PITTSBURGH − May 19, 2023 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, today joined Senator Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) and Senator Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny) to host a public hearing in Pittsburgh on railroad safety.
The hearing, held earlier today at the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers Local 400 Building in Pittsburgh, featured three panels of testimony that focused on unsafe practices in the railroad industry and how Pennsylvania can mitigate impacts of a train derailment.
“Many Pennsylvania families live within feet of a heavily traveled railroad – with freight trains moving at high speeds and containing hazardous contents at all hours of the day and night. As we’ve seen here in this region, there is a disaster waiting to happen,” Muth said. “The derailment that occurred in East Palestine shed light on how common derailments are and it put emphasis on emergency response, public safety, and worker safety. Today’s hearing allowed us to learn more about how Pennsylvania can be better prepared and how our legislature can act to enhance railroad safety and hold railroads accountable.”
According to data from the Federal Railroad Administration, there were more than 1,100 train derailments in the US in 2022 – an average of roughly three derailments per day. Railroad companies are only required to notify states about trains carrying large quantities of flammable liquids, not about chemicals that fall into the eight other classifications of hazardous materials.
“Empowering rail workers to operate trains safely and protecting those workers when they report health or safety problems isn’t just the right thing to do—it will save lives and prevent catastrophic accidents,” Williams said. “Pennsylvania can be a leader in protecting our people, our communities, and our environment by enacting strong whistleblower protections for all employees working within our borders.”
According to data from the Association of American Railroads, Pennsylvania has the most operating railroad companies of any state and includes the third most total rail miles in the country – over 5,200 miles. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) indicated that at present, they lack statutory authority to direct railroads to implement recommendations to improve rail safety.
“I understand that Pennsylvania’s governmental authorities are virtually powerless when it comes to enforcement and regulating railroads which is unfortunate since the commonwealth has the largest number of railroad companies in the United States,” Fontana said. “I am optimistic that after holding this hearing and listening to the recommendations of the panelists, we now have what our options are as a commonwealth to move forward with improving railroad safety in the state.”
Participants in today’s hearing included Randy Padfield, Director, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA); Paul Pokrowka, Pennsylvania State Legislative Director, Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation Union; Stephen DeFrank, Vice Chairman, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC); Brian Moore, Emergency Response Director, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); Don Bialosky, Emergency Response Program Manager, DEP; Tim Leech, Pittsburgh Firefighters; and Dr. Andrew Whelton, Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University.
“Today’s hearing about the railroad industry in Pennsylvania was an important part of an ongoing conversation, and I want to thank the testifiers who offered thoughtful, thorough answers to our questions,” Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) added. ‘I look forward to learning more about what we can do in Harrisburg to continue fighting for the safety of every Pennsylvanian.”
All submitted testimony from the policy hearing and the full video is available at SenatorMuth.com/Policy.
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Testimony
Panel 1: Environmental Impacts
Panel 2: Unsafe Industry Practices
- Paul Pokrowka – Legislative Director, Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation Union
Panel 3: First Responders
- Tim Leech – Vice President, Pittsburgh Firefighters, IAFF Local No. 1
- Matthew Brown – Chief, Allegheny County Emergency Medical Services
- Question and Answer Period
Panel 4: State Agencies
Harrisburg – July 21, 2021 – At the request of Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D- Allegheny), Sen. Wayne Fontana (D- Allegheny), Sen. Jim Brewster (D- Allegheny/Westmoreland), Sen. Lindsey Williams (D- Allegheny), & House Representative Austin Davis (D- Allegheny), the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a hybrid in person and virtual public hearing to discuss the healthcare workforce crisis in Pennsylvania. The pandemic exposed the many problems with staffing in our healthcare systems that must be addressed.
“I am extremely grateful that the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, in partnership with the incredible health care workers of SEIU, are continuing the conversation about the immediate need to address the staffing crisis in Pennsylvania healthcare settings,” Sen. Costa said. “My family was incredibly thankful for the care that my mother received when she was in a nursing home setting, and that standard of care should be afforded to every Pennsylvanian. Safe staffing levels, union protections, and livable wages are essential to addressing this workforce crisis.”
