Smart Talk: Capitol Week; State getting gas money?; Trout season

What to look for on Smart Talk Friday, April 10, 2015:

Budget hearings have concluded in the legislature and now negotiations can begin between the Wolf Administration and Republican leaders in the House and Senate.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed budget has been described as ambitious and includes a lot of moving parts.  The governor himself admits his spending plan has to be considered as a whole to make the numbers add up.  The proposal contains more money for education, property tax cuts, a reduced corporate net incomes tax, a tax on natural gas drillers, and higher sales and personal income taxes.

Republicans have already said Wolf’s budget will get nowhere until public pension debt is addressed.

The governor said this week the budget may not finalized by the July 1st deadline and negotiations may go well past that.

WITF’s Capitol Bureau Chief Mary Wilson will have more on Friday’s Smart Talk.

Also, StateImpact Pennsylvania reporter Marie Cusick looks at whether the state is getting the royalties it is owed by natural gas companies that are drilling on state-owned land.  Private landowners have long complained they’re not getting what is due them but the answer from the state may be even less clear. For more information please visit: http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/

Finally, the first day of Pennsylvania’s trout fishing season opened in the southeastern part of the state last weekend.  The weather was good and may be even better this weekend.

John Arway, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission joins us on Friday’s show to discuss one of the state’s favorite pasttimes.