commonwealth of pennsylvania house of … · with 4,594 in emergency need of services. individuals...
TRANSCRIPT
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE BUDGET HEARING
STATE CAPITOL HARRISBURG, PA
MAIN CAPITOL BUILDING 14 0 MAJORITY CAUCUS ROOM
THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017 2:00 P.M.
PRESENTATION OF MEMBER TESTIMONY
BEFORE:HONORABLE STAN SAYLOR, MAJORITY CHAIRMANHONORABLE KAREN BOBACKHONORABLE JIM CHRISTIANAHONORABLE SHERYL M. DELOZIERHONORABLE GEORGE DUNBARHONORABLE KEITH J. GREINERHONORABLE SETH M. GROVEHONORABLE MARCIA M. HAHNHONORABLE SUSAN C. HELMHONORABLE WARREN KAMPFHONORABLE FRED KELLERHONORABLE JERRY KNOWLESHONORABLE DUANE D. MILNEHONORABLE JASON ORTITAYHONORABLE MICHAEL PEIFERHONORABLE JEFFREY P. PYLEHONORABLE MARGUERITE QUINNHONORABLE BRAD ROAE
Pennsylvania House of Representatives Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
2
BEFORE (continued):HONORABLE JAMIE R. SANTORA HONORABLE CURTIS G. SONNEYHONORABLE JOSEPH F. MARKOSEK, DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMANHONORABLE KEVIN J. BOYLEHONORABLE TIM BRIGGSHONORABLE DONNA BULLOCKHONORABLE MARY JO DALEYHONORABLE MADELEINE DEANHONORABLE MARIA P. DONATUCCIHONORABLE MARTY FLYNNHONORABLE PATTY KIMHONORABLE STEPHEN KINSEYHONORABLE LEANNE KRUEGER-BRANEKYHONORABLE MICHAEL H. O'BRIENHONORABLE PETER SCHWEYER
ALSO IN ATTENDANCE:HONORABLE KERRY A. BENNINGHOFF HONORABLE MORGAN CEPHAS HONORABLE ALEXANDER T. CHARLTON HONORABLE CAROLYN T. COMITTA HONORABLE CRIS DUSH HONORABLE THOMAS P. MURT HONORABLE GREG VITALI
COMMITTEE STAFF PRESENT:DAVID DONLEY
MAJORITY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RITCHIE LaFAVER
MAJORITY DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MIRIAM FOXDEMOCRATIC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
TARA TREESDEMOCRATIC CHIEF COUNSEL
3
I N D E X
TESTIFIERS * * *
NAME PAGE
REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS P. MURTMEMBER, 152nd DISTRICT................................ 4
REPRESENTATIVE GREG VITALIMEMBER, 166th DISTRICT................................ 9
REPRESENTATIVE ALEXANDER T. CHARLTONMEMBER, 165th DISTRICT............................... 13
REPRESENTATIVE CAROLYN T. COMITTAMEMBER, 156th DISTRICT............................... 16
REPRESENTATIVE CRIS DUSHMEMBER, 66th DISTRICT................................ 18
REPRESENTATIVE MORGAN CEPHASMEMBER, 192nd DISTRICT............................... 23
SUBMITTED WRITTEN TESTIMONY* * *
(See submitted written testimony and handouts online.)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
4
P R O C E E D I N G S* * *
MAJORITY CHAIRMAN SAYLOR: We'll get started with
Member testimony, and this morning, or I should say this
afternoon, we start off with Representative Thomas Murt
from the 152nd District.
Tom, you may start with your statement, and I
will remind you, just talk clearly into the mic, and you
have 5 minutes.
REPRESENTATIVE MURT: Do you need me to swear in,
Mr. Chairman?
MAJORITY CHAIRMAN SAYLOR: No, we're not swearing
Members in.
REPRESENTATIVE MURT: Okay.
Thank you, Chairman Saylor and Chairman Markosek,
for allowing me to testify today.
I'm here to discuss the very bipartisan issue of
supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental
disabilities who are Pennsylvania's most vulnerable
citizens and who rely on us to look out for their best
interests .
