Pennsylvania Lawmakers Consider Bill to Protect Local Funding During Budget Delays
A bipartisan bill would ensure counties and nonprofits receive 85% of prior year funding during Pennsylvania’s increasingly common budget delays.
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA — A bipartisan bill in the Pennsylvania Legislature seeks to protect counties, school districts, and nonprofit organizations from budget delays that have affected the state in recent years.
Rep. Brian Rasel, a Republican from Westmoreland County, introduced legislation that would allow the state Treasury to continue paying local governments and service providers up to 85 percent of their previous fiscal year allocation during budget impasses. The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania supports the proposal.
“Over the last few years, we’ve had issues with getting a timely budget,” Rasel said. “I view it very simply that our citizens are not pawns in a political fight and deserve some consistency and some predictability.”
Pattern of Late Budgets
Pennsylvania’s budget deadline falls on June 30 each year, but lawmakers have missed that target six times in the last decade. Most recently, the 2025 spending plan was not passed until mid-November, creating financial uncertainty for local entities that depend on state funding.
Under Rasel’s bill, the state would continue making payments during an impasse, with those amounts later deducted from final allocations once a budget is approved. The measure has attracted cosponsors from both political parties.
Local Government Support
The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, which represents local government officials who have experienced significant financial strain during previous budget standoffs, supports the legislation. County governments often struggle to maintain services when state funding is delayed for months.
The bill has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jordan Harris, a Democrat from Philadelphia. A spokesperson for Harris did not respond to questions about the committee’s plans for the legislation.
Governor Josh Shapiro unveiled his 2026-27 budget proposal in February, but the measure now under consideration would provide a safety net for future budget negotiations that extend beyond the June deadline. The proposal aims to insulate local services from the political battles that have repeatedly delayed Pennsylvania’s budget process.
