PathWays PA Policy Blog

This week, Congressman Joe Sestak presented a proclamation to PathWays PA on behalf of the work they have done for the past 32 years.  The outgoing Congressman took the time to come to the PathWays PA office in Holmes to personally give the proclamation to Carol Goertzel, President/CEO of PathWays PA, and other PathWays PA staff.  The text of the proclamation is below. In Recognition of Pathways PA for 32 Years of Service in the Greater Philadelphia Area Hon. Joe Sestak OF PENNSYLVANIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 7, 2010 Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Pathways PA which this year celebrates 32 years of service to low-income women, children and families in the Greater Philadelphia area by helping them achieve economic independence and wellbeing. In these times of extraordinary economic hardship, this organization had stood tall to better equip disadvantaged families with the skills and tools needed to succeed in the workplace and create a safe and secure home. ...

More than 2.3 million households live over a mile from a supermarket and do not have access to a car.  Instead, convenience stores are usually the most accessible option - but often at a high price (both financially and physically).  Visit SlateLabs to learn more and to see how many people in your county live in a food desert.

With 43.6 million Americans living in poverty and millions more struggling to make ends meet, it is more important than ever to educate the public on the problem of poverty, debunk stereotypes, and make the case for proven policy solutions that can increase economic opportunity for all Americans. To that end, Half in Ten has developed this fun, interactive quiz designed to raise awareness of the problem, fight false notions, and illustrate policy solutions that work. We need to do everything we can to educate the public and policymakers and to build the grassroots movement to advance policies that create good jobs, promote economic security, strengthen families, and ultimately, cut poverty in half in ten years. In that process we need to keep in mind that outdated measures of poverty – like the federal poverty level – may not show the entire picture of those struggling to make ends meet. A new census formula has over 4 million more people living in poverty than recently thoug...

Pennsylvania’s legislators returned to Harrisburg on Tuesday, January 4 for swearing-in day and to kick off day one of the 2011-2012 legislative session. In the Senate, 25 members elected this fall, including three new Democrats, were sworn in. Senator Joe Scarnati (R – Jefferson) was voted in for a third term as president pro tempore.  In the House, 21 Republican and eight Democratic freshmen took office while Republican Sam Smith, who held the position of minority leader last session, was unanimously elected Speaker of the House. Governor-elect Tom Corbett will take office in two weeks, on January 18.  The day consisted of various activities and receptions throughout the Capitol complex. Speaker Sam Smith advised new members to “keep your feet on the ground and be mindful of why you wanted to be here and why the voters elected you.” The new House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, said he hoped both parties would seek “common ground” to restore fiscal stability and be more...

Today newly elected legislators traveled to Harrisburg to be sworn in and begin their term representing Pennsylvania. We welcome our new legislators and look forward to working with them, but we also want to point out a startling observation: of the 253 members in the General Assembly, only 42 are female . Despite the 5 more women elected to the General Assembly in 2010, Pennsylvania consistently ranks in the bottom 10 of female representation among state legislatures . It is also of note that Pennsylvania has never had a female Governor. Nationally, Pennsylvania also lacks female representation as there is only one woman serving in Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation. No woman from Pennsylvania has ever been elected Senator. While it is unclear why so few Pennsylvania women hold legislative office, many speculate that it stems from issues as varied as difficulties in raising the necessary funds to child care concerns to a lack of role models in the legislature for young ...

Legislation is set to be introduced on Friday, January 7th that would repeal the Affordable Care Act. This bill is scheduled for a vote on Wednesday, January 12th. Think of all the people you know who will benefit from the Affordable Care Act: Over 2 million seniors on Medicare in Pennsylvania have already started enjoying Free Preventive Care thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Another 2 million in Pennsylvanians have pre-existing conditions and will finally receive protection from insurance company discrimination. Over 150,000 small businesses are eligible for tax-breaks. Then there are all the youth under 26 who can now stay on their parent's insurance plan. Please sign a petition against repeal and forward it to your friends and family . We cannot go backwards to a country where getting sick means we can lose everything. If you are on Facebook join the new cause: Say NO to Repeal! Protect the Affordable Care Act .

If you're like me, you may have already broken some of your New Year's resolutions (perhaps I can exercise every day once I get over this cold :) ), but there are resolutions out there which are easy to keep.  Please take a look at the ideas below to help inspire yourself to commit to advocacy in the New Year (and thanks to the National Coalition for Literacy's 11 Ways to Recommit to Advocacy , which inspired me!) Remember what inspires you : 2010 was a hard year for many advocates, especially as we dealt with budget deficits , program cuts , and increased waiting lists for those in need.  2011 promises more challenges with new legislators coming into office and new budget cuts looming, but it can also be an opportunity.  Take a moment to remember why advocacy is important to you, whether it is a sense of justice, a personal story , or a client's success, and share that story with legislators and with friends.  And if 2011 starts getting you down, continue remembe...