From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Republican leaders in the House and Senate are insisting that state law gives the legislature – and not the Rendell administration – the power to allocate much of the billions in federal stimulus money pouring into Pennsylvania.

Gov. Rendell countered yesterday that the stimulus law mandated that the majority of the aid be directed to specific areas, such as transportation, housing, and education, and left little wiggle room for any discretion over how the money was spent.

But in a recent letter to the administration, Senate leaders argued that Rendell must draft legislation spelling out where federal stimulus dollars would be appropriated. They also wrote that under state law, the General Assembly was constitutionally required to approve that legislation.

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