Legislator Calls For Pay Suspension During Budget Impasse
Cooper proposes legislators’ pay delay if budget is not enacted
July 25, 2023
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Cooper proposes legislators’ pay delay if budget is not enacted
During the current state budget impasse, the governor, lieutenant governor and members of the General Assembly continue to receive paychecks, while counties, school districts, service providers and others do not.
Rep. Jill Cooper (R-Westmoreland) aims to change that in the future.
The first-term representative wants to put Pennsylvania “on a similar footing with some others who depend upon the annual appropriation process, i.e., we do not receive our pay until the budget is enacted.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, state budgets are not all the same. For some states, it’s an annual spending plan approved each year while for others, it’s a biennial budget covering two fiscal years. One thing they all have in common is that they must be balanced by the start of the new fiscal year, which begins July 1 in all but four states (Alabama, Michigan, New York and Texas).
In Illinois and Pennsylvania, court cases have ensured that at least some government services continue, resulting in a partial shutdown. Illinois currently holds the record for the longest budget stalemate. The state failed to enact a budget for FY 2016 or FY 2017, though disruptions were minimal for the average citizen because of court rulings and stopgap funding mechanisms.
Forty-six states began fiscal year 2024 on July 1, 2023. New York begins its fiscal year on April 1, Texas begins its fiscal year on Sept. 1, and Alabama and Michigan begin theirs on Oct.1. As of July 10, 45 states have enacted their FY 2024 budgets. Three of those states enacted a biennial budget during their 2022 legislative session.
Who, along with Pennsylvania, has not enacted a state budget as of July 10? Welcome Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina and Oregon to our club.
Cooper said in her co-sponsorship memoranda that “one of the most important jobs of the General Assembly is annually adopting a budget. When the budget is not enacted in a timely manner, many payments to counties, school districts, service providers and nonprofits, to name a few, are not timely made and many important programs may be interrupted.”
According to the PA Office of the Budget, most payments to vendors or to grantees for programs or expenditures incurred during FY 2023-24 that are authorized through the budget will be delayed until a budget is approved.
Cooper wants to include the compensation of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Members of the General Assembly among those payments delayed during a budget impasse.
During the current state budget impasse, the governor, lieutenant governor and members of the General Assembly continue to receive paychecks, while counties, school districts, service providers and others do not.
Rep. Jill Cooper (R-Westmoreland) aims to change that in the future.
The first-term representative wants to put Pennsylvania “on a similar footing with some others who depend upon the annual appropriation process, i.e., we do not receive our pay until the budget is enacted.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, state budgets are not all the same. For some states, it’s an annual spending plan approved each year while for others, it’s a biennial budget covering two fiscal years. One thing they all have in common is that they must be balanced by the start of the new fiscal year, which begins July 1 in all but four states (Alabama, Michigan, New York and Texas).
In Illinois and Pennsylvania, court cases have ensured that at least some government services continue, resulting in a partial shutdown. Illinois currently holds the record for the longest budget stalemate. The state failed to enact a budget for FY 2016 or FY 2017, though disruptions were minimal for the average citizen because of court rulings and stopgap funding mechanisms.
Forty-six states began fiscal year 2024 on July 1, 2023. New York begins its fiscal year on April 1, Texas begins its fiscal year on Sept. 1, and Alabama and Michigan begin theirs on Oct.1. As of July 10, 45 states have enacted their FY 2024 budgets. Three of those states enacted a biennial budget during their 2022 legislative session.
Who, along with Pennsylvania, has not enacted a state budget as of July 10? Welcome Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina and Oregon to our club.
Cooper said in her co-sponsorship memoranda that “one of the most important jobs of the General Assembly is annually adopting a budget. When the budget is not enacted in a timely manner, many payments to counties, school districts, service providers and nonprofits, to name a few, are not timely made and many important programs may be interrupted.”
According to the PA Office of the Budget, most payments to vendors or to grantees for programs or expenditures incurred during FY 2023-24 that are authorized through the budget will be delayed until a budget is approved.
