PathWays PA Policy Blog

From our friends at the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) Yesterday, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Summer Meals Act, S. 2527 . It is a bipartisan bill that will enhance efforts to expand the reach of the Summer Food Program to low-income children and significantly simplify the administration of the program for sponsors.  Please contact your Senators and ask them to cosponsor Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lisa Murkowski's (R-AK) Summer Meals Act (S.2527). This legislation would expand access to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) for low-income children and simplify administration of the program for SFSP sponsors.

From our friends at the National Skills Coalition (NSC) This week, the Senate has passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) , which reauthorizes the the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), passed with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. WIA is more than 11 years overdue for reauthorization. Organizations who support workforce training programs applaud the Senate for taking an important step to modernize our nation’s workforce system and ensure that all U.S. workers and businesses have access to the skills they need to succeed in today’s economy. WIOA could come up for a vote when the House returns from the Fourth of July recess.

From our friends at the National Partnership for Women and Families Following the White House Summit on Working Families, President Obama announced the following executive actions being taken to help working families. Below are just a few of the actions being issued: $500,000 from the Women’s Bureau to states that want to study paid leave policies DOL is commissioning new research on paid leave in CA, NJ and RI and new research on impacts of paid leave.  Presidential directive to federal agencies on workplace flexibility, identifying best practices and establishing a right to request for federal workers  DOL know-your-rights tool on pregnancy discrimination  Call on Congress to pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Establishing a business group on innovative family friendly practices  And more below on STEM, Childcare, etc. To see a complete list and read more about the issues affecting working families, click here.

From our friends at the PCADV The House of Representatives will negotiate amendments to the House budget bill, HB2328 , this week. As advocates, we must keep the pressure on the Legislature to make the safety of PA citizens a priority with a funding increase to domestic violence and rape crisis services. One option being considered by leadership is to pass a bare-bones budget that does not raise taxes and eliminates the Governor's proposed increase to education, human services, domestic violence and rape crisis services, so your advocacy is more crucial than ever! Your support is more crucial than ever! You could: Call your members of the General Assembly and tell them to support Amendment A07794 offered to HB 2329 by Representative Sheryl Delozier Click here to send a message to your House and Senate members urging them to support Amendment A07794. Click here to message Senate members requesting support for an increase in domestic violence and rape crisis services fu...

Katty Kay and the PA Conference of Women will be hosting an exclusive teleclass on Tuesday, June 24th at 1:00 p.m. EDT. The teleclass will address the following question: Why so few women - even women who have achieved unprecedented success in the public and private sectors - lack the self-assurance that drives many of their male colleagues? In this teleclass, Kay will explore: Is confidence more important than competence? What are women doing, or learning, wrong? Can we blame our parents? Does perfectionism impede confidence? Is bravado confidence? Do we have to be jerks to be confident? How important is it really to live our lives? Is it possible to get more out of it? Even late in life? To register, click here . Call-in details will be sent in your confirmation upon registration. Tweet highlights during the calling to @PennWomen with the hashtag #pennwomen.

From our friends at the Bucks County Women's Advocacy Coalition Senate Bill 75, an important piece of anti-human trafficking legislation introduced by Senators Greenleaf and Dinniman passed out of the House Judiciary Committee this past Tuesday, June 10th.  Despite some changes that the committee made to the bill, members of the anti-trafficking community are happy with the bill's progress and look forward to its consideration by the full House.  The bill will next need to be reviewed by the House Appropriations Committee to be assigned a new fiscal note and will then go before the full House for a vote. Please contact your State Representative and urge him/her to support Senate Bill 75 when it comes to the full House for a vote.  Click here for access to a sample letter for anyone who would like to email their request.

Niylah Niylah, her mother and infant brother came to PathWays PA after they became homeless. At first she was shy and quiet, but since moving into a PathWays PA home, Niylah has flourished. She loves to learn and play and is happier than ever in her new home. Her mother is currently attending GED classes at PathWays PA so she can obtain employment and care for Niylah and her baby brother on her own. Anthony Anthony's family was homeless after their housing became uninhabitable. He and his sisters were separated from their mother until they found refuge with us. Thanks to PathWays PA's Center for Families group residence, Anthony and his sisters are happily reunited with their mother and are living in a safe, loving environment! His mom is working with the staff at PathWays PA to find gainful employment so that she can become self-sufficient and provide safe housing for her family in the future. In the meantime, Anthony is thriving in his new stable and happy home at P...