Sen. Fontana continued, “The pandemic put the gaping holes in our current healthcare system on full display. The staff in our hospital systems, our nursing homes, and our home care aides worked tirelessly before this pandemic – and were lifelines during the pandemic. We must address the pay inequities that healthcare workers face and assure that these essential workers have the workplace protections that they deserve.”
As the pandemic put a strain on health care systems across the country, staff became increasingly scarce as quarantines and infection rates rose at an alarming pace. In November 2020, approximately nine months into the pandemic, staffing shortages existed in hospitals within at least 25 states. Many employees had to choose between working and caring for their children during pandemic-induced school closures. Additionally, the fear of contracting COVID-19 or passing it to family members, the surging influx of patients and the extended work hours plagued healthcare staff across-the-board. A survey conducted by Mental Health America from June to September demonstrated 93% of healthcare workers were stressed, 85% were experiencing anxiety, 77% were frustrated, 76% were burned out and 75% felt overwhelmed.
During the hearing, nurses and health care workers discussed historic challenges they faced during the pandemic and ongoing challenges that have existed in their profession long before COVID-19 became a public health crisis. Panelists and legislatures also pointed out the correlation between improved patient outcomes and good working conditions and pay. They highlighted the need for more data to prove the benefits of good working conditions that unions like SEIU fight for.
“There is no excuse for allowing healthcare professionals – who are giving lifesaving care – to work in substandard conditions where they are not making a living wage. Good jobs create strong communities, and these workers deserve the union security, workplace protections, and comparable wages for the professionals that they are and the work that they do,” Sen. Brewster said.
“Good union jobs are shown time and again to improve the lives of individuals and improve the communities where union families live. Fighting for union security, safe staffing levels, and livable wages that our healthcare workers deserve will not only create better outcomes for patients where these workers serve – it creates stronger and more prosperous communities as a whole,” Sen. Lindsey Williams said.
“Across the country, health disparities between white and Black people have been narrowing — but the opposite is true in Allegheny County. We know why: the over-concentration of the Black community in local service occupations and in particular, healthcare. Like the manufacturing industries that preceded it, healthcare relies on understaffing and cost-cutting at the frontlines to support high executive pay, expansion and profits. This model intensifies disparities and creates worker *and* community burnout and instability. These problems cannot be solved using current managerial strategies. Healthcare systems are the perfect example of why healthcare workers need a voice on the job. Our charitable healthcare dollars are funding an unsustainable business model, and it’s time for a change,” said Silas Russell, Vice President at SEIU Healthcare PA.
“I am incredibly grateful to hold this hearing today and to continue the conversation about the need for workplace protections and union security for our healthcare professionals. They truly were essential the past year and several months as we fought through the pandemic, but their work has been and will continue to be the keystone to ensuring high-quality patient care. The pay, benefits, protections, and respect through safe staffing levels or our healthcare workers should absolutely reflect the lifesaving work that they do,” Sen. Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, said.
Below are all who participated in today’s hearing:
- Erin Williams, Respiratory Therapist, Allegheny General Hospital
- Christoria Hughes, Dietary, UPMC Presbyterian
- Kim Hitrik, Registered Nurse, West Penn Hospital
- Katrina Rechtenwald, Registered Nurse, Allegheny General Hospital
- Silas Russell, Vice President and Political Director, SEIU Healthcare PA
- Theresa Brown, PhD, RN, Nurse and author of the New York TimesBestseller The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients’ Lives
- Gabriel Winant, Author, The Next Shift: the Fall of Industry and the Rise of Healthcare in the Rust Belt
- Jeff Shook, Assistant Professor of Social Work and Law at University of Pittsburgh
Senators who attended this hearing in person and virtually included Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D- Allegheny), Sen. Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), Sen. Wayne Fontana (D- Allegheny), Sen. Jim Brewster (D- Allegheny/Westmoreland), Sen. Lindsey Williams (D- Allegheny), Sen. John Kane (D- Chester/Delaware), Sen. Tim Kearney (D- Chester/Delaware), Sen. Shariff Street (D- Philadelphia), and Sen. Maria Collett (D- Bucks/Montgomery). House Members in attendance included Rep. Austin Davis (D- Allegheny), Rep. Dan Miller (D- Allegheny), and Rep. Emily Kinkead (D- Allegheny).
The full recording of this roundtable, as well as the written testimony from participants, can be found at senatormuth.com/policy. A full recording of this hearing can also be found on the PA Senate Democratic Facebook page.