I would like to begin by discussing funding for
the waiting list for services. As of December 2016, the
total number of individuals with intellectual or
developmental disabilities waiting on services is 13,420,
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
5
with 4,594 in emergency need of services.
Individuals on the Emergency Waiting List live in
a heightened crisis situation on a daily basis without
access to the supports they need. Many of these adults
with intellectual and developmental disabilities live with
their parents.
In many of these families, the parents are well
into their 80s and some even into their 90s. These
parents, who are caregivers to an adult child with special
needs, are often struggling with their own health and
age-related issues.
The adult child for whom they care, who has an
intellectual or developmental disability, might be 60 or
65 years old. In addition to their disability or
disabilities, the adult child is also frequently struggling
with age-related issues.
These men and women do not desire to live in
institutions but prefer to remain in the community where
they can be active participants, where they can work a
part-time job and pay taxes, and where they can be involved
members of a family unit.
Mr. Chairman, I also add that living in an
institution is absolutely, positively more expensive than
living in a group home or in the community.
I have asked for support through numerous bills
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
6
to fund individuals who want to stay in their community.
We should realize that our most vulnerable individuals are
truly our responsibility and that we must take this duty
seriously and find a way to support these individuals
waiting for their needed services.
Mr. Chairman, this objective of caring for adults
with intellectual and developmental disabilities is not
welfare but rather is the epitome of the human services
mission.
Governor Wolf proposed a $26.2 million increase
for offering new Community Living Waivers to service
a thousand individuals with intellectual disabilities on
the waiting list and 820 Person/Family Directed Waivers for
recent high school graduates.
The increased waiting list funding is part of the
overall $195.9 million increase, or 14.7 percent, to
provide home and community-based services to more than
55,000 individuals with intellectual disabilities,
including residential and transportation support. However,
it only has the potential to reduce the waiting list by
8 percent.
Mr. Chairman, believe me when I say that this
disabled community appreciates the current effort and the
ongoing efforts, but as you can see, we have significant
work still needing to be done for these most vulnerable
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
7
citizens of our great Commonwealth.
We also need assurances from the Department of
Human Services that this funding will be utilized for new
individuals coming off the waiting list in 2017-2018 and
not to fund prior years' needs.
The budget also includes funding for
50 individuals with autism to receive home and
community-based services. It provides funding for 1,545
individuals currently on the autism interest list to
receive Targeted Services Management State Plan Services.
Currently, waivers for individuals with autism in
Pennsylvania are extremely limited and rare, where only
residents in a few counties can truly access the waiver.
We need to ensure that case management services meet the
service needs of individuals with autism and their
families, especially since this population is growing.
Mr. Chairman, these citizens are not seeking a
handout; they are looking for support to become valued and
productive individuals in their community and in our
Commonwealth.
I only have 5 minutes, Mr. Chairman, so I am not
going to read about the Office of Vocational
Rehabilitation, but it's part of my testimony.
And I also would like to ask the Committee to
please read my testimony relative to funding for the
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
8
Tourette Syndrome Alliance. They get $150,000 a year,
that's it, and they provide services to families that are
struggling; families that cannot get supports and in
combination from their local school districts; families
that cannot afford lawyers or professional advocates to go
with them to fight it out with their school districts to go
through the due process procedure.
And the Tourette Syndrome Alliance, based in
Gettysburg, does an outstanding job, and they serve
everyone from Erie to Chichester and every town in between.
Weekly, they're in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh or both
helping families trying to get accommodations.
So I'll go to the end of my testimony,
Mr. Chairman. The final topic I would like to discuss is
early intervention funding.
Pennsylvania's early intervention program plays
a critical role for children with disabilities from age
birth to 5 years old. These services lay the foundation
for success for children as they grow and offer greater
options for success with continued education and future
employment.
The earlier we can intervene and support
Pennsylvanians with disabilities, the greater the potential
of these men and women to live as productive and taxpaying
members of our Commonwealth family.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
9
Thank you, Chairman Saylor. Thank you, Chairman
Markosek and Members of the Committee.
MAJORITY CHAIRMAN SAYLOR: Thank you,
Representative Murt.
Our next testifier is Representative Greg Vitali
from the 166th District.
REPRESENTATIVE VITALI: Let me know when you're
ready.
