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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HARRISBURG, May 11, 2016 – At a news conference held at the state capitol today, State Senator Art Haywood joined Senate Democratic colleagues and community leaders calling for tax reform to protect middle and low-income Pennsylvanians. At the event, Haywood introduced legislation – Senate Bills 1257 and 1258 – that would reduce the tax burden for everyday Pennsylvanians.
“At a time when our state and nation seem rigged against working people, when our minimum wage remains outrageously low, when schools and social services have been drained of funds – it is a crime that our commonwealth’s tax system is also stacked against everyday citizens,” Senator Haywood said. The Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy placed Pennsylvania on the “Terrible Ten” list of states for unfair taxation in 2015. The researchers found that low-income Pennsylvanians pay three times the tax share of the wealthy in Pennsylvania, while middle-income earners pay twice as much as the well-off.
Senator Haywood introduced a two-part legislative package at the press conference, noting that he was open to additional suggestions for inclusion in the reform effort. First, SB 1257 would amend Article VIII, Section 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution to allow for graduated taxation of income. The amendment would make it possible for Pennsylvania to tax middle income families at a lower rate than those who are high-income. All of the states surrounding Pennsylvania have graduated taxation according to data from the Tax Foundation.
Second, SB 1258 would impose a 4% tax on non-wage, non-interest income classes that are concentrated among the most affluent. The tax would apply to net profits; dividends; net income derived from rents, royalties, patents and copyrights; gambling and lottery winnings; and net gains derived through estates and trusts. According to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, this legislation could add up to about $1.2 billion in revenue by the end of the 2017-18 fiscal year.
“While Pennsylvania is struggling to manage a more than $1 billion deficit, we cannot afford to continue requiring low and middle income families to pay double or even three times as much as the wealthy,” Haywood said. “What we need is a balanced tax system.”
SB 1258 complies with the Pennsylvania Constitution’s uniformity clause. In Aldine Apartments, Inc. v Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided the uniformity clause requires all taxes to be uniform “upon the same class of subjects” so long as a reasonable, non-arbitrary distinction exists relative to classification. Additionally, the bill’s impact on small businesses would be limited. Under current Pennsylvania law and regulations, if owners of small businesses classified as “S” corporations are employees of the corporations, their income could be classified as “compensation,” and would not fall within the classes of income impacted by SB 1258.
Joining Haywood in support of the legislative reform package were Senate Democratic leadership Jay Costa and Vincent Hughes. Senator Larry Farnese also voiced his support in a statement. “By ‘fair tax reform’ we mean taking the pressure off the people who can least afford to pay for the corporate welfare handouts that have increased under Republican leadership,” Senator Farnese said. “Fair is fair. The people and businesses at the top must stop depending on the people at the bottom to keep them afloat.”
Community leaders representing Pennsylvania’s Choice, a newly-formed non-partisan coalition for a balanced state budget, advocated for the legislation. Marc Stier of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center and Susan Spicka of Education Voters PA, both member organizations of Pennsylvania’s Choice, said the bills could bring important changes to the commonwealth: “Pennsylvania’s uniformity clause has made it difficult to adequately fund services like education while protecting everyday people from high taxes. By amending our state’s constitution, we can ensure middle-class and working people are not unfairly burdened with high taxes,” said Stier. “At the same time, implementing a tax on classes of income concentrated among the wealthy would create a more balanced tax system for all of us without any constitutional changes.”
As 2016-17 state budget conversations focus on addressing the structural deficit facing the commonwealth, dozens of community organizations across the state have joined Pennsylvania’s Choice to advocate for sustainable new sources of revenue as an alternative to continued cutbacks. Senator Haywood has supported Pennsylvania’s Choice, and says his legislation would soften the impact of tax increases on middle and low-income families.
“My hope is that this reform package opens up a responsible revenue discussion in Pennsylvania that looks at the real impact of our budget on everyday people,” Haywood said. “We must lay the groundwork to pay for schools, troopers, nursing home care and other state government services by protecting both the middle-class and those living paycheck-to-paycheck from shouldering the heaviest tax burden in our state.”
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Contact: Melissa Ostroff
Phone: 717-787-1427
mostroff@pasenate.com
Harrisburg – Feb. 9, 2016 – Facing an unfinished 2015-16 budget with the need to reconcile a 2016-17 spending plan that has a looming $2 billion deficit, Gov. Tom Wolf was forced to focus his second state budget proposal on education and deficit reduction, according to Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny.)
“Lawmakers have choices to make about Pennsylvania’s future; deal with tough issues up front or watch Pennsylvania wither as a consequence of self-inflicted fiscal wounds,” Costa said. “We need to come together and negotiate a bipartisan budget with the governor that makes key investments in education and deals with a $2 billion structural deficit.”
