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Our state government over the past half-decade at least, has not been great with timeliness.
The recent court-required deadline to resolve sentencing for some homicide convictions, missed budget deadlines, the state court rulings that the system for funding public education fails to meet Constitutional muster -- this history is why its worrisome that the state faces another deadline in mid-October.
According to a report by The Center Square in Tuesday's edition of the Sun-Gazette, the state Legislature and governor must act by Oct. 13 to address the legality of skill games -- the electronic gaming terminals increasingly found in convenience stores, pubs and other venues.
The Center Square's article noted the impact this period of confusion has made on nonprofits -- veterans organizations and civic organizations that have augmented their revenue -- and in many cases, financial stability -- by offering skill games in their establishments.
Many such establishments can be found throughout our communities -- and the impact on our neighborhoods and boroughs and townships if the state fails to bring clarity to the games' oversight and regulation and these organizations are subjected to greater financial strain is considerable.
Beyond the consequences for nonprofits, the terminals are manufactured right here in Lycoming County, at a plant that creates dozens of jobs.
We still believe that our government owes our communities a better effort at festering the climate that employers need to create -- and keep -- jobs. We still believe our government owes taxpayers an attentiveness and diligence to the state's most pressing concerns rather than tendencies to defer difficult decisions indefinitely.
But we can only hope that officials in Harrisburg do not delay on this issue as they too frequently have on other important matters.