Harrisburg – June 6, 2014 – State Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) will be hosting a live interactive Teletown Hall for constituents on Tuesday, June 10 at 7:05 p.m.
“This is the first time that I will be hosting a telephone town hall and I am excited about using this technology to reach citizens,” Costa said. “The call will be held in the evening so we can engage those who are not able to come to our offices or call during normal business hours.”
Participate in Telephone Townhall
To participate live in the Teletown Hall, constituents need only answer a telephone call at 7:05 p.m. to their home. Those who respond to the call will be instructed on how to interact with Costa live.
More information is available on Costa’s website at www.senatorcosta.com. The website contains a form where individuals can sign up to ensure participation and submit questions before the event begins.
For more information, call Costa’s local district offices in Forest Hills (412) 241-6690, Homestead (412) 462-4204 or Carrick (412) 884-8308.
Contact: Stacey Witalec
Telephone: 717 877-2997
Email: switalec@pasenate.com
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Harrisburg – June 6, 2014 – Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) said today he has sent a letter to Gov. Tom Corbett asking for a meeting with lawmakers who have sought a resolution of the contract dispute between Highmark Inc. and UPMC.
Specifically, Sen. Costa said lawmakers want to meet with the governor’s “Patients First” team to ensure that unlimited access for patients to doctors and health-care facilities are part of the discussion.
The “Patients First” initiative, announced earlier this week, includes the state’s health and insurance commissioners who are to meet with managers at UPMC and Highmark to establish “clarity” about the health care access after Jan. 1, 2015.
In the letter, Costa said he is “troubled” that the governor’s team has met with UPMC and Highmark without legislative involvement and that the stated goal of the initiative is “clarity” rather than health care access for all.
“Meetings are important, and engagement and open dialogue are necessary, but the discussion must include in-network access to doctors and facilities for all if a patient has insurance,” Costa said. “The governor’s team should meet with lawmakers who have been actively seeking a long-term solution to the UPMC-Highmark impasse because we have plenty to offer.”
Costa and Sen. Randy Vulakovich (R-Allegheny) have sponsored Senate Bills 1247 and 1248, which would allow consumers access to hospitals and doctors regardless of the insurance they are carrying. Similar legislation has also been introduced in the House.
“No patient who has insurance should wonder whether they can see their doctor or be treated in a nearby hospital,” Costa said. “These are non-profits and there is a compelling interest in brokering an agreement that includes access for all, without restrictions.
“We have legislation drafted and introduced that will solve the problem without reservation and that proposed solution should be part of the talks.”
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View Sen. Costa’s Letter to Gov. Corbett →
Harrisburg – May 8, 2014 – State Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) released the following statement following the Corbett administration’s announcement that they would not appeal the court decision which struck down Pennsylvania’s controversial voter ID law:
“We should never have gotten to the point where the Corbett administration was deciding whether or not to appeal an unconstitutional law. The law, on its face, was inappropriate and it never should have been adopted.
“There was no question that the whole law was based in politics and that its goal was to disenfranchise voters and suppress voting. The case fell apart almost immediately because the court rightly saw there was no evidence of fraud.
“The Corbett administration wasted time and money in the pursuit of this law and the court actions that resulted from its passage. Taking away the right to vote is a very serious matter and that is what the court addressed. The right to vote deserves to be protected and participation should be preserved.”
The law would have had impacted Pennsylvania’s estimated 8.2 million voters. Trial testimony indicated that more than 750,000 voters do not have proper ID’s and would have been prevented from voting.
More than 9 percent of voters did not have proper PennDOT-issued voter ID’s. PennDOT driver’s licensing centers, where voters are supposed to pick up ID’s, do not exist in nine counties and have limited operations in 22 others.
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Accountability and transparency concerns cited
Harrisburg – April 28, 2014 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) and House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody (D-Allegheny) said that there should be no votes on bills after Election Day in November.
In order to formally ask that there be no votes in a lame-duck session, Costa said today he has sent a letter to the Senate’s president pro tempore and the speaker of the House of Representatives urging them to announce that neither body will hold post-election session days.
In his letter to Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Speaker of the House of Representatives Samuel Smith, Costa acknowledges that while post-election sessions may be necessary at some point in the future, “in the interests of member accountability to the citizens of each district and transparency of the process, I do not believe we should be holding post-election sessions this year (.)”
Dermody said both leaders are concerned that the problems Gov. Tom Corbett has encountered in getting his agenda adopted could lead to a wave of bills that the General Assembly could confront post-election.
“Neither the governor, nor members of both parties in both chambers are immediately accountable to the citizens of their districts via the democratic process if votes are taken in a 2014 lame-duck session,” Dermody said. “The governor may try to use a lame-duck session to push aggressively for issues that found little support when he was directly accountable to the voters.”
“We need to be upfront and allow citizens to evaluate the full record of the General Assembly and the governor at the ballot box, not after votes have been cast,” Costa commented after disclosing the details of his letter. “By November of this year, the legislature will have had nearly two full years to work through issues.”
Costa said that it was time that the General Assembly consider prohibiting lame-duck sessions. He pointed to legislation (SB 695) authored by Sen. Rob Teplitz (D-Dauphin) that would take steps toward such a prohibition.
The General Assembly adjourns sine die on November 30.
