Gov. Corbett on Tuesday said he is willing to miss the June 30 deadline to pass a state budget if more time means he can get his initiatives done.  “We need to get this done right rather than quickly,” Corbett said during an afternoon press conference in the Capitol. “So if we are not able to do this budget by June 30, we are not able to do this budget by June 30,” Corbett said of meeting the deadline. “I am willing to be here. … No bluster. No threats. Just facts.”

Having said that, the Republican governor said he was optimistic that he and the GOP-led legislature can meet the deadline for the fiscal year, which begins July 1.  But he reiterated his position that he will not consider any proposals to raise new revenue — including a natural gas extraction tax — unless the legislature delivers on two of his priorities: reining in the skyrocketing cost of public employee pensions and privatizing the sale of wine and spirits.

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Source: Inquirer Commonwealth Confidential Blog, by Angela Couloumbis, Posted June 17, 2014.