Pennsylvania Government Reaches Tentative Agreement

July 10, 2007

Pennsylvania Government Reaches Tentative Agreement
July 10, 2007 – A tentative budget agreement was reached with legislative leaders Monday evening. Gov. Edward Rendell said nearly 25,000 state employees will return to work at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday and transportation, including Pennsylvania’s network of highways, bridges and mass transit systems, will be well-financed for the next 15 to 20 years.

"I am pleased to announce that as a result of earnest and sometimes difficult negotiations, we have achieved an important agreement that will allow Pennsylvania’s government operations to be restored and all furloughed employees to return to work," Governor Rendell said. "While I regret that we were not able to reach this accord earlier, I am gratified that we have agreed in principle to a spending plan that will continue to move Pennsylvania forward."

The Pennsylvania Government shutdown on Monday included many state offices and tourism sites such as state parks and battlefields, along with state-operated museums. Originally, the state’s casinos were supposed to be closed, too, but the Commonwealth Court granted a Temporary Restraining Order and ordered Pennsylvania’s five casinos to remain open.

"With this agreement, there will about $950 million a year for transportation in Harrisburg, Erie, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre, Altoona and everywhere else for the next 10 years," the Governor said. "It’s the most significant amount of funding devoted to transportation needs in the history of the commonwealth and it should put transportation systems in good shape for the next 15 to 20 years."