The state Senate on Thursday voted narrowly to deliver a $2.2 billion revenue package to the House of Representatives to consider as a way to balance the $32 billion state spending plan enacted earlier this month.

Inside that bi-partisan-backed plan are a mix of new taxes and tax rate increases including Democrats' long-sought natural gas extraction tax, a fund transfer, and an anticipated gambling expansion, that combined are anticipated will raise about $970 million and an authorization to borrow nearly $1.3 billion from future tobacco settlement payments.

By a 26-24 vote following a near hourlong debate, the Senate approved the tax plan. It also sent over to the House four other budget implementation bills affecting human services, schools and other state government functions that also won bipartisan support although none were unanimous.

Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County, said the vote on the tax plan was one senators had tried to avoid, knowing Pennsylvanians work hard for their money.

But he said expenditures for human service, public pension payments and corrections that were outside the Legislature's control exploded in recent years while tax revenues have dipped, bringing lawmakers to this point where a tax increase is necessary.

"We came here to make tough choices," Corman said. "Our first responsibility is to balance our budget and sometimes this involves hard decisions. This is one of them."

Given credit rating agencies' threatened downgrade of the state government 's credit rating that would increase the cost of borrowing, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa of Allegheny County said, "The consequence of doing nothing are far greater."

He added, "We have an obligation to govern. That's what this bill does."

Sen. Scott Wagner, R-York County, urged his colleagues to oppose the tax package, saying state government spending is out of control and poorly managed, causing companies to locate elsewhere.

"Today by this vote, we are taking another step back, not forward," said the GOP gubernatorial candidate. "I find very troubling all of us are here today because the state's chief executive failed to do his job and is failing to do his job by not holding state agencies accountable."

Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh County, also opposed the tax plan because it asks consumers to pay more in new taxes and higher tax rates on utility bills than the new severance tax will generate from natural gas drillers.

Both she and Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-Chester County, also voiced concern about its failure to impose an impact fee on the natural gas industry to help communities coping with problems associated with rampant pipeline installations happening around the state.

Corman urged senators to focus on what is in the bill instead of what isn't.

"What we need to do on July 27 at 11 a.m. is balance the budget," he said.

The fate of these bills heading to the Republican-controlled House remains uncertain given its past reluctance to raise taxes although on Saturday, a House GOP led attempt to rally support for a no-tax plan failed.

On Wednesday evening, a spokesman for Gov. Tom Wolf voiced general support for the Senate's tax package.