Court bid to block Gov. Wolf borrowing, including $1.25B against PLCB profits

Gov. Wolf’s plan to borrow $1.25 billion against future profits of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to help fill a gaping $2 billion budget gap for fiscal 2017-18 faces a court challenge.

A petition for a temporary preliminary injunction was filed Monday in Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania by Matthew J. Brouillette, president and chief executive of the Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs; Rep. Jim Christiana (R., Beaver), and Harrisburg-area small businessman Ben Lewis.

The petition said Wolf’s borrowing, including loans from the state treasury, violated the Pennsylvania Constitution.

“Our constitution requires that the commonwealth’s budget be balanced, meaning that expenditures cannot exceed revenues, and that money only be borrowed in the name of the people of Pennsylvania with the explicit consent of their General Assembly,” the petition said.

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/court-bid-to-block-gov-wolf-borrowing-including-1-25b-against-plcb-profits-20171023.html