You see it at work all the time.

There are deadlines … and then there are “real” deadlines.

And in Harrisburg, there is the ‘deadline’ for passage of a state budget in Pennsylvania.

Did you know the Pennsylvania Constitution does not require that a budget be passed no later than June 30?

Rep. Melissa Shusterman (D-Chester) wants to do something about that.

She is circulating a co-sponsorship memo that calls for changes to the state’s Administrative Code and Constitution to hold “our colleagues accountable in performing our civic duty to pass a state budget on time.”

Shusterman’s two-bill package proposal calls for an amendment to the Administrative Code to require that, if the General Assembly does not pass the state budget by June 30, then it must remain in session each weekday after June 30th until the budget is passed.

The second bill would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to require the governor to call a special session if a general appropriations bill is not enacted by June 30.

In her memo, the Chester County Democrat wrote that “every day that the budget is delayed, schools, healthcare, social services, nonprofits, and other essential services and organizations are denied the funding they need to provide for our residents and communities. These organizations and entities are often forced to either incur debt to continue functioning or shutter services until funding is secured.

“It is our public responsibility to ensure that our schools, public service entities, and communities receive the essential funding they need in a timely manner to prevent debt and the interruption of critical programs and services.”

There are two major parts of the budget. One is a spending plan that provides a blueprint for the commonwealth’s financial outlays and revenue collections for the fiscal year. The other consists of one or more code bills, pieces of legislation that specify how money is spent, and can include dozens of policy tweaks.

Since 2015, the General Assembly has passed a budget prior to the June 30 statutory deadline four times – 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

None of the three budget bills during Gov. Josh Shapiro‘s tenure in office were signed on time with the earliest coming for FY24-25 on July 11, 2024.

The 2025-26 fiscal year budget was signed into law on November 12.