PathWays PA Policy Blog

On Thursday, Oct 18th at 1 pm, experts from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center will offer a look ahead at next year's state and federal budgets, as Congress faces dramatic budget choices that will have a deep impact on our ability to provide services Delaware County families depend on. Governor Corbett is also at a choice point, and there are some signs of a course correction in PA this coming year. Also, a hundred days after the passage of this year's state budget, what impacts has the region felt? Event details are as follows: State and Federal Budget Briefing Thursday, October 18th at 1pm United Way Building 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Lobby 1 Philadelphia, PA 19103 Click here to RSVP , and circulate widely. Event cosponsored by the SEPA Budget Coalition and the Better Choices for PA Coalition.

From our friends at the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center: Southeastern Pennsylvania Budget Briefing Thursday, October 18th at 1pm United Way Building, Lobby 1 and 2 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, 19103 RSVP: http://tinyurl.com/SEPAbudgetforum Get a preview of the coming state and federal budget battles from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center’s Sharon Ward, and help tell the story of how budget cuts have impacted you and the families you serve to the media and lawmakers.

There is so much going on right now that we did not want to miss an opportunity to update you even on issues that are not budget related. Please see our recent blog posts on Ending Human Trafficking in Pennsylvania and the Paycheck Fairness Act . State Budget Update In early May, the Pennsylvania Senate approved a 2012-13 budget plan (SB 1466), spending about $500 million more than the Governor proposed. The House is expected to vote on SB 1466 the week of June 4th. Yesterday the House Appropriates Committee passed SB 1466 out of committee. There is a spend ceiling of $27.6 billion and House members are asked to keep any amendments revenue neutral. This has upset some members who are seeking amendments based on the findings of the Independent Fiscal Office that there is an additional $300 million the state has access to. While the Committee would not increase the spend number, it was mentioned that there may be an opportunity to add additional funding on the House floo...

After three weeks of examining the state budget, organizations and coalitions across the state have had some time to weigh in.   County commissioners are among the many groups to have differing views on the budget, mostly centered around the Human Services Development Fund Block Grant, which will combine funding for 7 different programs into a single block grant .  The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania has endorsed this choice, as have Chester County Commissioners .  However, cuts made as part of the block grants seem worrying to some: according to the Patriot-News , Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick III is concerned with the cut in mental health services, saying “Literally, people could be turned out on the street. They could end up in prison or worse.”  The York Daily Record/Sunday News reports that commissioners are concerned that the governor’s budget proposal puts “county officials statewide in a position where they have to either mak...

Federal Policy Updates PRESIDENT’S BUDGET PLAN EMPHASIZES INVESTMENTS IN CHILDREN  President Barack Obama recently unveiled a 2013 federal budget that bolsters investments in children, with an emphasis on early childhood and K-12 education. Overall, the president’s budget invests an additional $1.4 billion in programs that benefit children, a modest increase of less than 2 percent over the current year’s budget. His budget plan calls for: $6 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, an $825 million increase (in discretionary and mandatory spending) that will serve an additional 70,000 kids and build on the progress of the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge. $8 billion for Head Start, an $85 million increase. $12.4 billion – a $20 million increase – for special education funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Level funding of $14.5 billion for Title I grants to aid economically disadvantaged students. $850 million for Race ...

YOU ARE INVITED TO A PAID SICK DAYS HAPPY HOUR! WHEN: Tuesday, January 10, 5PM-7PM WHERE: El Fuego,  723 Walnut Street ,  Philadelphia The  Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces   is hosting a Happy Hour at El Fuego, a restaurant which provides paid sick days to its employees, to celebrate the progress made on paid sick days and to provide the opportunity to learn more about this important issue. Light food will be provided. Over 40% of  Philadelphia  workers have no access to a single paid sick day, and many of those workers handle food or work with vulnerable populations. To RSVP please email kscully@pathwayspa.org or  click here .

While many of us in Pennsylvania are shivering through the first real cold spell of the winter, Governor Corbett's budget announcement yesterday sent new shivers through many programs and services already struggling in a tough economy.   The projected $486 million revenue shortfall led to the Governor's proposal to "freeze" $160 million in spending.  ( For further analysis of the revenue shortfall, please visit this link from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. ) While this funding could be made available again in the fiscal year if revenue picks up, in most cases, budget freezes equal budget cuts. Below is a partial list of the cuts made to programs - for a full list, visit  http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/document/1214310/12_01_04_2011_12_freeze_tr_web_pdf . Not all line items were frozen. Below are some important items that remain at the same funding levels: Farmer's Market Food Coupons: $2,079,000 State Food Purchase: $17,338,...