MAJORITY CHAIRMAN SAYLOR: You're ready to go.
REPRESENTATIVE VITALI: Okay.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for giving me the
opportunity to testify today. I would like to talk about
the Department of Environmental Protection budget.
I have served on the Environmental Resources and
Energy Committee for the past 24 years, and the previous
two terms I was Chairman.
The chronic underfunding at the Department of
Environmental Protection has compromised its ability to
protect public health and the environment in Pennsylvania,
and this chronic underfunding and inability has been
substantiated by the U.S. Department of Environmental
Protection, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and
respected nonprofit organizations.
If I can read a quote by David Hess, who was a
former DEP Secretary under Republican Governor Ridge. This
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
10
is what he has said recently:
"The budget trends over the last 14 years for the
Departments of Environment Protection...have been, in a
word, horrendous." That's a Republican.
During that time period between fiscal year
2002-03 and the present, there has been a loss of
600 positions -- 600 positions. And General Fund support
for the Department has been reduced by 40 percent over that
time period. It's criminal.
I'm going to talk about a number of different
programs, the safe drinking water program, the Chesapeake
Bay program, the air quality program, oil and gas,
abandoned wells, and stream protection.
We have heard about safe drinking water. We have
heard about the EPA's letter of December 30, 2016, where
they said the DEP shortfalls have serious public health
implications.
Secretary McDonnell's solution of a fee package
is 18 months away. We have right now a public risk,
putting public health at risk, 18 months away for some, and
the beginning of relief is simply not soon enough.
Moving on to the Chesapeake Bay:
The EPA has determined that Pennsylvania is not
making sufficient progress in reducing nutrients and
sediments in the Chesapeake Bay. That's due to
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
11
insufficient inspectors on the part of the DEP and their
inability to inspect farms.
This nitrogen and phosphate, they create dead
zones in the bay, and they hurt fish and shellfish and in
fact kill them, and that's one reason for the decline of
the oyster industry in the bay.
With regard to air quality:
A 2015 audit determined DEP's air quality
monitoring is severely understaffed, and no increases have
been made since then. This understaffing increases the
risk of harmful pollutants being discharged into the air,
because less companies are being monitored by DEP and the
monitoring data is not looked at often enough.
The mining program:
The U.S. Department of Interior, in a letter
dated August 13, 2014, said DEP has the inability to meet
proper inspection frequencies at coal mines. In 2016, they
said DEP still needs additional staff.
The consequences of this lack of staffing is
increased risk of pollution to rivers, streams, and
wetlands, and increased risk of pollution to private water
wells.
With regard to the oil and gas program:
Under Governor Wolf, 37 positions have been lost
under Governor Wolf, and these are positions he eliminated,
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
12
which caused no savings to the Commonwealth because they
were funded by either Federal money or fees.
The consequence is that without -- you need
inspectors on the ground to pick up problems, and DEP is
not picking up all instances of pollution, like leaks,
spills, and so forth, and the bulldozing of wetlands, not
to mention the longer time it takes to process permits.
With regard to abandoned mines:
A recent study indicated there are 475,000 to
750,000 abandoned mines in Pennsylvania, and our mine
program tells me they have no resources to plug these
mines.
They create a danger of explosion, and also they
contribute, interestingly enough, to global warming. The
methane leakage: about 5 to 8 percent of the State's
greenhouse gas emissions come from abandoned mines.
Stream protection:
I have talked to the Bureau of Clean Water, the
Division of Water Quality Standards. They said they need
12 to 18 more staff biologists in the regional office.
Right now, there is only one staff biologist in
the southwest regional office. There should be a number
more. And when you don't have stream biologists, this
increases the risk of both improper and illegal pollutants
being discharged into the river.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
13
In conclusion, the annual budget level of the DEP
is a collective decision by us in the General Assembly. We
need to take responsibility for the consequences of our
actions, and I respectfully request this Committee increase
funding to the DEP and support its proposed fee packages.
Thank you.
MAJORITY CHAIRMAN SAYLOR: Thank you,
Representative.
Representative Charlton, who is from the
166th District -- or 165th. I'm sorry. Alex, my apologies.
REPRESENTATIVE CHARLTON: No worries.