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Harrisburg – June 2, 2021 – At the request of Senators Wayne Fontana (D- Allegheny), Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D- Allegheny), Jim Brewster (D- Allegheny/Westmoreland), and Lindsey Williams (D- Allegheny), the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a virtual public hearing on how Pennsylvania can best improve care in nursing homes.
“The COVID-19 pandemic was a wakeup call for us all that certain aspects of our society are not equipped to quickly and efficiently respond to crisis, and that many sectors of our society that were already struggling suffered the greatest losses due to the pandemic,” Senator Costa said. “Our nursing homes care for some of the most vulnerable members of our society, and it is imperative that these care facilities are not only equipped to respond to crisis like pandemics, but that even in the best of times they are properly staffed and overseen.”
In her testimony today, Teresa Osborne, Manager of Advocacy & Outreach at AARP PA, said that with nearly 13,300 deaths of Pennsylvanians residing in long-long term care facilities, and with Pennsylvanians 50 and over accounting for 98% of all COVID-19 related deaths, the need for action on this issue is clear.
“Nursing homes during the pandemic struggled to maintain the health and safety of their residents, the health and safe staffing levels of their employees, and family and loved were almost completely shut out of the lives of residents in congregate care settings. We must ensure that nursing homes in the future are prepared for another health crisis, and that these facilities are operating efficiently and to the highest standards at all times,” Senator Fontana said.
Senator Lindsey Williams continued, “Our nursing home residents, their families, and their loved ones have been some of the hardest hit by COVID-19, but these problems don’t begin and end with the current pandemic. We need to do more to protect the health, safety, and emotional well-being of our seniors, and hearing directly from the people who are doing this work every day is a key part of creating legislative policy that will provide the supports needed to accomplish those goals.”
Keshia Williams, a CNA Nursing Home Worker and member of SEIU Healthcare, said today in her testimony that the residents she cares for in nursing homes almost daily become like family, and sometimes residents have no other family to support them – just her and her fellow CNAs and nurses. She said that makes it even harder to deal with the fact that the state only requires 2.7 hours of care for residents in a 24-hour period.
“For decades, we sounded the alarm on chronic and dangerous understaffing and unacceptable conditions for workers and residents. We made do with dwindling resources and demanded lifesaving reform, while the industry increasingly focused on the bottom line, and rampant, unchecked nursing home sales to irresponsible owners drove down standards,” Keshia Williams said.
Dennis Biondo, Allegheny County Executive Director of Kane Community Living Centers, said in his testimony that oversight of nursing home and community care centers is done through surveys by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. He said that this is, “not going to improve nursing home care,” because instead of creating meaningful change they are just a way to check off boxes.
“Pennsylvania Department of Health is charged with the licensure and regulation of nursing homes. The Department’s Office of Quality Assurance oversees this important regulatory oversight of monitoring compliance through surveys, commonly known to the public as facility inspections, to ensure that facilities are providing adequate resident care in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. This applies to federal law and regulation since, in addition to the department’s role as the state survey entity, it is also contracted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to serve as the federal survey entity for nursing homes,” Keara Klinepeter, PA Department of Health Executive Deputy Secretary, explained.
Klinepeter said that while survey regulation was required at the federal level in Pennsylvania, and in every state across the U.S., the PA Dept of Health saw during the COVID-19 pandemic the benefits of partnerships between hospitals and medical systems to PA nursing homes through the Regional Response Program funded by CARES Act money. Klinepeter said that efforts are already in place to continue this program through federal grant funding. This will allow nursing homes in Pennsylvania to continue training staff on appropriate public health practices related to pandemic response and beyond.
In response to inquiries about nursing home complaints and surveys that result from those, Klinepeter said that the Dept of Health saw an increase of 23% in surveys in 2020. These surveys also included surveys to inspect facilities use of infection control measures.
Georgia Goodman, Leading Age PA Director of Government Affairs, reiterated the importance of maintaining employee morale and providing adequate and well-paid staff to care for residents.
“Nursing facilities can’t simply raise their prices. Two out of three residents in nursing homes are paid for by the Medical Assistance Program- the government payor that is underfunding care by an average of $80 per resident per day for our members. We are urging support for the direct allocation of $396 million to nursing facilities using the same methodology the general assembly enacted in Act 24 of 2020 to help providers with a number of financial challenges brought on by the pandemic, but none more acute than staffing,” Goodman said.