From our friends at the National Partnership for Women and Families  Join the growing list of partners planning to call on the president and Congress to support the Family And Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act)! You'll find templates for many of the suggested activities listed below! You could: Ask your affiliates/partners/chapters/members/leaders to call or email their members of Congress Join a FAMILY Act tweet storm on Thursday, June 19th, from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EDT (For more information, contact Sadie Kliner at skliner@nationalpartnership.org .) Share infographics on your social media sites and ask followers to contact their legislators Support USAction's postcard deliveries here in D.C. and in key districts via social media or on the ground (For more information, contact Christine Sloane at csloane@nationalpartnership.org or Patty Snee at psnee@usaction.org .) Join the National Partnership on the Hill on Wednesday, June 18th, and Friday, June 20th, or h...

From our friends at the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and local partners invite you to attend a screening of Fleeced: Speaking Out Against Senior Financial Abuse. Pennsylvania has the fourth highest senior population (65+) by percentage in the U.S. and one in five older Americans is the victim of financial fraud and abuse. Fleeced is a new documentary produced by the NCRC, which tells the story of older adults and families who were victimized by different types of financial scams and abusive financial products. After the screening, panelists will discuss ways to prevent senior financial abuse and resources available in our local community. The keynote speaker will be Lydia Hernandez Velez,Deputy Managing Director for Aging, City of Philadelphia. Please RSVP here.

With state tax revenues down considerably this year, the Legislature and Governor’s Office are debating how best to fund the budget for 2014-2015. No numbers are being discussed publically, but with a $1.2 billion revenue shortfall expected , it is clear that legislators will need to either make cuts, find new revenue, or create a combination of the two in order to have a balanced budget. Here are some of the revenue proposals that are floating around the Legislature: Approving Medicaid Expansion in Pennsylvania Enacting a 5% severance tax on natural gas extraction Creating a tax on smokeless tobacco and/or raising the cigarette tax Without increasing revenue in some form, programs will likely see across the board cuts, and some line items that were originally promised additional funding in the Governor’s budget (such as domestic violence services) will probably lose the new money AND possibly see less money than they received last year. To take action:  Decide what you w...

From our friends at MomsRising MomsRising and expert guests from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) invite you to join #MomsEqualPay Day - tomorrow, June 12th at 3pm EDT - to discuss the wage gap faced by moms.  Did you know that on average moms who work full time, year round, make only 69 cents for every dollar paid to dads? Tweetchats are a great way to raise awareness about important issues, share resources, and increase your Twitter following. Here are a few model tweets to share: Join us 2 chat on #MomsEqualPay! @AAUW & other experts answer your q's & we'll break down what it means 4 families 6/12 3pmET PlsRT! What's the latest on #momsequalpay in the US? Join @MomsRising, @AAUW experts 2 chat: 6/12 3pmET PlsRT!  It's time 4 #MomsEqualPay! Join @MomsRising & @AAUW 4 our tweetchat on how/why #women & #families can speak out: 6/12 3pmET

From our friends at the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center Legislators are seriously considering a "bare-bones" budget that would lock in recent cuts to education, make more cuts to all other state programs, and use a host of one-time gimmicks to balance it. Many lawmakers are open to expanding revenue instead of making more cuts, but to pass such a budget, they need to hear from you now. Sign an online petition to Governor Corbett and state legislators, calling on them to reject a cuts-only budget by enacting a long-overdue tax on gas drillers, halting corporate tax cuts, and expanding Medicaid now.

From our friends at the Campaign for What Works HB 2204, sponsored by Rep. Justin Simmons , passed the House last week with a unanimous vote of 198-0! Next up is for the bill to be voted tomorrow, Tuesday, June 10th by the Senate Aging and Youth Committee. The legislation would remove barriers to help the families of homeless children get the assistance and resources needed for a fighting chance by providing automatic tracking by early intervention services to assist the children. Please take a moment now to email a letter, send message or make a call of support for HB 2204 to the members of the Senate Aging and Youth Committee . A draft support letter can be found here for your convenience .

PathWays PA 36th annual gala will be November 21 from 6:30PM to 10:00PM at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Guests will enjoy a live and silent auction, cocktail reception, free admission to three Franklin Institute exhibits, dinner, live entertainment and a brief recognition ceremony and program. All net proceeds from this event will benefit the programs and services offered to PathWays PA client families. Tickets are expected to sell out quickly! Get them here!

From our friends at WOMEN'S WAY On Tuesday, June 10, from 8:30AM to 12:00PM, WOMEN'S WAY will hosting their Annual Issues Summit at Community College of Philadelphia. Network with peers and engage in large and small group discussions on the most pressing issues affecting your organization and the women and girls that you work with. Register here.