The state spending plan is 63 days late and this year's impasse has now become the longest budget delay in Pennsylvania since 1977.
In that year, the budget was not signed until Aug. 31. In 2003, the state's education budget was not signed until December.
DISCUSSION:
Tell Us What You Think About Pa.'s Budget Situation
This year's bitter battle over spending and taxes will likely be referenced as one of the worst deadlocks between Democrats and Republicans Harrisburg has ever experienced.
Tuesday's meeting of the conference committee started with Democrats laying out their view of the state’s financial situation.
But quickly the debate once again came down to the disagreement over whether the state should simply cut spending and services to balance the budget or should allow tax increases to bring in money to close the deficit.
The six lawmakers on the conference committee did get down to business Tuesday addressing the specifics of their disagreement, which did not happen during their first two meetings.
Rendell Issues Warning To Lawmakers
On Monday, Gov. Ed Rendell gave lawmakers a warning.
"It is almost Labor Day and the people of Pennsylvania want us to get to work on the budget and to do it with a sense of seriousness and purpose and the conference committee should conduct itself in that vein," said Rendell.
One of the reasons the conference committee has not met for a month is that one of the members had a personal emergency.
But it is also because lawmakers did not feel there was a need to meet in public if no deal could be reached in private.
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