by Christin Brown | May 4, 2015 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, May 4, 2015 – Following a morning-long Senate committee hearing on her bill to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10, state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione, working men and women, and other supporters of a higher base wage will hold a press conference at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 5, in the East Wing Rotunda.
Despite successful countrywide efforts to increase the minimum wage and numerous legislative proposals to raise the commonwealth’s rate, Pennsylvania still requires employers to pay just $7.25 an hour.
Tartaglione’s Senate Bill 195 would increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $10.10 by January and would include an automatic cost-of-living adjustment. Another proposal in her five-bill package would increase the tipped minimum to 70 percent of the regular minimum.
The Senate Labor and Industry Committee will begin its hearing at 9 a.m., tomorrow, in the North Office Building hearing room. Its current agenda is here.
Media coverage of both events is encouraged.
WHAT: Sen. Christine Tartaglione, minimum wage earners and other supporters to hold a press conference urging lawmakers to approve minimum wage increase
WHEN: 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 5
WHERE: East Wing Rotunda, Capitol, Harrisburg
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by Christin Brown | April 23, 2015 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, April 23, 2015 – As one of the leading lawmakers who worked to address the issue of mandatory overtime for healthcare professionals, state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione said the revelation that the 2009 law has not been followed is bad news for patients and workers.
Auditor General Eugene De Pasquale released his audit of the Department of Labor and Industry’s oversight of Act 102. His auditors concluded that L&I woefully missed deadlines for establishing the new regulations and that it was not a priority of the Corbett administration-era agency to do that.
“It’s outrageous that patients and workers were at risk even though the legislature had acted to protect them,” Sen. Tartaglione said. “People have needlessly suffered as tired healthcare professionals did the best they could to care for them,” she said.
The good news, Tartaglione said, is that Act 102 is now a priority as L&I Secretary Kathy Manderino said she will be hiring five people to do the required oversight “to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Tartaglione proposed Senate Bill 835 in 2007. The bill that then-Gov. Ed Rendell signed into law on Oct. 8, 2008, was the companion legislation, House Bill 834.
As she said when she introduced her bill, the need for the law existed because healthcare professionals who protested too many shifts of long hours risked losing their jobs.
“Nurses and other caregivers are committed to their patients first and foremost. They also know their limits,” Tartaglione said on the floor of the Senate in 2007. “Asking a nurse to volunteer for extra hours is a completely different scenario than mandating them to work whether they feel competent to continue or not.”
AG De Pasquale said his auditors found:
- Despite a legal mandate requiring L&I to promulgate regulations by April 1, 2010, these regulations were not actually promulgated until July 19, 2014, or some four years after the required due date. And,
- L&I failed to accurately record, investigate and respond to all Act 102-related complaints it received between July 1, 2009, and Aug. 31, 2014.
Act 102 prohibits a health care facility from requiring employees to work more than agreed to, predetermined and regularly scheduled work shifts. Employees covered under Act 102 are individuals involved in direct patient care or clinical care services who receive an hourly wage or who are classified as nonsupervisory employees for collective bargaining purposes.
New York, West Virginia and New Jersey, by comparison, were able to more quickly implement laws dealing with mandatory overtime.
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by Christin Brown | April 22, 2015 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, April 22, 2015 – Because “a rising tide lifts all boats,” state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione said today a new study shows that if Pennsylvania finally approves a minimum wage of $ 10.10 an hour, residents in each of the state’s 67 counties will benefit.
“History has proven, time and again, that minimum wage increases do not cause widespread pain, despite the claims of critics,” Sen. Tartaglione said this morning during a press conference with Raise The Wage PA.
“The new Keystone Research Center study is one more finger in the dyke of opposition. The KRC’s work clearly shows that a higher Pennsylvania minimum would help workers who have not received a pay raise since 2007.
“When prices for food, clothing and housing have dramatically increased, the earning power of $7.25 has dropped,” Tartaglione said. “Pennsylvania cannot afford to keep minimum wage workers impoverished. We need $10.10 approved now; tipped minimum wage earners need a raise, too.”
Pennsylvania’s tipped minimum wage is $2.83 an hour and has not increased since 1999.