Thank you, Chairman Saylor, Chairman Markosek,
Members of the Committee.
I wanted to provide comments today to the House
Appropriations Committee as we seek to come up with this
year's budget. I want to focus my comments directly
towards concerns surrounding human services and how
Pennsylvania provides those services to its most important
citizens.
In my district, I have a constituent who is
currently receiving services through an institutional
setting. Both he and his family and the institution agreed
that he would be best served through a community-based
service provider. Two years ago they secured a
community-based service provider for him, but he has yet
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
14
to be moved out of his institution and into the
community-based service provider.
The holdup, quite simply, has been through the
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. He and his
family want to see him with the community service provider.
The institution that currently provides him with services
has signed off on his transfer.
The community service provider is still, after
2 years, holding a bed for him because they want to see him
within their organization. For 2 years he has been held in
a perpetual state of limbo, simply because they have not
been able to get a clear answer from the Department of
Human Services on a waiver program.
In my conversations with the Department of Human
Services, the best answer that I have been able to receive
is that he is still on the waiting list because the waiver
program has not been adequately funded. Essentially their
answer is, we're spending more money because we can't spend
less, and this is something that we certainly can't allow
to continue.
My constituent is losing out on his quality of
life. His parents are concerned every day and losing sleep
that they're not going to be able to put their child into a
community service provider that will be able to provide
services for him. And frankly, the State is wasting
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
15
taxpayer money providing more expensive services that he
doesn't necessarily need, and I find this to be
unacceptable.
This case is not merely anecdotal but is in fact
a prime example of a Department failing its citizens.
In the 2016-17 enacted budget, it included an
additional $6.5 million to expand waiver services. This
funding was in addition to the funding levels originally
requested by the Department of Human Services. And
unfortunately this money, this 6.5 million, did not expand
waiver services due to unanticipated increases in the cost
to maintain the existing services that were currently being
provided.
I find this excuse, frankly, to be unacceptable.
Greater financial oversight is clearly necessary within the
Department if they are unable to anticipate a $6.5 million
shortfall.
For the 2017-18 budget, I would like to see the
Department of Human Services receive its full request in
funding so that they may provide the necessary services to
our constituents that are most in need of the State's
support.
With that, I would also hope that the Department
of Human Services takes a greater responsibility in
expediting the processes with which it determines those
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
16
services.
Again, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I hope you
and the Members of the House Appropriations Committee will
agree that the care, protection, and the well-being of
individuals within the disability community should be one
of the State's greatest priorities.
Thank you very much for your time.
MAJORITY CHAIRMAN SAYLOR: Thank you,
Representative.
Our next testifier is Representative Carolyn
Comitta, who is from the 156th District.
REPRESENTATIVE COMITTA: Thank you, Chairman
Saylor, Chairman Markosek.
Ladies and gentlemen of the Committee, good
afternoon, and thank you very much for having me here
today.
As a freshman Legislator, I have learned much
by watching and listening to you over the last 3 weeks, and
I thank you for your pointed questions, your wealth of
perspective, and your professionalism.
I represent the 156th Legislative District in
Chester County, and I am proud to share with you one of our
considerations for the budget.
My constituents are well informed and engaged,
and they expect a responsive, proactive State Government,
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
17
something that I know we all strive for.
One of the greatest concerns in my district
currently is our natural gas pipeline infrastructure and
its effect on environmental and public safety.
Right now, pipelines are coming through the
State, and they are passing by our homes, our businesses,
and our schools.
It' s essential that we have oversight of the
construction, inspection, and maintenance of these
pipelines.
It' s essential that we have highly trained
professionals working on the installation and maintenance
of these pipelines.
It' s essential that our municipalities and our
emergency responders plan and train for accidents and take
into account the nature of liquefied natural gas.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's essential that we
properly fund the Department of Environmental Protection
and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources so
they can achieve our shared goals of protecting our air and
water for our citizens.
In an era where we must do more with less, we
still must find solutions to funding these agencies
adequately, not only because it's the right thing to do but
because we are constitutionally mandated to do so.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
18
Article I, Section 27, of Pennsylvania's
Constitution states:
"The people have a right to clean air, pure
water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic,
historic and esthetic values of the environment.
Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common
property of all the people, including generations yet to
come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth
shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the
people."
We are entrusted to ensure the health, safety,
and welfare of our citizens. I look forward to helping
craft this budget, my first, and to working together with
this Legislature to shape a healthy future for our
children.
Thank you very much.
MAJORITY CHAIRMAN SAYLOR: Thank you,
Representative.
Our next testifier is Representative Cris Dush of
the 66th Legislative District.
REPRESENTATIVE DUSH: Thank you, Chairman Saylor
and Chairman Markosek, and thank you to the Committee
Members.
I want to thank all the Committee Members that
have been actively probing into what the Executive branch
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
19
has been doing in these last 3 weeks.
In the last 3 years of watching and attending
these hearings, I have to say the budget hearings have
taken a marked turn for the better. The questions are more
insightful, and I have to give credit to the Appropriations
staff as well for being responsive and providing an
excellent and relevant work product in response to Members'
requests.
Last session I expressed a number of concerns
with the way the budget process was played out. So far
this session, I'm pleased to see we're turning in the right
direction.
As I stated last session, the Legislature are the
sovereigns in this process. The role of the Executive is
as a manager. It is why they report to the Legislature in
these hearings.
Unfortunately, over the past few decades, neither
the Legislature nor the Executive appear to have approached
these hearings with an attitude of the sovereign-to-servant
relationship.
It's interesting that with our State
Constitution, and contracts like the Constitutions go back
to Greek, Roman, and Hebrew law, and there's a thing called
priority of place or first principles.
The Pennsylvania Constitution is set up in such a
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
20
way that the Preamble gives glory to God, the Creator of
all civil and religious liberties. Then it goes on with
the Declaration of Rights under Article I. That is the
declaration of rights of the people.
Article II is the Legislature. They are the
sovereigns. They are over the law, which is the
Legislation, Article III. The Executive and the Judiciary
both fall under the law in those Constitutions.
The budget request is just that, it's a request.
Historically, especially over the past few decades, that
request from the Executive has been to the Legislature a
request to continue all of the positions and programs that
have been created in the past without much regard to
whether those Executive positions are benefiting themselves
more than the Commonwealth or if the programs are wasting
resources that would be better utilized elsewhere.
It falls to the Legislature, however, to set the
funding priorities. The only way the Legislature can
effectively do this is to take whatever time is necessary,
ask whatever questions are necessary, investigate the
expenditures and the requests, and to hold the people into
account when they fail in their responsibilities or fail to
accurately report or even dodge reporting altogether.
We're not there yet, but with the improvements
thus far, we show that we're starting to make that turn.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
21
I applaud the Chairman's changes to the schedule
to allow serious probing into the larger and more
problematic Departments. Swearing the testifiers in and
requiring timely responses from the Departments are
significant changes as well. I'm proud of the Members who
have taken advantages of the opportunities the Chairman has
provided.
Chairman, I would like to use this opportunity to
restate a few things that I believe will provide the people
of the Commonwealth the government they deserve.
The Commonwealth has over 2 00 funds that it
manages. Fund No. 1 has appropriation lines that go back
to 1989. In fact, appropriation line No. 30128-1989 has
over $2 million in it. I fail to understand how the
Bureau of Commissions has an appropriation that goes back
that far.
The human services has two funds from 2011 that
are under Federal dollars, under Ledger 7, and it is my
understanding that those moneys are supposed to go back to
the Federal Government after 2 years.
That report is just a snapshot. It is 97 pages
long, and that's just Fund No. 1.
Just to get a fund summary of the State ledgers
by type, and that's all special funds, it's a 600-page
report. The fund summary of State ledgers by type with
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
22
General Fund 1 is 261 pages.
Mr. Chairman, I had a forensic accountant into my
office to take a look at these reports. He has done work
auditing the State of Florida, and when he took a look at
the report on some of these supporting documents, he asked
me, "This is just one of over 200 funds?" When I replied
yes, he asked me, "Is that all you're going to be doing?"
Of course I said no, but then he stated, this is going to
take a team of accountants years to sort out.
I see I'm going to have to wrap up.
