Pennsylvania’s $50.8 Billion Spending Plan Clears Committee, Not Yet Final
Pennsylvania’s Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a $50.8 billion general appropriations bill on July 11, 2026, roughly ten days past the state’s constitutionally required budget deadline. The bill now heads to the full Senate for a vote, with the House expected to consider related “code bills” the following day.
The spending plan includes new funding for public education, new energy policy provisions, and a pension increase for teachers who retired before 2001, a priority that lawmakers from both parties had sought for years. The overall budget represents a 1.4% increase over last year’s spending.
$2.4 billion less than Gov. Josh Shapiro’s February budget proposal, which the legislature rejected without replacing the revenue sources Shapiro counted on.
Shapiro had proposed covering new spending with $2 billion in taxes from skill games and recreational marijuana. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has since declared skill games unlawful, and recreational marijuana was a non-starter for Republican Senate leaders. Both revenue streams are now off the table, and the legislature must act within three months to address the skill games ruling.
What Was Cut and What Remains Unresolved
To secure bipartisan agreement, negotiators stripped out recreational marijuana legalization, skill games regulation, and a minimum wage increase. Republicans also successfully blocked any use of the state’s nearly $8 billion rainy day fund.
Tax code changes, which would alter how Pennsylvania collects and distributes revenue, were not included in Saturday night’s bills. House Appropriations Chairman Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia) framed the compromise as a shared investment.
“At the end of the day, I think what you’re seeing moving forward is an investment plan in the commonwealth that you’ll see a significant amount of bipartisan support for.”
Rep. Jordan Harris, House Appropriations Chairman (D-Philadelphia), July 11, 2026
The budget process is not complete. Tax policy, skill games regulation, and several other contested items remain unresolved, meaning additional legislation will be needed before the full spending framework is in place.
What You Can Do Now
-
Call your Pennsylvania state representative at (717) 787-2372 (the General Assembly switchboard) and tell them to protect public education funding in the final budget. Ask specifically whether the education line items in the general appropriations bill will be preserved as code bills are negotiated in the House.
-
Contact your Pennsylvania state senator through the Senate directory at legis.state.pa.us and ask them to vote yes on the full Senate floor vote and to keep the teacher pension increase intact.
-
Track the budget’s status at the Pennsylvania Capital-Star’s legislature page (penncapital-star.com) for updates on the House code bill votes and any remaining tax policy negotiations, which could affect final education spending levels.
-
Contact the Governor’s office at (717) 787-2500 and urge Gov. Shapiro to sign a final budget that preserves education funding even without the marijuana and skill games revenue he originally proposed.
Sources
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: PA Lawmakers Hold Weekend Session to Advance $50.8 Billion Spending Plan Pennsylvania General Assembly: Find Your Legislator Directory Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center: Overview of State Budget Process and Rainy Day Fund Pennsylvania Office of the Governor: Governor Shapiro’s February 2026 Budget Proposal