PITTSBURGH, August 9, 2024 – After years of advocacy, on Friday local lawmakers, families and service providers gathered at a local group home to highlight life-changing investments for the intellectual disability and autism (ID/A) communities contained in the new state budget.
This year’s state budget includes a historic $354.8 million in federal and state funding to provide more resources for home and community-based service providers. This includes $280 million to help raise wages for the direct support professionals who care for Pennsylvanians and are the backbone of the system.
“I am so proud that this year’s budget included crucial dollars to support our friends and neighbors with disabilities, and the people who care for them,” said state Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny. “We absolutely must continue the fight to make care affordable and accessible to the ID/A community, and to care for our commonwealth’s caregivers who support them. I look forward to continuing to expand on the great work we’ve done, and I’m grateful to have colleagues and leaders who keep this conversation moving forward.”
In addition to increased funding for services, this year’s budget included $74.8 million to continue the process of clearing the emergency waiting list – ensuring more Pennsylvanians receive the care they need and deserve. That funding builds on the $17 million allocated last year to begin a multi-year effort to eliminate the emergency waiting list.
“For years we have heard from the community and from caregivers that there are needs that we must address,” said Rep. Dan Miller, D-Allegheny and House Majority Whip. “This year’s budget starts to keep the promises we have made and is an important downpayment toward ending waiting lists in our commonwealth. We still have more work to do, but I want to thank the Governor for his leadership in this arena and for being a true champion of the ID/A community.”
The funding increase also increases support for service providers, which aims to improve the overall quality and accessibility of services
“Emmaus Community is a well-recognized provider of quality services for people with intellectual disability and autism,” said Emmaus CEO Karen Jacobsen. “We recognize Dan Miller’s support for community-based services for people with disabilities and we deeply appreciate his and Sen. Costa’s leadership. We are also grateful to Gov. Josh Shapiro for understanding and investing in Intellectual Disability and Autism services!”
These historic financial commitments represent a significant investment in supports for individuals with intellectual disabilities/autism, directly contributing to their ability to lead fulfilling lives in their communities and represent a major step forward toward meeting the needs of this community in Pennsylvania.
“As a family member, I thank Gov. Shapiro and the Pennsylvania legislature for listening to people with intellectual disabilities and autism and families across Pennsylvania and then taking action to include $354 million in the 2024-2025 Budget for the waiting list and rate increases,” said Nancy Murray. “This is the first year of Gov. Shapiro’s multi-year growth strategy, so we still have work to do, but it is a much appreciated first step.”
PITTSBURGH, PA − July 23, 2024 − Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who serves as chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), joined state leaders at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to announce the availability of $10 million in funding for nonprofit organizations to protect the safety and security of their facilities.
With the passage of the 2024-25 budget, the Shapiro-Davis Administration secured twice the amount of funding provided through this program last year to support much-needed planning, training, equipment, and technology upgrades for places of worship, community centers and other nonprofit entities.
“Hate has absolutely no place in Pennsylvania,” Lt. Gov. Davis said. “No matter what you look like, who you love or how you worship, every Pennsylvanian deserves to be safe and feel safe in their community. With the additional $5 million investment that the Shapiro-Davis Administration secured in this year’s budget, even more nonprofit organizations will have the resources they need to keep their members and visitors safe from threats and acts of violence.”
Speakers Include:
Shawn Brokos, Pittsburgh Jewish Federation
LT. Gov Davis
Senator Jay Costa
Representative Dan Frankel
Representative Abigail Salisbury
Tree of Life CEO Carole Zawatsky
Harrisburg, PA − July 11, 2024 – Today, the Pennsylvania Senate and House passed a $47.59B dollar budget that makes significant investments in basic education, higher education, public safety, health and human services, and economic development.
Senator Jay Costa, Senate Democratic Leader, and Senator Vincent Hughes, Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair, said the following about Pennsylvania’s new budget:
“I am happy to report that today, we passed a budget bill, a school code, a tax code, and a fiscal code. Our discussions these past few weeks were very productive, and the Senate Democratic Caucus was proud to fight for a number of our priorities,” said Senator Costa. “This budget makes significant investments in the issues Pennsylvanians find important and impactful. We have invested over $1 billion new dollars into pre-k to 12 education funding, and a $900 million increase to address our education adequacy needs and basic education funding. In the space of economic development, there is over $45 million for new programs that support new jobs and businesses, including funding for the PA SITES program. We also got a $40 million increase for affordable housing through the PHARE Housing Program over 4 years. I am personally very proud that we doubled our investment in the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to a total of $10 million to protect the spaces in our communities that serve vulnerable groups. There is so much more to celebrate, and also much more work to do to deliver for every Pennsylvanian. I am so grateful for my colleagues and staff for getting this budget over the finish line.”
