Budget News

Governor Rendell will release his budget request on February 9. Copies should be available on line some time around that date. Check the state's main website at www.state.pa.us for more information. (PIE will be preparing an analysis of the Governor's budget.) After the Governor's budget is released, the state House and Senate will hold appropriations hearings. These hearings are often televised on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). For their schedule, go to http://www.pcntv.com/. Appropriations hearings for the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) are scheduled for Monday, March 7 at 1:15 pm in the Senate, and Wednesday, March 9 at 2 pm in the House. For the complete schedule of budget hearings, go to: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/CO/SM/COSM.HTM (for the Senate schedule) and http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/CO/HM/COHM.HTM (for the House schedule).

In budget related news, in late December, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finally approved Pennsylvania's nursing home assessment. The state has based its last two budgets on the understanding that this assessment and the additional federal Medicaid dollars that it will bring to Pennsylvania would be approved. The assessment will bring in $280 million a year for each of the next four years.