Yesterday, Pennsylvania Budget Secretary Charles Zogby announced that he anticipates at least a $500 million shortfall for General Fund revenues at the end of the fiscal year. The Commonwealth currently shows a shortfall of $345 million, and mandatory spending for items such as pensions and debt services will increase that amount going into the 2012-2013 budget. With the lower-than-expected revenue, Governor Corbett is looking at options for a budgetary freeze. The freeze will actually be more like a cut to programs already facing shrinking funding, as frozen funds are generally not returned. According to the Secretary, everything is on the table to be cut, including reductions to education and public safety. This cuts only approach to the budget does not include discussion about any revenue options at this time. As noted by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center , recent tax cuts, both enacted and planned, are contributing to the short- and long-term problem. The Governor...

Federal Updates LIHEAP / SNAP JOINT VENTURE ON SUPER COMMITTEE TABLE OF CUTS . (News has come out this weekend suggesting that the Super Committee may have hit an impasse. However, until such news is definite, we must continue to reach out to them in support of programs that families rely on to stay secure throughout the year. The Super Committee is coming close to their deadline. Many proposals are being floated, including one that would limit states’ ability to coordinate the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and SNAP benefits (food stamps). This “Heat and Eat” program allows many states, including Pennsylvania , to coordinate SNAP and LIHEAP in recognition of the fact that too many struggling Americans face an impossible choice between paying for food or paying for energy. But Heat and Eat programs are under the threat of a $4 billion cut – meaning that many households will be left making tough choices in the coming winter months. As the Supe...

Today the Southeastern Pennsylvania Budget Coalition and PathWays PA held an event to bring together members of the community to talk about how the budget cuts are impact their lives.  Below are videos from the speakers and audience members who shared their story.  Marianne Bellesorte of PathWays PA leads off the discussion at the PathWays PA and Southeastern PA Budget Coalition event. Then Esther Smits, a Consumer Volunteer from the Freedom Valley Disability Center, talks about how budget cuts have impacted her life. Patricia Roberts of the Mental Health Association Kate Scully form PathWays PA talks about how budget cuts are impacting PathWays PA's clients. Gerry Gonzalez of Child Guidance Resource Center shares how budget cuts impact their services and clients.

Please RSVP to http://stopcutstoourcommunity.eventbrite.com Or call Kate at 215-563-5848 x16 The cuts to the state budget this year have already had a devastating effect on our families, our services, our county, and our state. Now is the time to tell legislators what we need to succeed in future budgets. PathWays PA and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Budget Coalition are cosponsoring an event with legislators on Thursday, October 27th at noon to discuss the impact of state budget cuts on local families struggling in this difficult economy. The discussion will have consequences: legislators are debating a tax on natural gas drilling that could infuse close to half a billion dollars into our schools and services for children, people with disabilities, and families reeling from the recession. The public event is from 12 -1 on Thursday, October 27th at Media Borough Hall, 301 N. Jackson Street, Media, 19063.  We have invited the DelCo legislative delegation. As a bonus,...

The State Legislature was in district recess last week due to Columbus Day Holiday, but controlling hospital infections, a topic they have consistently focused on garnered some attention. According to an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, reported cases of two common and potentially deadly types of hospital-acquired infections dropped significantly last year at Pennsylvania hospitals, the state Department of Health reported on Wednesday. Bloodstream infections caused by central lines — catheters typically used in intensive care units to deliver antibiotics and fluids into the bloodstream — declined 24.4 percent from 2009 to 1,606 cases last year. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections declined to 3,245 cases, a decrease of 13.2 percent from two years ago. The overall rate of hospital-acquired infections dropped by 3.4 percent last year against 2009 rates. Click here to read the Pittsburgh Tribune Review article.

In an op-ed published today , Michael Froehlich and Julie Zaebst depict some of the issues budget cuts have caused in County Welfare Offices, particularly in Philadelphia.  Among the problems they cite: Since 2002, the number of workers in the Department of Public Welfare has dropped by 13%, but caseloads have almost doubled in that time Fewer than one in five calls to the Philadelphia Customer Service Center are being picked up Almost one in six applications for food stamps are rejected due to lost documents or failure to make an appointment; however, Froehlich and Zaebst say that in their experience, "these rejections can often be attributed to documents misplaced by overwhelmed skeleton crews or to ineffectual "phone tag" between officials and applicants [busy with] work, child-care, and school schedules." The programs offered by the Department of Public Welfare are meant to be ways that families can stay above water in the short-term while they look for fa...

