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<p>HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) &#8212; Lawmakers scrambled Wednesday evening to advance massive borrowing and casino gambling measures to help resolve a four-month stalemate over how to fix Pennsylvania&#8217;s deficit-riddled finances.</p><p>The Senate voted 29-21 to approve a House plan that revolves around borrowing $1.5 billion &#8212; with interest, payback likely would cost more than $2 billion over 20 years &#8212; and a grab bag of tax increases that is projected to yield as much as $140 million a year.</p><p>Meanwhile, a gambling expansion plan in the nation&#8217;s No. 2 commercial casino state would potentially bring casino-style gambling to truck stops, airports, online portals and 10 brand new casino locations, each with hundreds of slot machines and table games.</p><p>It also would make Pennsylvania the first state to allow both casino and lottery games online, in a quest for money from new and younger players.</p><p>Hanging in the balance is roughly $650 million in aid to five universities, including Penn State and its agricultural research and extension programs. Meanwhile, fresh efforts to scrape up enough support in the House to impose a tax on Marcellus Shale natural gas production have hit a wall amid opposition by House Republican leaders.</p><p>Pennsylvania has had spending authority since the fiscal year began July 1 under a nearly $32 billion budget bill that lawmakers overwhelmingly approved. However, it has a gaping, $2.2 billion hole in it, largely from state government&#8217;s biggest cash shortfall since the recession, and the ugly fight over how to fill it has pitted Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled Senate against the Republican-controlled House.</p><p>With hundreds of pages of budget-related legislation passing the House and Senate, Wolf would not give his blessing to it Wednesday. His office would only say that he would evaluate the bills.</p><p>&#8220;These bills contain many policy changes and deserve a full vetting,&#8221; Wolf&#8217;s office said.</p><p>In many ways, Wolf has moved on from the Legislature&#8217;s budget fights. Three weeks ago, Wolf began exploring borrowing and cost-cutting avenues without the involvement of lawmakers, declaring he was finished waiting for House Republicans to produce a plan to fill the deficit. Paying bills on time has required short-term loans from the Treasury Department and is expected to be necessary again, with a $1.2 billion payment due to public schools Thursday.</p><p>The casino bill was still under wraps Wednesday evening, after months of talks as part of a wider budget agreement. Efforts to win its quick passage in both the House and Senate could run late into Wednesday night.</p><p>License fees and taxes on higher gambling losses is projected to net upward of $200 million a year for Pennsylvania, a state that already netted $1.4 billion in taxes on the industry in the last fiscal year.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marc Levy-Associated Press</p></bylineMeta></div>

Lawmakers push borrowing, gambling bills in PA budget scramble