Goodman also said that her organization was grateful to collaborate on Senate Bill 1268, which offered nurse aides hired temporarily during the pandemic a path to permanent registration on the Nurse Aide registry, and they are supportive of a number of current initiatives like Senate Bill 115 to allow Pennsylvania to participate in licensure reciprocity so that nurses from other states can assist with our state’s healthcare workforce shortages.
“It is despicable that the care of our senior population in Pennsylvania seems to be an afterthought to those in charge of the oversight and guidelines for care in nursing homes and community care facilities. Nursing home complaints, oversight regulations, and the need for safe staffing levels to provide adequate care were an issue before this pandemic. Now that we have seen over 10,000 nursing home residents die of COVID-19, it is clear that Pennsylvania needs immediate and forceful action to protect our seniors and those who live in community care settings,” Sen. Kate Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, said.
Below are all who participated in today’s hearing:
- Dennis Biondo, Allegheny County, Executive Director Kane Community Living Centers
- Keara Klinepeter, PA Department of Health, Executive Deputy Secretary
- Dean Owrey, Chief Financial Officer, Vincentian Collaborative System
- Georgia Goodman, Leading Age PA, Director of Government Affairs
- Keshia Williams, CNA, Nursing Home Worker, SEIU Healthcare
- Debbie Winn-Horvitz, President & CEO, Jewish Association on Aging
- Jennifer Costello, Chester County Department of Aging, Long-term Care Ombudsman
- Teresa Osborne, Manager of Advocacy & Outreach, AARP PA
Senators who also attended this hearing include Sen. Sharif Street (D- Philadelphia) and Sen. Maria Collett (D- Bucks/Montgomery).
The full recording of this roundtable, as well as the written testimony from participants, can be found at senatormuth.com/policy. A full recording of this hearing can also be found on the PA Senate Democratic Facebook page.
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Harrisburg – April 22, 2021 – At the request of Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D- Allegheny), the Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a virtual round table discussion on the future of clean energy development and clean energy jobs in Pennsylvania. This hearing was held on Earth Day to honor the history of environmental stewardship this day represents, and to acknowledge the importance of preserving our environment.
“There was a reason president Joe Biden unveiled his historic infrastructure plan here in Pittsburgh,” Costa said. “Our city got its start in the industrial revolution, but as our world has evolved so must the infrastructure that keeps us going. We need clean energy sources that lead us into the future, powered by men and women in family sustaining jobs. Our earth does not have infinite resources, and it is our duty to protect and preserve the health and resources of our planet for future generations.”
As Dr. Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D. and Vice President of the Forest Hills Borough Council, noted, the first Earth Day 51 years ago was strongly driven by the AFL-CIO and the labor movement.
“Our members live and play here, too,” said Kris Anderson, International Representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). He noted that this is one of the major reasons that his union and its members are invested in a clean environment. They know that they and their families will benefit from the clean air, clean water, and sustainable ecosystem it will create.
Joshua McNeil, Executive Director at Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania and Vice-President for Civic Engagement at PennFuture, said that he and his organizations believe that President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Act is, “a historic opportunity to invest in infrastructure.”
Darrin Kelly, Allegheny-Fayette County Labor Council President also said that he is very optimistic about President Biden’s plan, and that getting that funding out of D.C. and into our local communities will be a huge part in implementing positive change and developing opportunities for local workers.
Dr. DeMarco spoke about her work with Reimagine Appalachia and their mission to create a 21stcentury sustainable economy. She said that Pennsylvania could implement a similar mission, and use the process that Reimagine Appalachia did in engaging stakeholders and community members in discussions on all of their priorities to make sure the changes they want to implement are truly benefitting community members and the regions they live in.
McNeil noted that Pennsylvania should recommit to a Blue Green Alliance to make sure that all bills in the Pennsylvania legislature have equal input from both environmental and labor stakeholders. He said it is crucial that these movements are working in conjunction with each other at every step as we transition Pennsylvania from a extraction economy to a regenerative economy.