Senate Bill 195 would increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $8.67 an hour by July 1 and $10.10 an hour by Jan. 1., while Senate Bill 196 would increase the tipped minimum to $3.95 an hour on July 1, and move it to 70 percent of the regular minimum at the start of 2016.
The other three bills in Sen. Tartaglione’s minimum wage package include:
- Senate Bill 197, which would provide annual cost-of-living increases for minimum wage earners based on the Consumer Price Index,
- Senate Bill 198, which would modernize the state wage payment and collection law to increase recordkeeping requirements for employers and enforcement duties of the state Department of Labor & Industry. It would also allow employees to receive back wages and two times those wages in damages, and
- Senate Bill 199, which would prohibit employers from deducting bank fees or charges from employee tips when a customer pays their bill with a credit card.
Not only would a higher minimum wage help thousands of workers, Sen. Tartaglione said it would serve as an economic stimulus for many local Pa. economies.
While the KRC study says a $10.10 minimum wage would help 1.2 million Pennsylvania workers, it also says the raise would put nearly $2 billion into the state’s economy.
Nearly one-in-four workers in the state’s 48 rural counties and more than 700,000 workers, or 18 percent, in the state’s urban counties will benefit, Tartaglione said.
“More than 200,000 people in Philadelphia and Allegheny counties would also get a boost,” the senator said.
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by Christin Brown | April 13, 2015 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, April 13, 2015 – Thanks to the legislative efforts of Sens. Christine M. Tartaglione and Rob Teplitz, April in Pennsylvania is now “Sexual Assault Awareness Month.”
April became “Sexual Assault Awareness Month” when the senators successfully introduced a resolution making it so.
“By taking precautionary steps in our schools, across college campuses and in workplaces, by teaching people how to recognize the signs of sexual abuse and what to do when someone is assaulted and abused, every one of us can make a difference in someone’s life,” Sen. Tartaglione said today while introducing the resolution on the floor of the Senate.
Tartaglione credited organizations like the National Sexual Violence Resource Center for taking steps to combat and prevent sexual assault, and help survivors gain counseling services so they can overcome their nightmare.
“Sexual assault is a serious issue that affects all of us. And, the more we talk about it and educate people about it, the better chance we have of preventing it,” Tartaglione said.
“We need to act now to stop the violence.”
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by Christin Brown | March 13, 2015 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, March 13, 2015 – The organization charged with promoting and supporting the arts and cultures throughout Pennsylvania has picked up the fervent abilities of state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione.
Tartaglione, who has been a member of the Legislative Arts and Culture Caucus in Harrisburg, has been appointed to serve on the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
“Pennsylvania has a global reach in the arts, and my experience working with the many high quality arts organizations and programs in Philadelphia will help me amplify the council’s great work,” Sen. Tartaglione said today.
“As Henry David Thoreau once said, ‘This world is but a canvas to our imagination.’ Pennsylvania has contributed vibrant colors and tones throughout its communities through education and investment,” Tartaglione said. “I look forward to continuing this gift.”
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a 19-member body that works to “foster the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state.”
Tartaglione is one of four legislators on the 49-year-old panel. Fifteen other members, including three from Philadelphia, are citizens.
Among other things, the council funds grants for arts organizations, arts programming in colleges and universities, departments of government, fiscally sponsored projects, individuals, arts projects, and artist residencies in schools and community centers.
It also delivers Governor’s Awards for the Arts, folk and traditional arts apprenticeships, and professional development and outreach.
To learn more about the council, visit www.arts.pa.gov.
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by Christin Brown | March 11, 2015 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, March 11, 2015 – Pennsylvania veterans who fought in the Persian Gulf Theater in the early 1990s could receive up to $525 a month for their service if they apply now for a special, one-time bonus, state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione said today.
The payments, through the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, are for veterans who were on active duty during Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm between Aug. 2, 1990, and Aug. 31, 1991.
The deadline to apply is Aug. 31.
“Now is the time for our brave Pennsylvanians who went to the Middle East to take advantage of this time-limited offer,” Tartaglione said. “The bonus could make a difference with Gulf War veterans who need assistance, and I hope it helps everyone who deserves the money.”
The DMVA is also asking veterans who might have previously been denied the bonus to re-apply. New applications are required to reopen a claim.
