On August 30, the Senate convened and approved two fiscal code bills, HB 1300 and SB 757. House Bill 1300 reauthorizes assessments and payments to hospitals, boosts reimbursement rates for EMS providers, and reauthorizes judicial fees detailed in the 2023-24 General Appropriations bill (HB 611), which was passed in June. Senate Bill 757 addresses other priorities included in the original budget deal Senate Republicans negotiated with Gov. Josh Shapiro in June, including the creation of the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) program to provide additional educational options for students in failing schools, as well as $150 million in new funding for the state’s popular Educational Improvement Tax Credit program to expand educational opportunities to families throughout the state.
Both bills are now before the House, which is not scheduled to return to session until September 26th. However, House party leaders have publicly stated that budget negotiations are ongoing and that if an agreement is reached, they could return to session earlier. Stay tuned for additional updates from NFIB as the 2023-24 budget negotiations continue.
