Sen. Pileggi Gives State Budget Update

Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi says it could be several months before a state budget is in place. But a short-term plan may be approved by the end of the week.

Pileggi told "Good Day," if an agreement is worked out this week to restore funding for state workers then the pressure will be off and lawmakers may take their time considering Philadelphia's request for help. 33,000 state workers have not been getting paid, so Pileggi said that is the priority. Then lawmakers will move on to help Philadelphia address its budget problems.

Mayor Michael Nutter has appealed to state lawmakers to allow the city to raise the sales tax and defer payments to the city's pension plan to provide more money for the cash-strapped city.

Pileggi met with Governor Ed Rendell at the governor's mansion over the weekend. He said the governor wants a short-term budget in place by the end of the week. Pileggi said he prefers to work on a full-budget but there is a "collision of objectives." He said "right now, we are pretty far apart."

Pennsylvania is facing a $3.2-billion budget shortage. Pileggi said he is "optimistic the governor will have something on his desk this week," so state workers can start getting paid.