PathWays PA Policy Blog

Governor Wolf presented his sixth budget today with a focus on education, supporting workers and the workforce, and reducing gun violence. Overall, the budget increases spending to $36 billion compared to last year. Governor Wolf also proposed a higher minimum wage (as he did last year), 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 2026. 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: Highlights of the proposed 2020-21 Pennsylvania budget Pa. Governor’s Budget Pushes for Addressing Asbestos in Schools, College Debt Aid Pa. budget: Another year of flat funding for public libraries lands them in ‘Loser’ list Governor Wolf Urges Legislature to Tackle Gun Violence, Student Debt, Toxic Schools Click here for large version Click here to view larger version

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 ...

While the Senate chose to skip its usual August recess this year, the House is at home with its constituents - you. Why not take the time to meet with your legislators and tell them what you are thinking about? If you're not sure how to go about setting up a meeting (or what to do once you're there), check out our information below. Decide what you want to meet about: There's so many issues to discuss right now - healthcare ,  DACA , domestic violence and the Violence Against Women Act, paid family leave and the FAMILY Act , payday lending .... Think about what matters to you, and do a little research to learn more until you feel comfortable talking about it. Set up the meeting: Prosperity Now put together a great tool for setting up recess meetings, including a sample email and information on how to contact the scheduler in your legislator's office.  If you're uncomfortable with this format, you can make it simple - find your member of Congress here , a...

Our friends at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence report that Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas has just introduced a new bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). This bill, among other changes: • Increases authorization for the Rape Prevention and Education Program to $150 million to address skyrocketing need and demand for community prevention programs. • Strengthens public housing protections for survivors including those seeking housing transfers based on safety concerns. • Acknowledges the trauma of incarceration on women and their family members, especially their children, and improves health care services and trauma informed responses to better prepare incarcerated women to return to their communities. • Improves enforcement of current federal domestic violence-related firearms laws and closes loopholes to reduce firearm-involved abuse and intimate partner homicide. • Expands VAWA's ability to respond to sexual harassment. Ta...

There were few surprises in this year's Pennsylvania budget (other than the fact that it finished up early). We've compiled our usual list below of line items affecting low-income families and the people we serve. To see the full budget, visit the PA Office of the Budget . As you can see below, most line items that we follow stayed level or increased in funding. While the Governor's budget "zeroed out" (removed funding) from a few, all programs that we watch regained their funding in the legislature.

Click here to enlarge This afternoon, Governor Wolf announced the 2018-2019 budget, along with some of his policy initiatives for the year. In his budget speech , he proposed an additional $125 million for K-12 education and a new program, called Community Health Choices, designed to help seniors receive care in their communities instead of in facilities. The budget summary  also calls for an increase in the minimum wage, modernization of the Equal Pay law, and the passage of a statewide paid sick days bill. The chart pictured here shows selected line items from the Governor's budget. Basic Education, Pre-K Counts, and the Children's Health Insurance Program are among the programs set to get an increase, while Adult and Family Literacy and County Assistance Offices see a slight decrease in funding. A number of programs, including Mobile Science and Math Education, Job Training and Special Education, Regional Cancer Institutes, ALS Support Services, and the New Choices/Ne...

They're still dotting the eyes and crossing the t's, but it looks like we will have a PA budget that is close to on time. After a Senate vote earlier, the House must also approve the budget legislation before it heads to Governor Wolf. The Governor has indicated he will sign the bill, but probably not until early next week when other pieces of the budget are ready for his signature too. Below is our chart on the final budget proposal. Most (but not all) of the programs we track received flat or increased funding. Click here to enlarge

The Pennsylvania State House voted yesterday to pass a 2017-2018 budget package that cuts $815 million in spending from the budget proposed by Governor Wolf in February. The final vote was 114-85, with most (but not all) Republicans supporting the plan but no Democratic votes. The bill now moves on to the Senate. Budget cuts could be found across the board, including the human services line items that we follow. Some increases to education made by the governor remain in the budget, although early childhood education is getting a smaller increase than requested. Please take a look at the chart below to see how your budget items fared, or look at the full budget here . Your next steps: Look at the line items that matter to you, and call your state senator to share your thoughts. Should something be getting more money? Less? Tell your senator today. (PS - The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center has a Fair Share Tax proposal on their website that could give you some ideas on how a...

As in most years, we've put together a graphic highlighting programs of special interest to PathWays PA and our clients. Please take a look and let us know what you think of the Governor's proposed funding methods.

Yesterday,  Community Legal Services  issued a report looking at the TANF caseload decline in Pennsylvania. Timed around the 20th anniversary of welfare reform (aka The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, or PRWORA ), CLS looks at the reasons for caseload decline and makes recommendations on how Pennsylvania can ensure TANF actually helps poor families. Here are some of the findings: The PA TANF max grant (approx. $403/month) hasn't increased since 1990 In 2014, at least 35,000 PA families with children receiving SNAP (food stamps) were poor enough to qualify for TANF but didn't receive it Unless exempt because of disability or good cause, TANF recipients MUST spend 20/30 hours per week working or in a work program TANF cash grants may be small, but they can help pay the rent, cover utilities, or buy diapers - all things SNAP can't do The TANF caseload in PA has declined by over 300,000 adults and children since 1996, but since 2008, the number of p...