Wolf presented his $32.7 billion spending plan before a joint session of the General Assembly today. The plan uses the $30.8 billion yet-to-be-enacted budget agreement from last fall as the foundation for this year’s plan.
For 2016-17, the governor calls for $200 million more in education funding, $50 million for special education and an additional $60 million in pre-K dollars. The budget also focuses on tackling the estimated $2 billion deficit in 2017 with a revenue enhancement package.
“It is incredibly frustrating to deal with issues year after year because there is no political will in the state House to finish the job it was sent to Harrisburg to do,” Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Sen. Vincent J. Hughes (D-Philadelphia) said. “We need to complete the 2015-16 budget and get to work in dealing with those issues that are holding us back.
“Lawmakers can address the deficit and invest in education as a simple, direct approach that will pay dividends for years to come or they will have to explain why deep long-lasting cuts have to be made again.”
In his speech, the governor painted a picture of Pennsylvania’s landscape if there is continued inaction on adopting a reasonable forward-looking budget. He said property taxes will rise, human services will be stripped of funds and drug assistance programs for seniors would be slashed.
Senate Democratic Whip, Sen. Anthony H. Williams (D-Philadelphia/Delaware) said it is unwise for Pennsylvania to continue to jump from one fiscal crisis to another and that a bipartisan budget is a necessity.
“The negotiated agreement that passed the Senate in December proved that a bipartisan budget could be crafted even in a very partisan environment,” Williams said. “That spending plan included healthy education investments, support for job creation, human services, seniors and our most vulnerable.
“This budget plan makes lawmakers face up to the reality that if nothing is done to address the budget deficit than its growth will swamp all other initiatives.”
The proposed budget for 2016-17 is built from the budget agreement that awaits a final vote in the state House. However, if there is continued inaction there will be a $500 million deficit by the end of the year that will balloon to a deficit in excess of $2 billion next year.
The governor also said if lawmakers refused to act, funds for state-related universities (Penn State, Pitt, Temple and Lincoln) would be eliminated, another $1 billion would be cut from basic education, human services funding would be reduced by $600 million, and property taxes would skyrocket.
Wolf proposed a revenue package to deal with the deficit and make education investments. His plan would include an increase in the Personal Income Tax from 3.07 percent to 3.4 percent, sales tax expansions, taxes on tobacco, banks and the imposition of a new 6.5 percent tax on shale drilling.
“The Senate worked with the governor in a bipartisan way to produce an accord last year that would have addressed many of Pennsylvania’s most pressing issues,” Hughes said, noting that the bipartisan budget passed the Senate 43-7.
The legislature will soon begin a series of budget hearings to examine Gov. Wolf’s 2016-17 budget in detail.
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Harrisburg – Dec. 29, 2015 – Senate Democrats provided the following reaction to Gov. Tom Wolf’s line-item veto of a Republican budget plan. The governor released six months of emergency funding for schools and human service programs, or $23.39 billion of the House Republican’s original $30.3 billion proposal.
Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa’s (D-Allegheny) remarks follow:
“The governor’s action today will hopefully force House Republican lawmakers back to Harrisburg to finish work on a responsible spending plan. Legislators need to return to business and work toward the passage of the $30.8 billion budget framework agreement.
“The House Republican budget was $500 million out of balance. It does not address the $1.3 billion structural deficit that has hobbled state government and simply continued Corbett-type budgeting for another year. After the House Republicans walked away from a responsible budget plan last week, the governor had few options.
“The governor’s release of six-months of emergency funding for schools and human service programs pushes money to schools and programs that are confronted by serious financial challenges.”
Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Sen. Vincent J. Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) on the line-item veto:
“The purposeful decision of House Republicans to repeatedly stonewall the agreed-to framework budget has left Pennsylvania’s school system on the brink of collapse, so I applaud the governor’s decision to approve emergency funding for school districts throughout the commonwealth.
“Our schools have gone above the call of duty to keep their doors open. They cannot continue to do that, nor should we allow that to happen.
“Pennsylvania’s financial situation remains an urgent one despite the governor’s action today. Members of the House GOP need to get back to Harrisburg as quickly as they left and approve the agreed-to framework 2015-2016 budget because this is short-term help. Schools will close if the leadership in this lone caucus continues its bad behavior.”
Senate Democratic Whip Sen. Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia/Delaware) provided the following statement on the governor’s action:
“The organizations that operate in the shadows of Pennsylvania life are closing their doors because of House Republicans are willfully and callously ignoring their plight.
“Our human service agencies needed a relief valve from the unfair financial burden being placed on them by one of the four legislative caucuses, and Gov. Wolf rightly gave it to them.”
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Contact: Stacey Witalec
Sen. Jay Costa
717-877-2997
switalec@pasenate.com