Mr. Chairman, I do want to thank, again, the
Committee and the Members. We do need to start stepping
forward. We do need to do a better job of holding the
Executive accountable.
And we have to find a way to get into these
funds, take a look at these line items, and I will again
call for a forensic audit of each of these funds. I know
we can't do all of them at once, but we need to take a bite
at a time out of that.
I thank again the Committee and for your
indulgence.
MAJORITY CHAIRMAN SAYLOR: Thank you,
Representative.
Our next Member to testify, and last Member,
is Representative Morgan Cephas, who is from the
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
23
192nd District.
Morgan, you may start whenever you're ready.
REPRESENTATIVE CEPHAS: Good afternoon. Thank
you.
Good afternoon, Chairman Saylor and Chairman
Markosek, ladies and gentlemen of the Committee.
I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on
behalf of the West Philadelphia residents of Wynnefield,
Overbrook Farms, Morris Park, Overbrook Park, Overbrook,
Haddington, Hestonville, and Carroll Park. Their needs are
my needs, and meeting their needs is a value I hope to
share with you all today.
These neighborhoods are what I consider middle
neighborhoods, those neighborhoods that are on the cusp of
going into the wrong direction, that aren't low-income
enough to receive governmental assistance but aren't
high-end enough to attract developers or any type of
development improvement.
Over the last 3 weeks, I have had an opportunity
to sit in this room almost every day to observe, listen,
and learn. As you and the Committee discuss issues facing
our Commonwealth, I hope that in the coming weeks, our
focus will stay on growing our economy, improving services
to working families and people with low incomes, as well as
breaking down the barriers of those who are disadvantaged.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
24
We have the chance to decide together by
rewriting the rules. We could move the scale towards
economic progress and away from reliance on governmental
services. To start, we need to increase funding in our
DCED programs, like Main Street and Elm Street, in an
effort to renew our commitment to small neighborhoods and
small businesses.
Small businesses represent a large percentage of
the workforce in Pennsylvania and is responsible for
creating local and family-sustainable jobs. So funding is
critical to ensure all families are impacted by our State's
economic growth.
Additionally, workforce development training
programs are critical to the growth of Pennsylvania
businesses and its economy. Bridging the postsecondary gap
faced by youth looking for a career path, matching skills
to available jobs, and protecting the jobs of current
workers by keeping them technologically current are crucial
areas of needed investment.
Raising the minimum wage does not solely mean a
raise in pay for the more than 1 million workers. It has
fiscal impacts outside these walls and beyond this dome.
It would increase State revenues by tens of millions of
dollars and cut the need for other State assistance.
Lastly, children who attend high quality pre-K
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
25
programs are less likely to repeat a grade; are less likely
to be placed in special education early in elementary
school; are more likely to graduate from high school and
attend college, which translates into better employment
opportunities and earning potential.
As a young girl, I had to travel an hour outside
of my community in order to access a quality education, but
having the ability to go to the University of Virginia made
me realize early on that access to quality education should
not be dictated by the ZIP Code that you live in.
So these reasons say more than any dollar amount
could. We really need to pay attention to the issues that
are at hand in moving our Commonwealth forward.
We need a Pennsylvania that works for all of us,
a Pennsylvania with a whole that is greater than the sum
of its parts. However, I implore you to dig deeper into
the needs and values that I, on behalf of the people of
West Philadelphia, share with you today.
I thank the Committee for considering our future,
and I thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak to
you this afternoon.
Thank you.
MAJORITY CHAIRMAN SAYLOR: Thank you,
Representative.
I did want to mention that we did have written
26
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1 testimony from the following Members submitted:
Representative Kathy Watson of the 144th District;
Representative Pam DeLissio, who is the 194th District;
Representative Dave Zimmerman from the 99th District; and
Representative Curtis Thomas from the 181st District have
submitted written testimony.
And with that, the Appropriations hearings are
over and adjourned. Thank you very much.
(At 2:29 p.m., the budget hearing adjourned.)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
27
I hereby certify that the foregoing proceedings
are a true and accurate transcription produced from audio
on the said proceedings and that this is a correct
transcript of the same.
IDebra B . Miller
Transcriptionist
* * *
DBM Reporting