HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro is exploring ways to scrap his push for private school vouchers in Pennsylvania’s state budget without having to again seek approval for the spending plan from Senate Republicans, who approved a version with vouchers last week.

Two people with direct knowledge of the budget talks confirmed to Spotlight PA on Wednesday that the governor has advocated for House Democrats to pass the Senate version contingent on his promise that he would then line-item veto the vouchers from the $45.5 billion spending plan. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss negotiations.

Separately, Shapiro’s general counsel has sent House Democrats’ counsel a letter asserting that they could stymie the voucher program simply by refusing to pass a necessary bill implementing the program. The letter, first reported by PennLive and which Spotlight PA has also viewed, argued that if House Democrats decided not to pass implementation language, the $100 million in the budget “would sit idle in a Treasury account.”

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It remains unclear whether Shapiro’s offer to veto the program would secure the passage of a state budget through the Democratic-controlled state House. House Democratic leaders did not immediately return requests for comment Wednesday, but the approach would still require them to approve a budget with vouchers and rely on the governor to then eliminate that portion — a dynamic that House Democratic members are acutely aware of.