Wolf says he's sticking to budget deal, amid new GOP demand

The second collapse of a budget deal in the past month left lawmakers, lobbyists and people in the education and social services communities wondering if the stalemate would stretch into 2016.

With hopes fading for a budget resolution this week, talk among some school boards turned again to closing down — several districts considered it in September or October — as they face the prospect of taking out new loans to stay open.

In Pittsburgh, the Easter Seals chapter for central and western Pennsylvania laid off 22 people this week, a measure to help it cope with the loss of state aid to care for the disabled that normally supplies about one-fourth of its budget.

To meet Wolf's demands, it would deliver a record boost to public school aid — $350 million, or 6 percent — as well as meet county requests for more human services aid and narrow a long-term budget deficit.

To support its $30.3 billion spending plan, the House GOP was preparing a two-year, nearly $1 billion revenue package based primarily on an increase in cigarette taxes and an expansion of casino gambling to Internet sites and off-track betting parlors.