Harrisburg, PA – January 10, 2019 – On behalf of the 12,000 Pennsylvania federal employees, contractors and subcontractors who are not receiving a paycheck during the partial federal government shutdown, Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery), Senator Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia), Senator Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) and Senator Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) are taken steps to help those in need.
After hearing reports from constituents facing financial hardships during the shutdown, the senators wrote the 10 largest banks, relative to number of branches, in Pennsylvania. Their hopes are to share information about banks’ existing assistance programs or to spur action on behalf of working people with banks that have not addressed the issue.
“Ten years ago, we bailed out failing banks during a recession and now it is time to help working people during their financial crisis,” Sen. Hughes said. “These hard-working folks are suffering through no fault of their own. The least we can do is get them help until are get paid again.”
Motivations for the letter came from the senators understanding that 78 percent of U.S. workers live paycheck to paycheck and there are no furloughs for essential expenses. Mortgages, rent, groceries, car payments and other bills must be paid whether the government is functioning.
“We cannot stand by and do nothing while these federal employees are left without paychecks,” said Sen. Costa. “These are folks ready and willing to work in service of the federal government, but now face eviction and piling bills. I hope that financial institutions are willing to step up to help them, and I’ll do everything in my power to ensure these federal employees are not punished for this shutdown.”
In total, there are 62,000 federal workers in Pennsylvania and about 12,000 who are furloughed or working without pay. Nationally 800,000 federal employees have had their jobs disrupted, with 380,000 furloughed or sent home without pay. These figures speak to an economic crisis that must be addressed, the senators said.
“As the stalemate in Washington is about to enter its fourth week, thousands of hard-working Pennsylvanians are suffering a very heavy burden,” Sen. Tartaglione said. “I can’t think of any greater commitment to purpose and level of professionalism than we are seeing from those who want to work, but can’t, and from those who continue to work, but aren’t receiving their just compensation. It is imperative that we do all we can as a community to support them in their time of need.”
Rallies and protests across Pennsylvania also drew the attention of the senators who have made the fight for working people a central issue. Pennsylvania’s furloughed federal workers not receiving paychecks include TSA officers, federal prison workers, national park workers and employees of the Environmental Protection agency.
“The financial strain placed on federal government employees, contractors and subcontractors in the commonwealth continues to grow,” Sen. Street said. “This is a heavy burden on individuals and families who they cannot endure such hardships for an extended period of time. Banks have an opportunity to mitigate these hardships and must help the people. As the Democratic chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee, I encourage the banks to act with urgency in this regard.”
The full letter to the banks can be found here.
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HARRISBURG, October 31, 2017 — A bipartisan group of state lawmakers and Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel applauded the passage of legislation to establish a public charitable trust to aid children impacted by the prison system and reverse the direction of youth who may be on a path leading to incarceration in Pennsylvania.
The measure, authored by state Sens. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery), Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) and Richard Alloway (R-Adams/Cumberland/ Franklin/York) creates the “First Chance Trust Fund.” The fund will be used to create scholarships and provide grants to programs that benefit children who live in areas with high dropout rates, high incarceration rates and high crime rates.
Initially introduced as Senate Bill 790, the language from the bill was inserted into the Fiscal Code of the 2017-18 state budget, which passed in both chambers of the General Assembly last week and was signed into law by the governor.
“The fund, which would be the first of its kind in the country, will enable youth who are facing challenges to access important programs and educational opportunities that will give them a sense of stability and belonging,” Sen. Hughes said. “This is a solid investment in our children, our community and our justice system and I’m thrilled that it has received bipartisan support.”
The fund will be administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and will be paid for by private, tax‐deductible donations and a 1 percent surcharge on vendors that have a contract with the Department of Corrections exceeding $5 million. Other Pennsylvania agencies will also have the option to include a similar provision in their contracts. It does not require the use of taxpayer dollars.
“It is imperative that we look for ways to provide an alternative path for our children who are at a higher risk of dropping out of school or being incarcerated,” Sen. Browne said. “The First Chance Trust Fund provides exactly that avenue to enable Pennsylvania’s most at-risk young people access to programs, services and scholarships that help ensure they succeed both in school and later in life.”
“Providing program funding to keep children engaged and in the classroom is essential to ensuring they do not become justice-involved later in life,” said Secretary Wetzel. “This first-of-its-kind fund will invest significant dollars into programming with the potential to make a life-changing difference for at-risk young people.”
Children continue to enter the justice system at alarming rates. Approximately 65 percent of Pennsylvania state inmates have at least one child, according to the Department of Corrections.
The absence — which some psychologists have compared to the death of a parent — through the formative years can have deleterious effects on a child. Dealing with the emotional, social and economic consequences of that loss can trigger behavioral problems, lead to trouble in school and the possibility of dropping out and continuing the cycle of crime.
