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Appropriations leaders outline $51.5 billion GAA, revenue plan and negotiation timeline
Summary
At a Penn Hills briefing, Majority Appropriations Chair Jordan Harris and committee staff described the governor’s FY25–26 framework: a $133 billion total budget with a $51.5 billion General Appropriations Act (GAA) general‑fund proposal, revenue proposals including a $15 minimum wage, adult‑use cannabis taxes and skill‑game taxation, and a still‑fluid negotiation schedule ending in June.
State Rep. Jordan Harris, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and committee staff presented a high‑level review of the governor’s FY25–26 proposal at a public briefing in Penn Hills.
Courtney Richardson, executive director for the House Appropriations Committee, told attendees the proposed GAA — the line‑item document that drives the general fund — is about $51.5 billion while the total statewide budget package across all funds is roughly $133 billion. Richardson and staff said that Medicaid and human‑services programs account for the single largest share of the general fund and that education comprises another large share of spending.
The delegation highlighted the state’s reserves and near‑term balances: a budget stabilization (rainy‑day) fund of $7.35 billion and a beginning general‑fund balance of about $2.89 billion, combining to roughly $10.24 billion in available balances ahead of negotiations.
Staff framed several of the governor’s revenue proposals as key negotiation points. Richardson summarized the wage proposal in plain terms: “the proposal is to increase minimum wage to $15 an hour and $9 per hour for tip workers effective 1‑1‑2026.” The presentation also described an adult‑use cannabis plan that would begin sales in January 2026, impose a wholesale tax and charge licensing fees, and preliminary revenue estimates for licensing and taxes.
On process, Harris emphasized the timing and the Appropriations Committee’s role: the committee prepares fiscal notes, hears department heads and is the last point where bills can be amended before the House floor. He repeatedly told the room the legislature expects to finish a budget by June and encouraged public input during negotiations.
What happens next: staff said many line items, the precise transfers between funds and the final tax policy changes remain under negotiation. The committee solicited public questions and said the figures presented were tentative and subject to change as talks with the Senate and the governor continue.