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Editor’s Note: Text of Costa’s letter follows
April 28, 2014
Hon. Joseph Scarnati, President Pro Tempore
Senate of Pennsylvania
292 Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Hon. Samuel H. Smith, Speaker
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
139 Main Capitol Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Dear President Scarnati and Speaker Smith:
As you well know, it is critical that members of the General Assembly be held accountable to the citizens of their districts for votes cast on the Senate and House floor. Therefore, post-General Election voting sessions, in which substantive legislative matters are considered, should be held only in emergency situations or in limited instances when there is a compelling need.
In the interests of member accountability to the citizens of each district, and transparency of the process, I do not believe we should be holding post-election sessions this year to move pieces of the governor’s policy agenda which failed to be considered prior to the General Election.
Therefore, I am requesting that you announce that the General Assembly will not be scheduling post-General Election session days this year. The final session days for both the Senate and House of Representatives should be held prior to the November election and the sine die adjournment on November 30, 2014. This ensures that the members of the General Assembly and the governor are held accountable for their votes and that their full record is available for scrutiny.
It is imperative that a decision regarding session is made and announced soon so that there can be proper planning by all members. In addition, it is important that the announcement be timely so that floor leaders in both the House and Senate can properly manage the legislative calendar.
Please advise me as soon as possible concerning my request to refrain from holding legislative session following this year’s General Election.
Sincerely,
Sen. Jay Costa
Democratic Leader
Harrisburg – April 24, 2014 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) issued the following statement on the death of former Sen. Ray Musto. Musto served in the Senate from 1982 to 2010 representing Luzerne, Carbon and Monroe Counties.
Musto began his career in public service when he won a special election in 1971 to fill his late father James Musto’s unexpired term in the state House of Representatives. He served in the House until 1980 when he was then elected to the United States Congress in a special election. In 1982, he was elected to the state Senate.
Costa’s statement is as follows:
“Our thoughts and prayers go out today to Senator Musto’s family and friends as we mourn his passing. Senator Musto was a champion of the environment, a legislative force and a friend who always had a kind word to help his colleagues during difficult times.
“Senator Musto was a lawmaker of depth, substance and compassion. He took time to learn issues and he used his experience and expertise to benefit the citizens of Luzerne County and Northeastern Pennsylvania.
“From legislation that established curbside recycling to Pennsylvania’s Growing Greener program and the landmark legislation to spur the development of abandoned industrial property, Senator Musto played a significant role in crafting environmental policy in his nearly 40 years in the legislature.
“During his long years of public service, he achieved a great deal for Northeastern Pennsylvania. His contributions will live on and his policy footprint will continue to guide future generations. Pennsylvania is a better place today because of Senator Ray Musto’s service.”
Musto served in the U.S. Army from 1951-53. He graduated in 1971 from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre and holds Doctorate of Letters degrees from Kings and Wilkes Colleges.
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New Federal Proposals Would Build on Senate Democrats PA Works Plan
Harrisburg – April 16, 2014 – President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are scheduled to appear at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) West Hills Center to highlight a revised $500 million federal job-training program and trumpet new grants for industry apprenticeships.
State Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), who is not only a CCAC graduate but is a current board member and treasurer, said today that the initiatives the president and vice president will highlight dovetail nicely with a comprehensive job-training program that is included in the Senate Democrats’ PA Works Plan.
“President Obama and Vice President Biden are aggressively promoting initiatives that will help both business and workers adjust to changing economics and rapid shifts in markets,” Costa said. “There is plenty of action needed in retooling our job-training programs at both the federal and state levels.
“Senate Democrats have already produced a comprehensive package of legislation to address needs in the workforce development area and we are ready to work with President Obama and Vice President Biden to help more people through partnerships and apprenticeships.”
The goals of the PA Works job-training proposals are to coordinate job-training programs and create a one-stop system of workforce investments, enhance training programs for emerging industries and tailor workforce training to fit employer needs.
Senate Democrats have a menu of legislative proposals that is focused on repositioning job-training programs. Among the bills in the PA Works job-training package is an employer-driven Train-To-Work PA program (SB 223), tax credits for businesses that hire qualified interns (SB 230), summer youth employment program development (SB 208) and to permit vocational students to earn industry accreditation in accelerated programs.
News reports have indicated that the president and vice president are expected to discuss a $500 million grant program that uses revised criteria for federal Trade Adjustment Assistance and $100 million in new grants for apprenticeships.
According to news reports of discussions with administration officials about the new initiatives, the goal of the new federal grant programs is to create a collaborative environment between local academic institutions, businesses and industry groups.
Senate Democrats previously held a policy hearing and roundtable discussion on the role of education in job training at CCAC West Hills Center.
Costa said at that hearing that “any legislative effort to energize our economy and create jobs must include an aggressive workforce training plan. Job creation and training will continue to be the central core of the Senate Democrats’ agenda.”
The PA Works plan would leverage $2 billion in private investment to help put people to work, cut business taxes and help small businesses be more competitive, rebuild the state’s aging infrastructure, foster the growth of promising new clean and green energy industries and retool worker training programs.
The aim of both federal grant programs that are slated to be discussed by the president and vice president is to create a “collaborative ecosystem” among community colleges, universities, individual employers and industry associations, according to reports of discussions of the administration officials.
According to published reports, the new federal initiative will require that successful applicants for the grant dollars establish a direct connection between their applications and job placement.
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