On March 27, after a budget impasse of nearly nine months, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf allowed the most recent budget, approved by the General Assembly, to become law without his signature.

Pennsylvania had been the second to last state in the country operating without a budget in place for the current fiscal year. This move completes a $30.03 billion spending plan, a 3 percent increase over the previous fiscal year, and includes a $200 million increase for public schools (half of what Gov. Wolf had sought). 

By allowing the budget bill to become law, hospitals saw their supplemental payments restored, including funding for obstetrics and neonatal intensive care unit programs. Also included in the budget bill was the restoration of funding for the CHOP Poison Control Center (PCC), which was previously eliminated in the Governor’s original budget proposal. CHOP manages one of the two PCCs in the Commonwealth and is reliant on state funding to cover a portion of the expenses.

Despite the end of the current impasse, it is important to note that negotiations for next fiscal year’s budget (FY17) are already beginning. 

Please reach out to Jonathan Hood, state and local affairs manager, if you have any questions about the Pennsylvania state budget’s impact on CHOP.