HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Senate this week voted to approve a budget deal worked out with Gov. Tom Wolf that comes five months after the budget was due. The plan calls for more spending for education and in other areas, but it does not detail where the revenue will come from to pay for the spending, which remains to be worked out. Meanwhile, at press time, it seemed likely that Republicans in the House would not approve the deal. If no budget deal is reached, steep cuts in services will begin in many counties in the state in January, and some schools and libraries may be temporarily closed.

Sen. Lisa Baker issued a statement explaining her “no” vote. She said, “I understand and respect the extreme urgency behind agreeing on a final state budget, and acknowledge the concerted efforts leaders have been making toward finding accord. But on today’s budget vote, I simply could not support so much new spending when the revenue measures to pay for it are still under discussion. Several of the potential tax sources speculated recently are ones that would not be popular or productive in my district. It is unlikely this will be the last budget vote, so I am hopeful the next plan will fill in the missing details and allow us to better determine its impact.”