Floor debate is expected to start next week after a budget plan cleared the state House Appropriations   on Monday.  The 28.3 billion dollar House Republican spending plan passed solely along party lines on a 21 to 14 vote.

The House Republican plan spends less than Governor Tom Corbett’s budget proposed in February but more than the current year’s budget.

Chairman Bill Adolph (R-Delaware) emphasized that he was not presenting it as the final budget.  He says negotiations are ongoing regarding a number of significant issues.

Representative Adolph says the plan represents a starting point for the budget negotiations and outlines priorities important to members of the house and does so without raising taxes.

But minority chair Joe Markosek (D-Allegheny) called additional spending for basic education paltry and too little, too late.  He says the proposed budget does not address Medicaid expansion while allowing the Governor’s business tax policies to eat away at the money available to fund core government services.