If you've been following the state budget fiasco in Harrisburg, there was some optimism over the weekend that the three-month-old stalemate might be resolved after leaders of three of the four legislative caucuses announced a tentative deal.Gov. Ed Rendell quickly said he would veto the budget agreement as presented by the Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats and House Democrats. Rendell also said the Legislature could probably override his veto.
Not so fast.
State Rep. Tom Quigley, R-146th, doesn't think there are enough Republican votes to help House Democrats override a Rendell veto if it should come to that.
In an interview with The Pottstown Mercury, Quigley gave the following assessment of what it would take to override a Rendell veto in the House:
"It would take a two-thirds majority in both the House (135 votes) and the Senate (33 votes). There are 104 Democrats in the House and 97 Republicans (2 Republican members are on leave in the Armed forces in Iraq). If all 104 Democrats voted to override, they would need 31 Republicans to join them for a veto override."
There's no way that every Democrat would support the so-called compromise budget because it includes tax increases and expansion of gambling. And it's unlikely that 31 Republicans would support an override. Maybe 10-12 Republicans, but not 31.
Read 'False hope': Area reps say no deal to new pact in The Mercury.
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