HARRISBURG, PA — On the same day that Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf delivered his annual budget address, Rep. Dan Truitt and other lawmakers held a capitol news conference to urge their colleagues to adopt legislation that would prevent the interruption of crucial services in the event of a future state budget impasse.

During the budget stalemate in 2015, school districts, domestic violence shelters, food pantries and the juvenile justice system found themselves facing the prospect of shutting down or turning away clients because state funding wasn’t being released. During that time, Truitt introduced House Bill 1410, the Temporary Emergency Budget Fund, which would have created a mechanism by which the state budget secretary could continue payments to health and human services agencies, school districts and other entities that provide government services until a final budget agreement was reached.