“The First Chance Trust Fund was one of the top priorities of mine and the Senate Democratic Caucus in this entire budget process, and we are so pleased to have taken it across the finish line,” said Sen. Costa, the Senate Democratic Leader. “There are 81,000 children in Pennsylvania with at least one parent currently incarcerated; we cannot allow them to fall through the cracks. They already face an uphill battle, growing up without their parents, and the First Chance Trust Fund is something very simple, very common-sense that we can do.”
Initially, the trust fund is anticipated to generate $500,000 to $1 million on an annual basis. The fund would be targeted to regions that have statistically higher high school dropout rates, high risks of incarceration and high crime rates.
“The First Chance Trust Fund will help protect Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable youth from becoming innocent casualties of mass incarceration. We know that dealing with the emotional, social and economic consequences of incarceration can trigger behavioral problems, lead to trouble in school and the possibility of dropping out and continue the cycle of crime,” said state Rep. Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia). “I’m thrilled and grateful for the support this legislation received from both chambers across party lines. This is not just a wise investment in our most marginalized communities, it is an innovative way to build community wealth while constricting the school-to-prison pipeline.”
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Media Contacts:
Elizabeth Rementer (Sen. Hughes): 717-787-5166 elizabeth.rementer@pasenate.com
Matt Moyer (Sen. Browne): 717-787-1349 mmoyer@pasen.gov
Brittany Crampsie (Sen. Costa): 717-712-3480 Brittany.Crampsie@pasenate.com
Ben Turner (Rep. Rabb): 717-787-7895 bturner@pahouse.net
Amy Worden (DOC Sec. Wetzel): 717-728-4026 aworden@pa.gov
HARRISBURG, October 18, 2017 — State Senate Democrats today blasted President Trump’s latest actions regarding the Affordable Care Act in Pennsylvania and detailed the debilitating impact on Pennsylvanians that his latest acts will have on working families.
The president ordered the suspension of an estimated $7 billion in cost-sharing reduction payments that are designed to help lower- and middle-income Americans. He also moved to restructure the insurance market by opening the door to low-cost, high-deductible minimal coverage policies that offer little protection for consumers.
As a result, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department announced this week that individual and small group rates under the Affordable Care Act will increase by an average 30.6 percent due to President Trump’s decision to discontinue cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers.
In Pennsylvania, 439,000 individuals received health care through the exchanges. More than 321,000 individuals received a tax credit, while 227,304 individuals received cost sharing reduction payments.
At a Capitol news conference today, Senate Democrats and House Democratic Caucus Chair Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny) illustrated how the president’s actions will hurt working families. They pointed out that a two-income family of four that earns $100,000 per year and purchases health insurance through the insurance exchange will have a $327 monthly premium increase and a yearly spike of $3,924 as a result of Trump’s actions.
“People are going to suffer so that President Trump can score political points with those like him who want to dismantle Obamacare,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny). “It is our obligation to take steps to not allow him to destroy this landmark health care law, which has helped a million Pennsylvanians get coverage and has created thousands of family-sustaining jobs in the health care industry.”
State lawmakers met yesterday with the Pennsylvania Insurance Department and four major health coverage providers to discuss steps to mitigate the pain on consumers, many of whom are working class and job creators, according to state Sen. Sharif Street, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee.
“Trump’s actions are going to hit middle class families, small business owners and entrepreneurs the hardest,” said Street (D-Philadelphia). “These are individuals who make our economy grow and many of them voted for Trump because he’s a businessman and said he would look out for them, but he’s turned his back on them.”
Street also warned that Trump’s efforts to roll back an Obama Administration ruling on types of employers that can form and offer “Association Health Plans” (AHP) under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) will destabilize the insurance market for everyone and loosen regulations, which will make it more difficult for the government to protect Pennsylvanians.
“It’s our job as elected officials to protect Pennsylvanians’ rights. This plan will take away our ability to do that effectively and will destabilize the market, which will impact us all,” Street said.
Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) noted that Pennsylvania Senate Democrats have long fought for innovative and comprehensive health care programs, including the CHIP program, which Pennsylvania was the first state to implement.
“Health care is a right, not a privilege for those who have the money to pay for it. Senate Democrats have driven every advance in health care because we recognize that everyone deserves access to quality, affordable health coverage,” said Hughes. “President Trump is repeatedly attempting to destroy the lives of citizens, especially those who voted for him, by destroying CHIP, rolling back reproductive support, reducing the amount of time that folks can enroll in the Affordable Care Act, and pulling his support from the latest compromise on health care subsidies.”
State Sen. Art Haywood (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) said the recent roll back of comprehensive reproductive health care “is wrong,” noting that religious policy should not dictate public policy.
“Our public policy must be based on a set of values that accommodate the diversity of this nation, not a set of religious conditions that are based upon the faith and membership of a small organization. As a Christian, I am offended by the changes in policy that eliminate access to contraceptive care for individuals because of the faith commitment of their employer,” said Haywood. “Health care is a human right. Trump’s decision to reduce support to help low- and middle-income receive coverage is immoral. It is immoral to put families in a position where they have to pay thousands of dollars more per year for life-sustaining health coverage.”
