HARRISBURG — In an about-face from his veto threat, Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday let a supplemental budget bill become law without his signature, bringing an end to a nearly nine-month impasse that threatened to close schools.
Wolf is effectively approving a $6 billion bill that completes a $30 billion budget for 2015-16 approved by lawmakers in December. It was due, by law, last July 1. About half of the new funding is for Pennsylvania school districts.
“School districts will no longer be on the brink of financial disaster,” the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials said in a statement.
The final budget won’t contain Wolf’s signature because he says the funding is insufficient and the “math just doesn’t work.” The end result is no different than a signature: the bill becomes law.
The first-term Democratic governor faced a potential veto override in the GOP-controlled legislature if he again vetoed funding that included basic education money. Wolf vetoed the funding in December to retain leverage in the budget dispute.
“This is a responsible budget that holds the line on spending and taxes,” said House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Marshall. “We put responsible budgets on his desk in June, September, December and March.”
“We’re very happy the governor let the impasse come to an end,” said House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana County.
Lawmakers in Wolf’s party would have needed to cross party lines for a veto override. It’s not clear that would have happened, but Democratic lawmakers had been urging Wolf to veto line items only rather than use a full veto, said Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills.