PathWays PA Policy Blog

Philadelphia youth advocates (including PathWays PA's Brenda Dawson) with Senator Casey's SE PA Regional Director Ebony Staton Weidman. Courtesy PEC From our friends at PEC : Senator Robert Casey sponsored the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (S.2571), and he signed onto the "Dear Colleague" letter urging greater support for programs serving children and youth who experience homelessness. The next action is to urge Senators Casey and Toomey to sponsor the Homeless Children and Youth Act (HYCA), S. 611. HCYA is bi-partisan legislation that reforms HUD Homeless Assistance to meet the needs of homeless children, youth, and families. It allows some of the most vulnerable homeless families and youth - those staying with others because they have nowhere else to go, and those staying in motels - to be eligible for HUD homeless assistance by aligning eligibility criteria with those of other federal programs. Good news is that Lisa Murkow...

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved a bill that would establish work requirements on Medicaid recipients. If this bill passes the Senate, "able-bodied" adults receiving Medicaid would need to work for at least 20 hours per week, look for a job, or participate in job training to qualify for Medicaid. The "able-bodied" definition excludes full-time high school students, pregnant women, people receiving long-term disability benefits, people under 19 or older than 64, prisoners, and residents of mental health institutions. Under this definition, however, people who lose their job or hours while getting treatment or recovering from surgery would not be covered. Neither would people who can't find a job because they can't access childcare or transportation. Qualified workers and people exempted from the requirements would still have to submit paperwork and medical verification, which will take time and cost money to the Commonwealth...

Primary elections are just around the corner, and if you live in Pennsylvania and are eligible to vote, you need to be registered by April 16. (If you live in another state, please visit Rock the Vote to find your state's information.) [EDIT (May 1, 2018): If you missed the April deadline to register for the primaries, get a jump on registration for the General Election in November. Head here  to register online right away!] *** If you have any issues on Election Day, please call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.  Issues  may include (but are not limited to): being told the wrong date/time to vote; not being allowed to cast a  provisional ballot ; being intimidated or challenged at the polls.  Be sure to bring this number with you when you vote! *** Who is Running for Office? On May 15, you can vote for a primary candidate to become Pennsylvania's Governor and Lieutenant Governor. You can also vote for candidates for the US Senate, US House of Representatives, Sta...

On April 10, we "celebrate" Equal Pay Day, the date when women's earnings catch up with men's earnings from the previous year. And, in an era where mothers are increasingly the breadwinners in a family, we need equal pay now more than ever. 42% of families rely on mothers to earn at least half of their families' wages . An additional 22% are considered "co-breadwinners," which means they bring in at least a quarter of the money seen by a family in a given year. When these mothers - or anyone - is underpaid, the entire family suffers. In 2015, the National Women's Law Center calculated that the wage gap amounts to annual loss of $10,876 for women . That adds up to five months of groceries, three months of rent and utilities, three months of child care payments, four months of health insurance, four months of student loans, and seven tanks of gas. Women and their families aren't the only people who lose out due to the wage gap. People of co...

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The National Civil Rights Museum has put together a page dedicated to Dr. King , his legacy, and ways we can continue that legacy today. You can also follow today's events live , follow NPR as they " livetweet " the day as it happened, or follow the hashtag #MLK50 on social media to see what is happening in your area.