Since the program’s start in 2008, some 11,000 Persian Gulf veterans have applied for the monthly stipend.
The bonus pays $75 per month for qualifying, active-duty service members, up to the $525/month maximum.
For personnel whose death was related to illness or injury suffered in the line-of-duty in Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm, there is an additional $5,000 available to the surviving family. Service members who were declared POWs may also be eligible for an additional $5,000.
In each case, the service member must have:
- Served with the U.S. Armed Forces, a reserve component of the U.S. Armed Forces or the PA National Guard,
- Served on active duty in the Persian Gulf Theater of Operations during the period from Aug. 2, 1990, until Aug. 31, 1991, and received the Southwest Asia Service Medal,
- Been a legal resident of Pennsylvania at the time of active duty service,
- Been discharged from active duty under honorable conditions, if not currently on active duty. And,
- Received the Southwest Asia Service Medal.
For detailed instructions on how to apply, visit www.persiangulfbonus.state.pa.us.
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by Christin Brown | March 10, 2015 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, March 10, 2015 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione will continue her push to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage tomorrow when the House Democratic Policy Committee convenes a hearing at Temple University.
Tartaglione has proposed a package of legislation that would increase the minimum wage to $10.10 by Jan. 1 (Senate Bill 195), increase the tipped minimum wage to 70 percent of the regular minimum wage (SB 196), and add an annual cost-of-living increase (SB 197).
The committee is meeting at the request of Philadelphia Democratic Rep. Leslie Acosta.
Media coverage is invited.
WHAT: Sen. Tartaglione to participate in minimum wage public hearing
WHEN: 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 11
WHERE: Room 301-D, Morgan Hall, Temple University, 1601 N. Broad St., Philadelphia
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by Christin Brown | March 4, 2015 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, March 4, 2015 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today applauded Gov. Tom Wolf for his bold and promising 2015-2016 budget proposal.
She said his willingness to push a higher minimum wage, his belief in proper education funding, his support of her idea to close the Delaware loophole, and ideas to help relieve the tax burden of Philadelphians are welcomed, overdue efforts.
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“For four years, the Republican in the governor’s office said he couldn’t afford to invest new dollars in education, couldn’t support people who need government help, and couldn’t afford to ask businesses to pay their minimum wage workers more than $7.25 an hour,” Tartaglione said. “But he could afford to protect the natural gas industry and corporate partners, and Pennsylvania has suffered because of that.”
Sen. Tartaglione said she is glad that the governor is reiterating his support of a $10.10 an hour minimum wage, as well as future minimum wage increases that are tied to a cost-of-living index.
Tartaglione has proposed Senate Bill 195 to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 by Jan. 1, 2016. Senate Bill 196 would eventually set the tipped minimum wage to 70 percent of the regular base hourly rate.
A recent study by the Keystone Research Center said an increase to $10.10 would benefit more base hourly wage earners than similar bills that would up the minimum much less (1.27 million Pennsylvanians to 404,000). It also said an increase to $10.10 would generate 6,000 new jobs; or nearly nine times more than an increase to $8.75.
Currently, a parent who works a full-time minimum-wage job and has two children is below the federal poverty line.
The Philadelphia Democrat said she is also pleased by the governor’s call to restore the $1 billion that the Corbett administration stripped from basic and higher education, and his call to finally close the Delaware loophole.
The Delaware loophole gives Pennsylvania businesses the opportunity to incorporate in Delaware so they can avoid paying PA corporate income taxes. Tartaglione’s Senate Bill 274 would close the Delaware loophole. It is awaiting action in the Senate Finance Committee.
Seventy percent of the corporations that operate in the commonwealth do not pay taxes because of the loophole, Tartaglione said. The New York Times reported that Delaware collected $860 million from absentee corporations operating in other American states in 2011, including Pennsylvania.
If the governor’s idea is accepted, closing the loophole would help the commonwealth reduce the corporate net income tax rate by 40 percent on Jan. 1 and by 50 percent over the next three years.
“Gov. Wolf’s idea to slash the CNI from 9.99 percent to 5.99 percent will more than make up for the money corporations are avoiding by formally organizing in a small post office box in Delaware,” Tartaglione said.
The senator said Pennsylvanians should accept the governor’s first budget proposal as a significant – and necessary – change in how the commonwealth governs and pays for government.
