BUDGET UPDATE

Pennsylvania's Already Thoroughly Bizarre ...
... budget saga got even weirder this morning with the news that Senate Republicans are Mushroom cloud blowing off this afternoon's scheduled meeting of the House/Senate Conference Committee.

And in a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dwight Evans, they called for a brand-new budget, arguing that, with last week's tax bill vote in the House, there's nothing left to negotiate about on The Frankebudget.

More astute readers may recall that the majority-Democrat House passed a $1 billion tax package last week that included new levies on cigars and smokeless tobacco, as well as a "severance" tax on natural gas extracted from the Marcellus shale. They scrapped a proposed tax on arts and theatre tickets and small games of chance -- both were preferred by Senate Republicans, who said any divergence from the deal would send budget talks back to "Square One."

That's apparently what happened:

"By its actions last week, the House has repudiated that agreement," Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, and Appropriations Committee Chairman Jake Corman, R-Centre, wrote. "Therefore, we have no agreed-to General Appropriations bill to be considered by the conference committee."

Senate GOP bosses then opted to take their ball and go over to play with their new BFF, Minority Leader Bob Mellow, D-Lackawanna, archly noting that:

"We are working with the Senate Democratic caucus on a general appropriations bill and other budget-related legislation, which will be considered by by the Senate this week," the letter reads. "We hope it will receive bipartisan support in the Senate."

Perhaps providing an answer to the age-old question of what one hand negotiating sounds like, Evans' spokeswoman Johnna Pro said the meeting's been rescheduled for 2 p.m., and Democrats will be there.

"Our differences are not insignificant, but they are not insurmountable," Pro said.

About an hour after Pro made her comments, a group of Democratic rank-and-filers came toddling up to the Capitol press-room to let scribes know that they, too, were also dissatisfied with the way things were going.

"We're just pennies away, and could be days away, from getting this done," Rep Mike Gerber, D-Montgomery, said. Another lawmaker, Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Washington, appeared to suggest that some sort of compromise was in the offing, but when he was asked to provide specifics, the lawmakers left vapor trails between themselves and reporters, saying we could find out at the conference committee meeting this afternoon.

The Senate GOP letter is below. Republicans have scheduled a 1:30 p.m. briefing to explain their decision.