Pennsylvania's House of Representatives may consider a bill that would amend the Public Welfare Code and reinstate a lifetime ban against accessing public assistance for most people with felony drug convictions. This legislation casts too wide of a net and has unintended consequences. While House Bill 222 is intended to target large-scale drug traffickers, survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking who have been convicted of drug charges as a result of their abuser's control over them, or those charged with possession with intent to deliver small amounts of drugs, would also be affected. The benefits that these survivors (and their children) would need in order to break free from the control of their abusers would be denied - including Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and food stamps. People currently experiencing domestic abuse most often cite financial instability as the reason for their decision to stay with or return to their abuser. Therefore, ...

UPDATE (10/16/14 1:27 PM) - HB 1796 has passed the Senate unanimously and is on it's way to the Governor's desk! Thanks to everyone for their support! Last night, Senator Hughes made a motion to revert HB 1796 to a prior printer’s number, eliminating the preemption amendment. The motion passed 26-22 . Please take a moment to thank everyone who voted to help end the threat of preemption! Thank you to everyone who made calls and spoke to their legislators, and a special thanks to our anti-domestic violence advocates and PCADV in particular. The saga of HB 1796 continues, however. This bill, which passed unanimously in the House and was set to sail through the Senate until the preemption amendment was attached, is now marked as "over" for the day. In other words, the Senate doesn't plan to vote on it today, and since this is the last day of the session, it is the last day for votes. Unless we take action now, we will have to start over with this bill in Januar...

It's the last day of planned voting in the PA Senate, and HB 1796, a common-sense bill designed to protect domestic violence survivors from being evicted from their homes, is about to be amended to include pro-gun legislation. We probably don't need to tell you that a gun is the most common weapon used in domestic homicides. This legislation is being added to a bill that has already been amended to include anti-paid sick days language, yet another provision that would harm domestic violence survivors as well as many families across Pennsylvania. Please call your Senators NOW and ask them not to approve HB 1796 with these amendments! They are in session as we speak and need to hear from you RIGHT NOW. What is HB 1796? From our friends at  The Women's Law Project : Sponsored by Rep. Todd Stephens, HB1796, titled "Protection for Victims of Crime from Certain Municipal Ordinances" was drafted in response to a situation so outrageous that it  gained natio...

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...

From our friends at the National Partnership for Women and Families. No one should have to choose between staying employed and staying safe. Join the National Partnership for Women & Families (@NPWF), Half in Ten (@halfinten), Futures Without Violence (@WithoutViolence), Legal Momentum (@LegalMomentum), National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (@endsxlviolence) and National Network to End Domestic Violence (@nnedv) for a tweet chat on Today, May 15th at 2:00 pm about the intersection of economic security and domestic violence and sexual assault. Hashtag #SafeWomenSucceed. Sample tweets below: No one should have to choose bw staying employed & staying safe. Let's talk about DV/SA & economic security 5/15 @ 2pmET #SafeWomenSucceed Join the discussion about domestic & sexual violence & economic security 5/15 @ 2pmET #SafeWomenSucceed #talkpoverty #paidsickdays

From our Friends at the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence Contact your legislator and ask that they vote "YES" to House Bill 1796 (Nuisance Ordinances). Victims of a crime should never be punished for seeking help from those who are charged to serve and protect. Victims of domestic violence and other crimes are being evicted from their homes as a result of seeking protection from law enforcement or emergency services. This scenario is possible through municipalities adopting nuisance ordinances requiring landlords to evict an individual deemed a nuisance if police are called to the residence on multiple occasions (usually three times in a 12-month period). If a landlord does not evict the tenant, they will face fines and penalties-such as revocation of their rental license. At least 19 Pennsylvania communities-including Pittsburgh, Allentown, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre and York-as well as 59 other U.S. municipalities have similar laws that requi...

From our friends at Women Against Abuse October may be over, but there are still things you can do to raise awareness about domestic violence in your community. Get trained in how to identify and appropriately respond to signs of domestic violence . Organize a training on domestic violence with your local community group -- whether your church, your school, your neighborhood association or your workplace. Request a training online today! Learn what additional steps you can take in your community! And remember, the domestic violence hotline is always open and confidential at: 1-866-723-3014

http://www.pasaysnomore.com/ is a website where you can share stories of domestic violence and get valuable information and resources. The No More campaign is bringing together all people, organizations and communities that support ending domestic violence and sexual assault in our society. The website is part of a joint effort between PCADV (Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence) and PCAR (Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape) to get all Pennsylvanians to join voices and say no more to domestic violence and sexual assault.

Here is what we're reading as the shutdown continues: How the Shutdown is Impacting Specific Federal Workforce Programs : Based the information that is currently available, here is the National Skills Coalition's best understanding so far of the impact of the shutdown on certain employment and training programs. Domestic Violence Programs See Their Funding End : The Office of Justice Programs, the Office on Violence Against Women, and other federal agencies funding domestic violence programs planned to fund the programs through Friday, October 4, 2013. Since the shutdown has not ended, many programs must rely on any funds they have in hand to see them through the fiscal crisis. If You Rely On Government Websites, Sorry:  Along with the government shutdown has come the shuttering of many websites, ranging from the American Community Survey database to NASA.gov.  If You Rely on Government Programs, You May Not Have Them for Much Longer : As we enter week 2 of the shutdown,...

Women Against Abuse is excited to announce its 6th Annual iPledge Campaign, a citywide social awareness movement that calls on ordinary Philadelphians to get involved in speaking out against domestic violence. The campaign will launch on October 1 at noon in Love Park with a press conference to mark the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Philadelphia. Visit the iPledge website to learn more and get information on the upcoming walk to end domestic violence on October 26 hosted by State Senator LeAnna Washington!