“Bad thinking and insufficient leadership got us into the sorry financial situation we are in,” she said. “We cannot accept the same approach in finding a way out. We must work on the Wolf budget and make sure it is signed into law no later than June 30.
“This is promising to be a tough battle, however, as Republicans who are in the majority in the House and Senate are already voicing their opposition,” Tartaglione said.
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by Christin Brown | February 20, 2015 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 20, 2015 – Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione is urging her constituents to participate next week in “America Saves Week.”
“America Saves Week” is designed to increase awareness of the need for people to save money, reduce debt, and build wealth with a primary focus on financial action: setting goals, making a plan, and setting up automatic savings and investments.
“Only half of American households have a savings plan with specific goals, and only 40 percent have a budget that allows for sufficient savings,” Tartaglione said. “Stagnant wages and prolonged unemployment and underemployment have meant that many Philadelphians are struggling to save and protect their futures.”
A 2012 National Financial Capability Study showed that 53 percent of Pennsylvanians are not setting aside money to cover expenses in case of emergencies.
“Study after study shows us that more needs to be done to create a more financially literate community, and I am proud to join the PA Treasury’s efforts to help shine a light on the importance of saving,” Tartaglione said.
The senator is joining with Treasury and its partners to offer a series of webinars designed to help people build wealth and get out of debt.
Each webinar – presented by an experienced financial professional from the public or private sector – will provide guidance on common financial challenges such as how to budget and create a plan to save, manage debt, and save for higher education.
The webinar schedule is as follows:
- Monday, Feb. 23, at 12:00 p.m. – Saving for That Big Purchase, presented by Tami Noll Russo, CPA, CFP, and member of the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs.
- Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 12:00 p.m. – Savings 101, presented by the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association.
- Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 6:00 p.m. – Saving for Higher Education, presented by the Pennsylvania 529 College Savings Program.
- Thursday, Feb. 26, at 12:00 p.m. – Show Me My Money: A Lesson on Saving and Spending, presented by Clarifi.
- Friday, Feb. 27, at 12:00 p.m. – Teach Children to Save, presented by the PA Bankers Association.
To register for the webinar series, see a complete schedule, or learn more about “America Saves Week,” visit PA529.com.
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by Christin Brown | February 17, 2015 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Feb. 17, 2015 – Because it’s more prevalent than breast cancer or any other type of cancer, state Sens. Christine M. Tartaglione and Lisa Baker today proposed a resolution designating “National Wear Red Day in Pennsylvania.”
Sen. Tartaglione read the following statement this evening on the floor of the Senate:
“Too often, women are the caretakers in their families. They take care of their children, spouses and everyone around them, but they don’t take care of themselves.
“When faced with a heart attack, women are the last to get help and the first to suffer the ultimate consequence … death. Not only does heart disease claim the lives of more women than men each year, but it also is the most deadly of all diseases among women.
“This year, Sen. Baker and I hope to change these odds.
“As part of the American Heart Association’s ‘Go Red Campaign,’ we are offering this resolution to ensure women understand the risks of heart disease, and we are encouraging every female in this state to become more aware and proactive in maintaining their own cardiovascular health.
“We are asking everyone in the Senate to please wear the red pins Sen. Baker and I have placed on their desks in support of this important cause … so that we may continue our outreach efforts until we reach every mother, daughter, sister and friend in the commonwealth. “
According to the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, preventing heart disease is possible through lifestyle changes, medicines, and medical or surgical procedures.
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by Christin Brown | February 11, 2015 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 11, 2015 – Working with the Salvation Army and other charities to identify people who need help staying warm outside, Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione, Philadelphia City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and Forman Mills will give out vouchers for coats, hats and scarves.
The “Giveback Giveaway” will start at 3 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 12, at the Forman Mills stores at 48th and Market streets in West Philly, and 5694 Rising Sun Ave. in Northeast Philly.
Sen. Tartaglione will be at the Rising Sun Avenue store for the voucher giveaways, which is expected to happen at approximately 5 p.m.
Media coverage is invited.
WHAT: Sen. Tartaglione to participate in Forman Mills’ “Giveback Giveaway”
WHEN: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 12. Sen. Tartaglione expected to arrive at
4 p.m.