From our friends at the Coalition on Human Needs Please join us in a conversation with White House staff about the President's New Deficit Reduction and Job Creation Plan: 2:00 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, September 22 Call 800-401-8436 The President's just-announced plan, Living Within Our Means and Investing in the Future , is a comprehensive approach to solving the nation's short- and long-term problems. It includes the American Jobs Act, legislation investing $447 billion to fund teachers and public safety workers, modernize schools and other infrastructure, target job creation in low-income communities, provide extra help to long-term unemployed, youth, and other especially vulnerable groups, and protect the jobless with an extension of federal Unemployment Insurance. It also includes $1.5 trillion in revenues from progressive sources as part of its 10-year deficit reduction plan. You may have heard the President speak of the "Buffett rule" - s...

From our friends at PUP Harrisburg Tuesday, September 27 Rally 1 PM Capitol Rotunda Free Bus leaves Philadelphia at 8:30 AM from 16th and JFK The Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance program (HEMAP) was suspended July 1 due to state budget cuts. HEMAP, which has saved the homes of over 45,000 Pennsylvania families since 1984, offers low interest loans to allow homeowners to stay in their homes during temporary economic problems like unemployment, illness, etc. With the unemployment and foreclosure crisis continuing into its 4th year, with no end in sight, PA needs mortgage help for our citizens. This is no time to end a successful program protecting deserving homeowners. Come to Harrisburg on September 27 to support the $15 million needed to keep HEMAP available to PA homeowners. Call 215-557-0822 to reserve a seat and check our web page at www.PASaveOurHomes.org . Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Save Our Homes Coalition C/o Philadelphia Unemployment Project 112 N. Br...

FEDERAL POLICY UPDATES HELP PRESERVE FUNDING FOR ANTI-HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS Next Tuesday, July 26, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-H) Appropriations Subcommittee is scheduled to vote on its draft FY 2012 funding bill. This is the first proposal from Congress on funding levels for key programs targeted toward people experiencing homelessness and we need YOUR help to make sure it's as good as possible. Specifically, we need to make sure that this bill includes $135 million for Runaway and Homeless Youth Act Programs and $75 million for the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program. What You Can Do: NOTE: Congressional office phone numbers can be found by dialing the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121. Click here for more information on contacting your Member of Congress. Find out if your representative is on the Labor-H appropriations subcommittee. Click here to see a list of committee members. If so, call your repre...

FEDERAL POLICY UPDATES MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD ABOUT DANGEROUS FEDERAL BUDGET CUTS Your call is still needed - please fight dangerous cuts by calling today to support low-income families! Call your senators toll-free at 888-907-1485, and tell them that middle-class and struggling families must not bear the brunt of the budget cuts. Ask for a budget plan that reduces the deficit responsibly and works for all Americans - not just millionaires and big business. Urge your senators to oppose harmful cuts or caps to programs serving our nation's most vulnerable communities. Here is a script you can use: "Hello, my name is ____________ and I am a constituent of Senator ______________. I am calling today to ask the Senator to prevent harmful cuts or caps to low/moderate-income programs in the negotiations to reduce the deficit. Please insist on fair increases in revenues and reductions in wasteful military spending to prevent reckless cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, and...

On June 30, the Pennsylvania General Assembly completed work on a 2011-12 state budget. The final budget spends $27.249 billion, the lowest amount since the 2008-09 enacted budget, with cuts totaling more than $960 million. The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC) has just released a detailed analysis of the budget . Some of the highlights include: The budget uses only $200 million of a $786 million 2010-11 year-end surplus. The year-end surplus was 10 times the $78 million surplus projected in the Governor’s March budget proposal. The budget suspends a legally required transfer of 25% of the year-end surplus to the Rainy Day Fund. Lawmakers say this was done as a condition of receiving funds through the American Recovery Act (ARRA). With 2010-11 lapses, perhaps as much as $1 billion is carried forward and unappropriated in 2011-12. The budget presumes revenue growth of 1.2% in 2011-12, far less than the 4.7% assumed in the Governor’s budget proposal in March. Public ...