Cooper wants to include the compensation of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Members of the General Assembly among those payments delayed during a budget impasse.
During the current state budget impasse, the governor, lieutenant governor and members of the General Assembly continue to receive paychecks, while counties, school districts, service providers and others do not.
Rep. Jill Cooper (R-Westmoreland) aims to change that in the future.
The first-term representative wants to put Pennsylvania “on a similar footing with some others who depend upon the annual appropriation process, i.e., we do not receive our pay until the budget is enacted.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, state budgets are not all the same. For some states, it’s an annual spending plan approved each year while for others, it’s a biennial budget covering two fiscal years. One thing they all have in common is that they must be balanced by the start of the new fiscal year, which begins July 1 in all but four states (Alabama, Michigan, New York and Texas).
In Illinois and Pennsylvania, court cases have ensured that at least some government services continue, resulting in a partial shutdown. Illinois currently holds the record for the longest budget stalemate. The state failed to enact a budget for FY 2016 or FY 2017, though disruptions were minimal for the average citizen because of court rulings and stopgap funding mechanisms.
Forty-six states began fiscal year 2024 on July 1, 2023. New York begins its fiscal year on April 1, Texas begins its fiscal year on Sept. 1, and Alabama and Michigan begin theirs on Oct.1. As of July 10, 45 states have enacted their FY 2024 budgets. Three of those states enacted a biennial budget during their 2022 legislative session.
Who, along with Pennsylvania, has not enacted a state budget as of July 10? Welcome Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina and Oregon to our club.
Cooper said in her co-sponsorship memoranda that “one of the most important jobs of the General Assembly is annually adopting a budget. When the budget is not enacted in a timely manner, many payments to counties, school districts, service providers and nonprofits, to name a few, are not timely made and many important programs may be interrupted.”
According to the PA Office of the Budget, most payments to vendors or to grantees for programs or expenditures incurred during FY 2023-24 that are authorized through the budget will be delayed until a budget is approved.
Cooper wants to include the compensation of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Members of the General Assembly among those payments delayed during a budget impasse.
During the current state budget impasse, the governor, lieutenant governor and members of the General Assembly continue to receive paychecks, while counties, school districts, service providers and others do not.
Rep. Jill Cooper (R-Westmoreland) aims to change that in the future.
The first-term representative wants to put Pennsylvania “on a similar footing with some others who depend upon the annual appropriation process, i.e., we do not receive our pay until the budget is enacted.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, state budgets are not all the same. For some states, it’s an annual spending plan approved each year while for others, it’s a biennial budget covering two fiscal years. One thing they all have in common is that they must be balanced by the start of the new fiscal year, which begins July 1 in all but four states (Alabama, Michigan, New York and Texas).
In Illinois and Pennsylvania, court cases have ensured that at least some government services continue, resulting in a partial shutdown. Illinois currently holds the record for the longest budget stalemate. The state failed to enact a budget for FY 2016 or FY 2017, though disruptions were minimal for the average citizen because of court rulings and stopgap funding mechanisms.
Forty-six states began fiscal year 2024 on July 1, 2023. New York begins its fiscal year on April 1, Texas begins its fiscal year on Sept. 1, and Alabama and Michigan begin theirs on Oct.1. As of July 10, 45 states have enacted their FY 2024 budgets. Three of those states enacted a biennial budget during their 2022 legislative session.
Who, along with Pennsylvania, has not enacted a state budget as of July 10? Welcome Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina and Oregon to our club.
Cooper said in her co-sponsorship memoranda that “one of the most important jobs of the General Assembly is annually adopting a budget. When the budget is not enacted in a timely manner, many payments to counties, school districts, service providers and nonprofits, to name a few, are not timely made and many important programs may be interrupted.”
According to the PA Office of the Budget, most payments to vendors or to grantees for programs or expenditures incurred during FY 2023-24 that are authorized through the budget will be delayed until a budget is approved.
Cooper wants to include the compensation of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Members of the General Assembly among those payments delayed during a budget impasse.
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