State funded institutions in Chester County can breathe a little easier after Governor Tom Wolf confirmed that state lawmakers have finalized the budget for 2016-2017, writes Kara Seymour for Patch.

The $1.3 billion revenue package, while significantly lower than the $2.7 billion Wolf originally wanted to help reduce the deficit, was finally approved on Wednesday with Governor Wolf signing it in the evening.

The spending plan includes a tax increase of $1 per-pack on cigarettes as well as an extension of the state’s sales tax of 6 percent on digital downloads. In addition, the budget includes an expected influx of $100 million from pending legislation making online gambling legal.

The budget process this year, while not exactly smooth, is still a significant improvement over the prolonged and difficult situation last year

“Today’s passage of a revenue package means that we avoid another lengthy impasse, our budget is balanced this year, and we have greatly reduced the commonwealth’s structural budget deficit,” said Wolf.

With budget process finalized, Wolf emphasized the importance of leaders continuing to work together to address the state’s greatest public health crisis, the epidemic of opioid abuse and heroin use.

He noted that while the newly approved budget allows for expanded treatment for individuals suffering from addiction, it is necessary to do more to address this issue plaguing all of the state’s communities.

“My administration will keep its focus on this issue,” he noted.

Read more about the budget at Patch here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of the process here.