By Brad Bumsted
STATE CAPITOL REPORTER
HARRISBURG — The House today sent a Senate-approved state budget to Gov. Ed Rendell in a move aimed at paying state employees.
By a 195-3 vote, the House sent Rendell the $27.3 billion budget that he is expected to slash to only an amount necessary for essential government operations.
It will allow the commonwealth, in the 35th day of a budget impasse, to pay 77,000 state employees who have missed paychecks or received partial pay. A budget was due by law July 1.
Rendell will use his line-item veto power to pare down this stopgap budget and increase pressure on lawmakers to come up with a full spending plan that provides at least $300 million more for basic education and prevents a deficit next year. The current deficit is $3.25 billion.
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