PathWays PA Policy Blog

Creative Arts engage children's minds, bodies, and senses! Please consider joining us as we share artful creations from our Therapeutic Art Enrichment program. The children experience less anxiety, build positive relationships and create mindful art while residing at the Center for Families. We hope that you enjoy their work as much as they do. Some of our young artists will be onsite to talk with you and answer some of your questions about their work. Hoping to see you real soon! Time: 1p-3p Date: March 30, 2019 Location: Saint Paul Episcopal Church 1105 East Lincoln Highway Exton, PA 19341 Entrance Fee: Donation of Art supplies

Several government agencies are proposing regulations that you can comment on. Let the federal government know what you think! SNAP (food stamps) - Federal law currently requires that childless adults can only receive three months of food assistance over a three year period unless they can document working at least 20 hours per week. However, states can waive these rules in times of high unemployment. New USDA rules would eliminate those waivers, ending SNAP for about 755,000 adults.  Take Action:  Feeding America, the Food Research & Action Center, the Center for American Progress, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities are helping coordinate a campaign to oppose the rule. For additional resources and details about the campaign, please visit http://bit.ly/SNAPRuleCampaign . Social Security - The Social Security Administration is proposing a rule change that would eliminate "inability to communicate in English" from the list of categories considered whe

On Friday, President Trump signed a national emergency declaration  in order to pay for his proposed border wall. This declaration marks the 58th time a national emergency had been made, with 31 of those emergencies still in effect today . So what happens next? The ACLU already filed a lawsuit challenging the declaration, as did 16 states who say they are harmed by diverting funding to the wall. Congress has the ability to take up a joint resolution to end the emergency declaration, although it is unclear if they have the votes to do so (or to override the expected veto). Besides signing the emergency declaration, President Trump also signed a budget agreement, preventing another shut down.  The budget includes funding for 45,724 immigration detention beds, an increase from the 2018 budget - but 17% fewer people than the 49,057 currently detained. You can read more about the detention space here . Meanwhile, in a February 2019 court filing , the Administration stated that re

We're heading into another budget season - time to break out the spreadsheets and charts! Governor Wolf presented his budget today with a focus on education and jobs, with what both sides described as a bipartisan outlook  or at the very least places where both parties could find agreement . Overall, the budget increases spending by 4.2% (or $1.4 billion) compared to last year. Nearly $300 million would go towards increased education spending for K-12, special education, and state universities. Governor Wolf also proposed a higher minimum wage, raising the current rate of $7.25/hour to $12/hour by July and then increasing the wage over time until it reaches $15 in 2025. The last time the minimum wage increased in Pennsylvania was when the federal government increased the wage in 2009. Here are some of the articles we've been reading on the budget: Schools, farms and voting machines in Gov. Tom Wolf's budget sights Gov. Wolf unveils budget: more money for public