Will PA have a budget soon?/Judicial elections

 

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What to look for on Smart Talk Tuesday, October 31, 2017:

A four-month-old state budget impasse may finally be nearing an end.  It’s up to Gov. Tom Wolf to give final approval to a revenue package okayed by the House and Senate last week that pays for a previously approved $32 billion spending plan.

The governor has already signed a bill to expand gambling. The gambling expansion solidifies Pennsylvania as the nation’s second-largest commercial casino state.  It also allows the state’s 10 casinos to apply for satellite casino licenses, locate video gambling terminals at truck stops and permits on-line gambling.

The plan would also borrow from the state’s share of tobacco settlement funds or profits from the sale of liquor.

What the revenue package doesn’t include is a severance tax on natural gas drillers — something Wolf has requested since he was elected three years ago. In an appearance before the Pennsylvania Press Club Monday, the governor was critical of House Republicans for not supporting a severance tax.

WITF’s Capitol Bureau Chief Katie Meyer appears on Tuesday’s Smart Talk to provide details on the budget and other state news.

Also, Pennsylvania voters go the polls next Tuesday to elect municipal officials and judges.  The judicial candidates for State Supreme, Superior and Commonwealth Courts are largely unknown to most voters.  Franklin and Marshall College political analyst Dr. G. Terry Madonna joins us on Smart Talk to discuss the race for judges.