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Budget Passed, Waiting Game Continues On Tuesday, Governor Rendell signed into law the 2010-11 state budget, making it the first budget to be completed on time since Rendell took office. That is about where the good news starts and stops. Lawmakers could be back later this summer or early this fall cutting more from the state budget if the federal government fails to approve legislation that would mean $850 million for Pennsylvania. The just-passed state budget assumes that $850 million is still coming to the commonwealth, even though federal lawmakers have been unable to muster, on several occasions, the votes to pass such legislation. Some other unsavory news emerged as the budget was finalized: in the package of budget bills were two measures to increase the state's debt load in order to fund $600 million in new, so-called economic development projects. One of those two bills included Rendell's choices for recipients of about half that new borrowing, while the other half - to be chosen by the General Assembly - won't be finalized until the fall in a separate bill. At this point, everything has turned into a waiting game.
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