STROUDSBURG -- Now that Pennsylvania's budget will become law Sunday, lawmakers will turn their attention to the 2016 - 2017 budget.
Local lawmakers were doing a little heavy lifting in Stroudsburg, helping load up food for Monroe County Meals on Wheels. A state budget is in finally in place, providing money to organizations like Meals on Wheels.
"This should have been done a long time ago, and so to me, I look at this and say we've gone through these months of these issues with schools, and our agricultural, and our hospitals, and putting people through things that should have never happened," said Rep. Rosemary Brown, (R) 189th District.
Lawmakers say the road traveled to this 2015 - 2016 budget was tough.
"I'm hoping that the governor will be more agreeable to what we do, but we're going to work to propose a budget that works," said Rep. David Parker, (R) 115th District.
Waiting nine months for a budget was a concern for many schools with some taking out massive loans.
Meals on Wheels started getting concerned, too.
"We were getting concerned that if the impasse continued that this would now become a problem for us, and that we'd have to be very careful about taking on new clients," said Heidi Fareri, Monroe County Meals on Wheels.
Republicans say they will approach 2016's budget a little differently.
"Very honest conversations, very straightforward, I don't want to see any political games," said Browns. "And I don't think the public deserves any political games whatsoever."
Some Democratic lawmakers seem to agree. Democratic Senator John Yudichak released a statement:
"Now, it is time to move forward, in a bipartisan manner, to enact a responsible and timely budget for this upcoming fiscal year."
The 2016 - 2017 fiscal year budget will be due on June 30, just like they are every year. That means lawmakers have about three months to hash out their difference to pass an on-time budget for next year.
