Photo by Paul Vasiliades
In some ways, running a state and working for a newspaper are a lot alike.
For one thing, both of them run on deadlines. One of the first things I was taught in journalism school was why making deadlines was important.
A missed deadline can throw the entire newspaper production process into chaos. The editing process gets delayed, meaning that the story might not get the reads it needs to make sure all questions are answered, all the spelling errors are caught, and everything is as it should be.
The layout process gets delayed. If a story is late, it might not make the first edition, meaning that those subscribers that get the first edition might not see that story. It also means that the copy desk has to scramble to put something in the space where that story was supposed to go.
And last, but not least because it’s potentially the most expensive, the printing process gets delayed. Back when most newspapers had their own presses, it wasn’t such a problem. But now, most papers send the paper to an outside press and for every minute it’s late, it costs money.
It’s the same with a state, like, say, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. When it misses deadlines for things, like, say, the Commonwealth’s budget, it throws everything off. School Districts don’t have the money they need to perform state mandated functions. Non-profits that do things like help children or seniors in need can’t do what they need to do.
Potholes on state roads won’t be filled. State workers won’t be paid. A lot of the Commonwealth’s functions will grind to a halt.
And for the last five years, this has been the reality in Pennsylvania.
As I write this, the Commonwealth’s 2027 budget is two days late. Right now, that’s not a big problem because of the Fourth of July holiday and the weekend. But on Monday, people are going to be scrambling to figure out how they’re going to continue to provide the services people need with either a reduced budget, or no budget at all thanks to the lack of a budget.
If you listened to or watched Wednesday night’s Hall Monitor, you know what’s going on. The House, which is controlled by Democrats, approved Gov. Josh Shapiro’s $53.1 billion budget, while the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans, gutted the plan like a fish. On Monday, Senate Republicans blew off a meeting with Democrats and Gov. Shapiro to try and come to an agreement, and decided on Tuesday that it was time to leave Harrisburg and begin what appears to be a six-day weekend.
Maybe everyone will get back together on Monday. Maybe they won’t.
But in any case, we’re going to keep a tight eye on this.
Starting on Wednesday, Hall Monitor has begun counting the days that this budget is late. If you’re a subscriber to our newsletter — and I’m hoping you are — you’ll see a little section that will tell you how many days this budget is late.
We’ll also be talking to the people who have been impacted by the Commonwealth missing this particular deadline because we believe that everyone needs to hear from them.
Especially since there’s another deadline approaching for this crew: Nov. 3. That, for those of you playing at home, is Election Day.
Sometimes, voters forget that these people work for you. And every once in a while, you have to remind them of that. Especially since many of them are either running to keep their current jobs, or trying to find new ones.
Here is a list of the members of Philadelphia’s House delegation.
Here is a list of the members of State Senate delegation. Unlike the House delegation, there’s not a Philadelphia-specific list.
There’s phone numbers, email addresses and in some cases, even social media handles.
Channel your inner editor and get on them for missing their deadline…
Our reporters sit through hours of city council meetings, dig through piles of documents, and ask tough questions other media overlook. Because we’re committed to addressing Philadelphia’s poverty crisis — and challenging those who sustain it. If you think this work is important too, please support our journalism.
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