Anderson, of IBEW, said that as we work to a more sustainable future and cleaner energy sources to power our nation, it is important to also keep things focused on Pennsylvania and its workers’ safety. He said that while larger industries are focused on profit, keeping the workforce and our industries local is better for our economy and allows the state to implement regulations in the clean energy industry that will be transparent and prioritize the workers and communities themselves.
“People who are going to get funding from the federal government are going to be the people with a plan,” Dr. DeMarco said. She said that as focus at the national level shifts to a sustainable economy, Pennsylvania needs to be proactive in making plans for a clean energy future or they will have plans from larger institutions forced upon them and those plans may not be focused on what is best for our local communities.
Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D- Chester), Democratic Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee, said that we need to be looking at the who is represented when we have these conversations, particularly minority communities and communities of color who are disproportionally effected by industrial pollution and other environmental hazards.
Sen. Costa and Sen. Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery) said that they were very pleased to have the commitment of the labor community and the environmental community to work closely together in the future, and they will be looking to have more conversations similar to today’s going forward.
“It is both timely and necessary that we are having this discussion today on Earth Day. The information and dialogue heard today further emphasizes the need to take urgent action to combat the climate crisis, and simultaneously work to transition from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy; where production and industry cycles are waste-free, not harmful to workers, communities, or the planet,” Muth said. “Impacted entities need to be at the table to ensure a just transition to a cleaner, greener, economically sustainable Pennsylvania.”
Below are all who participated in today’s discussion:
- Dr. Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D., Borough of Forest Hills, Vice President, Borough Council
- Darrin Kelly, Allegheny-Fayette County Labor Council, President
- Joshua McNeil, Executive Director, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania and Vice-President for Civic Engagement, PennFuture
- Kris Anderson, International Representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
The full recording of this roundtable can be found at senatormuth.com/policy. A full recording of this hearing can also be found on the PA Senate Democratic Facebook page.
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Harrisburg – September 14, 2020 – The Senate Democratic Policy Committee today held a virtual public hearing to focus on issues impacting the arts, cultural and historical institutions across Pennsylvania.
“COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of our lives, and that includes those folks in the arts, and those who work tirelessly to preserve the expansive history and culture across our state,” said Senate Democratic Leader, Jay Costa (D- Allegheny). “This is not just about the arts and institutions in our big cities like Pittsburgh, Philly, and Erie. This is about preserving these institutions in all our communities.”
“It is imperative that we as lawmakers do all we can to help every industry in Pennsylvania make its way through this dual-threat of public fears about COVID-19 and government directives aimed at encouraging social distancing,” said Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Lehigh/Northampton), chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.
Pennsylvania has had over 140,000 positive cases of COVID-19, and there have been almost 8,000 deaths attributed to the virus. Medical experts have advised that mitigation measures, like proper social distancing and mask wearing, are the best defense against COVID-19 — and will save lives.
Many theaters, museums and cultural centers in Pennsylvania were forced to close their doors when the statewide stay-at-home order was put into place by Governor Tom Wolf in April. As the restrictions eased from Red, to Yellow, to Green, there are have been easements to limitations, but many institutions are still struggling to make ends meet and properly adhere to proper social distance and precaution guidelines.
“Pennsylvania has such a rich history of preserving the story of our nation and fostering art and culture along the way,” said Sen. Larry Farnese (D- Philadelphia). “Necessary closures due to COVID-19 have devastated the historical tourist and world-renowned cultural institutions in my district. Those who work in these fields deserve a just recovery too.”
Governor Tom Wolf allocated $2.3 million of federal CARES Act money to go towards grants for those in the artistic, cultural and historic preservation communities to support staff salaries, fees for artists or contractual personnel, and facilities costs. Announcements for the recipients of these grants will be released tomorrow, Sept. 14, 2020.
James Cuorato, President & CEO, Independence Visitor Center Corporation in Philadelphia said that his organization has already submitted an application to the Commonwealth’s Cultural and Museum Preservation Grant Program. “If successful, it will enable us to continue operations and serve our community. I commend the Wolf Administration for recognizing the dire needs of nonprofit-run attractions such as ours and designing a program to get us through these extraordinarily tough times.”
The U.S. Dept. of Commerce estimates that arts and cultural economic activity, adjusted for inflation, accounted for 4.5 percent of gross domestic product or $877.8 billion in 2017. In Pennsylvania, the sector contributed $25.8 billion to the state’s economy and employed 176,000 workers.
