Harrisburg – July 13, 2016 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) issued the following statement after the Senate approved a revenue package that closes a $1.2 billion hole in the $31.5 billion 2016-17 General Fund budget.
The new funding eliminates the budget deficit, while guaranteeing key investments in education, opioid treatment, job creation, senior citizen programs and social services.
The 2016-17 General Fund budget (Senate Bill 1073) went into effect earlier this week without the governor’s signature.
The measure, House Bill 1198, cleared the Senate on a 28 to 22 vote.
Costa’s comments follow:
“The challenges in completing a comprehensive budget and revenue plan for 2016-17 were significant. It was essential that new budget investments in education, human services, job creation and public safety are both fully funded and paid for in a responsible way.
“The $1.24 billion new revenue package is an honest approach that uses a responsible mix of sustainable revenues, funding enhancements and efficiencies to generate sufficient dollars to erase the budget deficit and bolster funding of key programs.
“The bipartisan revenue package that was approved today – combined with the solid spending plan that went into effect without the governor’s signature yesterday – moves Pennsylvania forward and enables the state to regain ground lost from years of disinvestment.”
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Harrisburg, July 10, 2016 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) and Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Vincent J. Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) released the following comments in support of Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement that he was allowing the state budget bill (Senate Bill 1073) to become law without his signature.
The governor said that he will continue working on a bipartisan revenue package to fund the $31.53 billion state spending plan for Fiscal 2016-17. The spending measure that cleared the Senate with a bipartisan 47 to 3 vote includes $200 million in new dollars for basic education, $20 million more for special education and additional fund for early childhood education.
Sen. Jay Costa:
“In letting the budget become law and keeping the dollars flowing for key programs, the governor is appropriately moving the state forward. The state spending plan is solid budget that includes new funds for basic education, special education, early childhood education and dollars for opioid treatment. Work must continue on a bipartisan basis to find the resources and revenues that are needed to fund these key initiatives.”
Sen. Vincent J. Hughes:
“The state budget was developed in a bipartisan way and it passed both chambers with overwhelming bipartisan support. While we all have differing priorities, I am pleased that the measure will go into effect so important social service programs and funding initiatives are not interrupted. Revenues are tight and choices hard, but we must continue working in a bipartisan way to find sustainable revenues and balance the state spending plan.”
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Harrisburg – July 5, 2016 – Grant funds from the state’s Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) will be used to support the redevelopment of the former Westinghouse Research site in Churchill, state Sen. Jay Costa (D- Forest Hills) announced today.
Funds for the more than $6 million project were requested by Churchill Community Development.
“This is an exciting project that is critically important to the economic development of Churchill and communities throughout the East Hills,” Costa said. “These funds will be used to spur the reuse of the property.
Costa said he worked on the project closely with State Representative Paul Costa (D-Allegheny) to ensure funding for this important project was on the CFA agenda for approval.
“Once the project is complete, there will be opportunities for shopping and commercial development.”
The grant from the CFA’s Multimodal Transportation Fund will be utilized to install traffic signals at entrance points to the property, build two new bus shelters, a round-about and for the reconstruction of nearby roads.
“We have a real opportunity to make a difference with these dollars and repurpose a valuable piece of property that was once a main feature of the economic mix of the region,” Costa said. “The grant will be used to help redevelop the site, create jobs and generate business activity.”
The CFA is an independent state agency responsible for administering Pennsylvania’s economic stimulus packages including multimodal transportation funds secured for the Westinghouse project.
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Harrisburg – June 28, 2016 – Legislation establishing accountability and transparency at the Pittsburgh Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (ICA) received unanimous support in the Senate today, said Senators Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny) and Randy Vulakovich (R-Allegheny/Butler).
Amid serious concerns regarding a lack of oversight and financial accountability raised by auditors in May, Senate Bill 1221 (co-sponsored by Costa, Fontana and Vulakovich) takes immediate steps to reform the agency.
“Given the circumstances there was a need for substantial reforms to provide openness and transparency at the ICA,” Costa said. “The legislation passed by the Senate today provides clear accountability standards and procedures that will move both the authority and the city forward.
“It’s a win-win and one that I’m pleased my colleagues supported.”
Fontana added, “Given the lack of records and accountability as well as the gross improprieties by the former executive director, these reform measures are crucial. The ICA was accountable to no one in the past and my hope is that the provisions in this legislation improve the operations of the authority and bring about greater transparency to taxpayers.”
In addition to calling for further oversight by the Department of Community and Economic Development, Senate Bill 1221 also:
- Requires greater transparency at the authority and record keeping that meets the standards of other state agencies;
- Creates a records retention policy that is consistent with the policy of the governor’s Office of Administration and retains financial information for a minimum of four years and tax information, payroll and audits for seven years;
- Provides a formal process for determining the use and distribution of gaming revenues for Pittsburgh; and
- Requires the agency to maintain a publicly-accessible website to include complete financial records, budgets and contracts.
