Auditor General Jack Wagner today said legislative leaders shouldn't stop meeting until they have an agreement on the budget.

"We're in the 63rd day of a budget impasse. Children are back in school ... and we still have not resolved the budget problems of Pennsylvania," he said.

With the passage of Connecticut's budget last night, Pennsylvania is the last state in the nation without a budget in place for the fiscal year that began July 1.

Mr. Wagner said the impasse is "a black eye for Pennsylvania" and will become a bigger embarrassment if it is not resolved by Sept. 24, when world leaders convene in Pittsburgh for the G-20 economic summit.

"We need to properly serve the citizens of Pennsylvania and show that we have our act together financially," he said. "The longer we don't have a budget passed ... the more we're sending a message that we don't have our fiscal house in order."

Mr. Wagner is a former state senator and former president of the Pittsburgh City Council.