“Annually, the Kimmel Center welcomes over 1.2 million visitors and generates $585 million in regional economic impact. Last year, our operations generated $7.1 million in city tax revenue and $6.8 million in state tax revenue,” said Stan Applegate, Executive Vice President & CFO, Kimmel Center, Inc. “We have been the grateful recipient of various Commonwealth grants since the Kimmel Center’s inception, and we are proud to report that for every dollar the Commonwealth invested in the Kimmel Center, it has earned back approximately $2.15. We support 5,000 jobs annually, and each month the Campus remains closed puts 2,380 jobs and $5.3 million in household income at risk.”
Applegate said that the Kimmel Center is projected to lose $29 million dollars in gross revenue through December 31st, with the potential loss of $51 million if we remain closed through our fiscal year, ending June 30th, 2021.
Gail Harrity, President & COO, Philadelphia Museum of Art, said that despite the museum’s best attempt to maintain their operations and full staff. In July, the Philadelphia Art Museum had to reduce staff by 23% – 85 staff, 56 who held part-time positions and 25 staff who held full-time positions. This is after substantial salary reductions, the cancelation of exhibitions, programs and other cuts to non-compensation expenses at the museum.
Harrity also said that the American Association of Museums published a survey in July suggesting that a third of the nation’s museums – 12,000 institutions – might not survive the pandemic and its aftermath.
“In its nearly 150-year history, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has survived financial collapses, wars, pandemics and other catastrophic events. While COVID-19 has drastically changed the way that we operate, our staff, trustees and volunteers remain committed to stewarding our world-class collections and landmark building through these current challenging times,” said Harrity. “As has been critical to the museum’s survival in the past, the public-private partnership and support of elected and civic leaders at the city, state and federal levels is necessary to keeping the museum afloat.”
Applegate, of the Kimmel Center, also said that his organization was very grateful for the passage of House Bill 2484, which allows organizations to take out up to 10% of their annual endowment, as opposed to the previous limit of 7% annually.
Boscola said that while state law has been amended to allow arts institutions like the Kimmel Center the and the Philadelphia Art Museum to tap into more of their endowment funds to make ends meet, this has not always been enough to save jobs, and will impact these institutions into the future.
Alex Fraser, Producing Director at Bucks County Playhouse, said that he was very grateful to be a part of hearing, and to his state Senator, Steve Santarsiero (D- Bucks), for participating in the hearing and advocating for their Bucks County community.
“Financially, we’re looking at a loss of $5 million of revenue for 2019 and have cut our full-time staff from almost 60 to 28, most of whom are running our restaurant. Our monthly payroll in July 2019 was $196,000; this July it was down 75% to $46,000,” said Fraser. “I am proud to say we are half-way there, but we have still have mountains to climb.”
The following testified at today’s hearing:
- James J. Cuorato, President & CEO, Independence Visitor Center Corporation
- Gail Harrity, President & COO, Philadelphia Museum of Art Stan Applegate, Executive Vice President & CFO, Kimmel Center, Inc.
- Matías Tarnopolsky, President & CEO, The Philadelphia Orchestra
- Denise Smith, Vice President of Development, State Theatre Kassie Hilgert, President & CEO, ArtsQuest
- Jeanne Ruddy, Executive Director, Performance Garage
- Jenny Hershour, Managing Director, Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania
- Mitch Swain, CEO, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
- Melia Tourangeau, President & CEO, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
- Sara Jane (Sally) Elk, President & CEO, Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site
- Kyle McKoy, President & CEO, Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle
- Alexander Fraser, Producing Director, Bucks County Playhouse
Senators Sharif Street (D- Philadelphia) and Lindsey Williams (D- Allegheny) also participated in today’s hearing.
The Senate Democratic Policy Committee has already held many hearings related to COVID-19, including the status of restaurants during COVID-19, the reopening of schools, the impact on nursing and veterans homes, food supply chain disruptions, the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on the African American Community, maternal mortality during COVID-19, pandemic-related funding for childcare centers, and assuring that protective equipment and other support is accessible for all frontline workers.
A full recording of this hearing, and links to all previous hearings, are available at senatorboscola.com/policy.
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