new taxes $50 billion spending package to end a four-month budget stalemate that held up billions for public schools and social services. Gov. Josh Shapiro signed key budget bills on Wednesday. Under the budget deal, new authorized spending would rise by about $2.4 billion, or 5%. To seal a deal with Republicans, Democrats abandoned a regulation that could have forced power plant owners pay for their greenhouse gas emissions by becoming part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative or RGGI. The deal delivers new funds to public schools, as Democrats sought, and an earned income tax credit for lower earners. School districts and social services providers have gone without state aid since July 1, when the state lost some spending authority without a budget in force.