Also attending today’s press conference were state Sens. Larry Farnese (D-Philadelphia) and Tina Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia).
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Senate Democrats have been in the forefront of efforts to address exposure to lead
Harrisburg – Sept. 1, 2017 – State Sen. Vincent J. Hughes and Senate Democrats applauded Gov. Tom Wolf’s support of universal testing of children under the age of 2 to determine their risk of lead poisoning.
The governor has urged the state Department of Health to work collaboratively with the General Assembly and community partners on crafting legislation to compel testing of children under the age of 2 for lead exposure.
Hughes (D-Philadelphia), along with several Senate Democrats, including Sens. Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny), Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) Judy Schwank (D-Berks), John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) and Art Haywood (D-Philadelphia) have been leaders in the effort to combat lead poisoning.
Senate Democrats have offered a comprehensive legislative package to help children, day care centers and home buyers deal with the threat of lead poisoning. Senate Resolution 33, which called for a task force to study lead exposure, was approved by the Senate in early June.
“The governor’s call for universal lead testing of children under the age of 2 is a huge step forward,” Hughes said. “Finding out the depth of the problem will enable us to better design a more effective strategy to deal with lead and help prevent problems associated with lead.”
According to the Department of Health, 28 percent of children in Pennsylvania under 2 years of age were tested for lead in 2015. Several years ago, lead seeping into Flint, Michigan’s public water system caused a devastating health crisis and spurred governments to examine the levels of lead exposure. Eighteen Pennsylvania cities tested higher than Flint for elevated blood lead levels.
Senate Democrats first introduced a comprehensive package of measures dealing with lead in 2016 following the Flint crisis. The legislative package included five bills that would establish a task force to study the issue and account for the age of the state’s housing stock, pipelines and school buildings; require school buildings to be tested for lead; require the licensing of lead testing centers; require property sales agreements to include an option for water testing for lead; and create a “Superfund for Lead Abatement” that would help pay lead remediation costs.
“We can do better and protect children and families from lead poisoning,” Hughes said. “The governor’s support is key to our success in addressing lead in our communities, homes and schools.
“My Senate Democratic colleagues and I are ready to move aggressively on legislation that gets to the root cause of the problem.”
Information about the incidence of lead exposure would enable families to access available services, Hughes said.
In December 2016, Hughes announced that $125,000 in state grant dollars were available to help Philadelphia deal with lead issues.
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HARRISBURG, June 26, 2017 — Lawmakers from the state Senate and House of Representatives, along with Wolf Administration officials and advocates, denounced the latest attempt in Washington to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act during a rally today at the State Capitol.
The lawmakers said the Republican-led efforts in Washington will have an immediate and devastating impact on Pennsylvanians’ health care and will add to an already-gaping budget deficit.
The so-called ‘Better Care Reconciliation Act’ is not better care, unless you’re part of the wealthy elite who will benefit financially from deep cuts to programs, service and critical care,” said Democratic Leader Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny). “This is an attack on the working poor, elderly, children and Pennsylvanians with disabilities and we will not stand for it. We speak out today because we care too deeply.
“Removing health care coverage for hard working families, senior citizens and children is sickening. This effort out of Washington to repeal a landmark and historic health care act isn’t just playing politics, it’s risking lives,” said state Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia), the Democratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “The only people who make out in all of this are the wealthiest individuals in the nation. Repealing Obamacare will hurt the Pennsylvania budget but, more importantly, it will jeopardize critical coverage for our most vulnerable citizens.”
“When the Affordable Care Act came out, people could actually get coverage and care. We must not go back to where we were before,” said state Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks), Democratic chairwoman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. “Health care is a right of every citizen. Ensuring that individuals and families have access to affordable coverage is a reasonable right. This is part of what a just and humane society does.”
“Both plans coming out of Washington will be disastrous for folks who need, want and deserve coverage. The plans dole out tax cuts to the rich on the backs of the poor, the middle class and the elderly,” said state Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia), the Democratic chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee. “We must stand up collectively and let Congress know that these health care efforts will be devastating to folks across Pennsylvania.”
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Pennsylvania’s uninsured rate is at its lowest point in history, and uncompensated care costs have dropped dramatically, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
One million Pennsylvanians rely on the Affordable Care Act for health coverage, including 716,000 individuals who have benefitted from the state’s Medicaid expansion and another 400,000 who have health benefits through ACA’s health care marketplace.
Both the Senate and House proposals in Congress phase out Medicaid expansion and inflict deep cuts to Medicaid. The Republican proposals will shift the cost of health care to state governments, make private insurance more expensive for older adults and lower income populations, cuts insurance subsidies for low-income and middle-class Americans in order to provide tax cuts for the rich, and defund Planned Parenthood for a year.
The lawmakers encourage constituents to share their health care story on social media using the hashtag #PASpeaksOut
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