“This budget makes a historic downpayment on our responsibility to fix Pennsylvania’s education funding system with an increase of over $1B for Pre-K to 12 education funding,” said Senator Hughes. “I along with a number of advocates, educators, and students have been in the fight to fix Pennsylvania’s unconstitutional education system for 10 years, and tonight we’re taking an important step forward to right that egregious wrong. Our work isn’t finished but this budget marks a significant milestone for Pennsylvania’s public education system.
I’m also proud to see the Commonwealth move forward with long overdue investments and reform for our higher education system. Democrats started leading on this issue in 2017 with our PA Promise plan and then requirements on higher ed transparency and accountability. We’ve finally got something across the finish line that will improve access and affordability for students and families, and ultimately improve our workforce. It’s gratifying to see the groundwork we started to lay 7 years ago with PA Promise result in a serious change for PA higher education.
Overall, we’re delivering big increases for education, affordable housing, public safety, and a number of new investments in economic development initiatives. The investments we’re making in this budget will have a significant impact on opportunities and growth for Pennsylvanians across the Commonwealth. Of course, with a divided government, there’s more that Democrats will be fighting for as we make future appropriations, but we’ve made a solid stride forward with what we’ve passed today.”
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HARRISBURG, PA − July 11, 2024 − Today, Governor Josh Shapiro signed SB 219, State Senator Jay Costa’s Longtime Owner Occupant Tax Exemption Program (LOOP), into law. Now Act 53 of 2024, this program will allow Pittsburgh’s mayor and city council to exempt or defer increases in property taxes for people who have lived in homes they own for a certain period of time in certain neighborhoods where the property values have skyrocketed.
“After years of advocacy and listening to the needs of Pittsburgh, I am so happy to be celebrating the signing of LOOP into law today,” said Democratic Leader Jay Costa. “I look forward to seeing the impact of Act 53 of 2024 in the City of Pittsburgh – making sure the people who built our communities can stay in their communities.”
Text of the legislation is accessible online here.
Learn more about the history of the LOOP Legislation at SenatorCosta.com/LOOP.
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HARRISBURG – June 26, 2024 – The Senate Transportation Committee voted today in favor of a bill sponsored by Sens. Pat Stefano (R-32) and Jay Costa (D-43) that would provide an alternative solution for Pennsylvania drivers who are unable to pay the fees of their suspended license: community service.
Senate Bill 1118 would allow for a magisterial district judge to determine if someone is financially unable to bear the costs of the fines/fees associated with a traffic offense and then instead assign community service as a payment alternative to an indefinite license suspension.
“Too often, young and economically disadvantaged drivers carry the burden of insurmountable amounts of debt, restricting their potential. Those individuals deserve a solution to retain their driver’s license so that they can continue to contribute to our communities,” said Stefano. “Providing this alternative for drivers to avoid a suspended license will not only empower those individuals to pursue employment or education opportunities but further enhance our workforce and aid the betterment of neighborhoods across the commonwealth.”
The bill would also allow those who currently have suspended licenses – due to violations of driving without a license, failure to appear in court or failure to pay fines – to be provided with the option of community service if a judge sees fit. The community service payment alternative could additionally apply to suspensions related to driving with a suspended license.
“I am delighted to be supporting this bill as we move the needle on justice for low-income drivers,” said Costa. “We know that members of our community who struggle financially rely on their cars to get to work, care for family, and manage day-to-day tasks. By allowing those drivers an alternate pathway for reinstituting their license, we are delivering a justice system that works for every Pennsylvanian. I look forward to getting this over the finish line.”
The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
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Harrisburg − June 24, 2024 − Today, Senator Jay Costa, Senate Democratic Leader, and Senator Vincent Hughes, Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair, issued the following statements to recognize the second anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Senate Democrats’ commitment to protect a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body and reproductive health in Pennsylvania.
Senator Costa explained, “Let me be as clear as I can: The PA Senate Democrats believe that every single person deserves the freedom to decide whether, when, and how to have a family. These deeply intimate decisions belong with the families and their care providers, not in committee meetings or legislators’ offices. I am proud to be lending my voice to this issue on this sad and solemn anniversary, and I look forward to continuing the fight for safe, accessible reproductive healthcare for every Pennsylvanian.”
Senator Hughes echoed his commitment to women’s freedom, “On this anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we’re reminded that we cannot lose focus on defending and preserving the freedoms that have been established for generations in America. Our democracy is dependent on our participation- we must continue to advocate, vote, and work toward progress. While today is a solemn reminder of the terrible step back our country took two years ago, it’s important for everyone in Pennsylvania to know that PA Senate Democrats remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to make decisions about her body and reproductive health. We will continue to fight for women and the basic freedoms that were unjustly threatened by the Supreme Court, on this day two years ago.”
More information about the Pennsylvania Senate Democrats’ commitment to safe, affordable healthcare for every Pennsylvanian can be found online.