“I am pleased that today the Senate passed much needed reform to the ICA,” Vulakovich said. “The unfortunate actions of the past were a learning opportunity for us to take recommended changes and put them into law. I want to commend Senators Costa and Fontana for their leadership on this and look forward to working with the ICA board in the future.”
Costa and Fontana previously called for the removal of the now former ICA Executive Director Henry Sciortino and called on the Allegheny County District Attorney to investigate the authority’s financial activity. That investigation, along with a forensic audit of agency financial records is ongoing.
Senate Bill 1221 now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.
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June 22, 2016 – State Senate Democratic Whip Anthony H. Williams (D-Philadelphia/Delaware) today said that the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) has been devastated by recurring state budget cuts and that the state spending plan now under consideration needs to address agency funding shortfalls.
“The PHRC has an incredibly important job to do and it cannot function properly if its funding is slashed year in and year out,” Williams said today.
Williams was joined at a news conference at the Capitol by his Democratic colleague from Philadelphia Sen. Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia), Senate Democratic leader Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), Democratic Appropriations Chair Sen. Vincent J. Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) other Democratic senators and advocates.
“The agency’s ability to ensure that civil rights protections are upheld has been compromised by chronic underfunding,” Tartaglione said. “We are here to request that additional funds be included in the appropriation for the commission so it has the resources to do its important work.”
The state appropriation for the PHRC has fallen from $10.6 million in 2008 to $8.7 million last year. The total agency budget was reduced from $14.1 million to $10 million over the same time span.
“Incredibly, at a time when we should be doing more to protect civil rights, the agency dedicated to this purpose has had to dramatically cut staff and is under pressure to close cases without proper investigation,” Williams said.
The lawmakers are seeking an additional $2 million in state funding in this budget to bolster operations at the PHRC.
“I am pleased that my Senate Democratic colleagues and those representatives that have been touched by the work of the PHRC have come out today to support the call for more funding,” Williams said. “It is important that those of us who are committed to preserving this agency as a protector of civil rights stay united and put pressure on budget negotiators.”
Williams said that staffing at the commission is at a crisis point. According to the senator, the historical complement of investigators and professional staff has been just under 200 employees. Today, there are only 76 investigators and professionals to handle the agency’s responsibilities.
“Values like equality, service, integrity, excellence and teamwork were once associated with the commission and its operations,” Williams said. “The PHRC was once recognized as a preeminent protector of civil rights.
“We can get the agency back to that position of being a nationally-recognized leader, but it has to be funded properly.”
The call for more funding and for making systemic repairs at the commission follows media reports about upheaval at the agency over the last several years. Allegations of long-time staff being forced out, hostile working conditions and discriminatory hiring practices have been cited in news reports.
The operations of the commission were recently examined at a Senate State Government Committee hearing requested by Williams earlier this month.
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Harrisburg, May 18, 2016 – With drug overdose deaths reaching epidemic levels, Senate Democrats unveiled legislation today to address the opioid addiction crisis from prevention through recovery.
“Addiction is a disease that does not discriminate and there is no easy solution to fix the problem,” Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) said. “When addiction finds its way into a family, it can nearly paralyze them for fear of what the future may hold.”
Recognizing the need to provide support at all levels, the Senate Democrats’ legislation focuses on providing new opportunities for education and treatment as well as expanded support options in the community for addicts, professionals and families.
“We cannot address this problem in a vacuum and must work to provide the necessary services and support to everyone involved,” Costa said. “Families are being affected and communities torn apart as a result of opioid abuses and heroin addiction.”
Opioids are a class of drug that include heroin as well as the prescription pain relievers oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, fentanyl and others. According to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study, fatal drug overdoses in Pennsylvania increased 14 fold between 1979 and 2014.
“We are in the midst of the worst ever overdose death epidemic and the worst public health crisis of the last 100 years, Secretary of Drug and Alcohol Programs Gary Tennis said. “It will continue to take a collaborative effort among many partners to effectively address this crisis.”
The package of legislation includes:
Emergency Addiction Treatment Program – Charging the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs with establishing a comprehensive program that includes new addiction treatment facilities for those drug users that are currently going without care; new intake methods to provide information to those with addiction problems or their family and friends; advice and assistance in accessing treatment; and data collection to help identify patterns of addiction.
School Aged Children Opioid Awareness Education Program – Requiring the Departments of Drug and Alcohol Programs, Health, and Education to work cooperatively to design an opioid awareness education programs to be delivered in schools.
Addiction Treatment Professional Loan Forgiveness Program – Require the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) to develop an addiction treatment professional loan forgiveness program.
Opioid Addiction Prevention and Treatment Assessment – Impose a 10 percent assessment on the first sale of an opioid into the state. Revenues from the assessment will be used to support the purchase of naloxone for local law enforcement and emergency management personnel in addition to supporting addiction prevention and treatment programs.
Responding to the Senate Democratic proposals to the drug and alcohol problem, Deb Beck from the Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania said that the drug and alcohol problem “has reached epidemic levels in the state and these proposals will be life saving in impact.”
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