HARRISBURG -- Cigar smokers, snuff dippers, and the companies that make and sell tobacco products are among the winners in the $28 billion Pennsylvania state budget the General Assembly approved Wednesday six hours before the deadline.

House approval of the Senate-passed spending plan marked the first time in eight years that the Legislature met the legal requirement of enacting a budget before July 1.

Gov. Ed Rendell, who helped negotiate the budget, said he won’t sign it until the Legislature sends him related bills such as the fiscal code. That may not occur until week’s end, the governor’s office said.

Lawmakers wanted to avoid last year’s "embarrassing" 101-day budget impasse, said Rep. Bill Adolph, R-Delaware County.

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