WHERE: Forman Mills, 5694 Rising Sun Ave., Philadelphia
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by Christin Brown | February 9, 2015 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Feb. 9, 2015 – Republicans and Democrats, advocacy groups and minimum wage earners filled a church near the state Capitol this afternoon to organize for a new effort to finally increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $10.10.
“We need to help the ones who need help the most,” Sen. Tartaglione said during the kickoff to Raise the Wage PA’s minimum wage kickoff event. “Every other neighboring state believes that, and they have acted to increase their minimum wage rates to much healthier levels.
“Not only would my proposal to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 by Jan. 1 help those who need it most, it would help thousands more Pennsylvanians than any other proposal promising a token increase,” she said.
Tartaglione unveiled a five-bill proposal last month that would increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by 2016 and make the state’s tipped minimum equal 70 percent of the regular base hourly rate. After the increase to $10.10, her proposal would tie future increases to the rate of inflation.
Today’s three-hour event, organized by Raise the Wage PA, included Republican and Democratic state lawmakers, AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale, CEOs, the NAACP, PA Council of Churches, workers, officials from the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, the United Food and Commercial Workers, and others.
The group walked en masse from Grace United Methodist Church to the Capitol later in the afternoon.
“We are doing this as a group because we believe that a rising tide lifts all boats,” Tartaglione said. “We know there will soon be proposals to nominally increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage by 50 cents an hour, but we can – and should – do better than that.
“We must do what’s right for our frontline workers just our neighboring states have done what’s right for their workers.
“Study after study shows that there is more benefit than detriment following an increase in the minimum wage. Once we finally approve a $10.10 an hour minimum wage, history as a guide will prove to be right, and our workers and economies will all get a positive bounce from the fairer minimum,” the senator said.
Tartaglione’s Senate Bill 195 would increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $8.67 an hour by July 1 and $10.10 an hour by Jan. 1, 2016.
The tipped minimum wage, covered by Senate Bill 196, would increase from $2.83 an hour to $3.95 an hour on July 1, and would equal 70 percent of the regular minimum at the start of 2016.
The other three bills in Sen. Tartaglione’s minimum wage package include:
- Senate Bill 197, which would provide annual cost-of-living increases to the minimum wage based on the Consumer Price Index,
- Senate Bill 198, which would modernize the state wage payment and collection law to increase recordkeeping requirements for employers and enforcement duties of the state Department of Labor & Industry. It would also allow employees to receive back wages and two times those wages in damages, and
- Senate Bill 199, which would prohibit employers from deducting bank fees or charges from employee tips when a customer pays their bill with a credit card.
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by Christin Brown | February 6, 2015 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Feb. 6, 2015 — The case for aggressive action on Pennsylvania’s stagnant minimum wage was made stronger today by new economic research, state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione said.
Tartaglione praised the Keystone Research Center’s thorough comparison of her minimum wage bill (Senate Bill 195) and a watered-down version proposed by a Republican colleague.
“The research shows that weak action will yield weak results and that’s not what Pennsylvania’s working families need right now,” Tartaglione said. “The economic argument for restoring the buying power of the minimum wage is strong and so is public support.”
Tartaglione’s bill would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by Jan. 1, 2016.
According to the KRC research “the proposed increase to $10.10 would benefit many more workers, provide a far bigger boost to the economy and benefit nearly three times as many adults as the lower proposed increase.”
“Measured by the positive impact on families and the economy, there’s no real comparison between these two proposals,” David Cooper, co-author of the report and senior economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, said. “An increase to $10.10 per hour provides a meaningful boost to Pennsylvania and Pennsylvanians. An increase to $8.75 with some youth still stuck at $7.25 does not.”
Tartaglione said the group’s work has made an already strong case for action even stronger.
“Over the next few months we’re going to be faced with a choice of whether to heed the research or listen to some tired rhetoric,” she said. “For millions of Pennsylvanians that choice is clear.
Tartaglione has introduced a sweeping series of minimum wage bills. They include:
- Senate Bill 196, would increase from $2.83 an hour to $3.95 an hour on July 1, and would equal 70 percent of the regular minimum at the start of 2016.
- Senate Bill 197, which would provide annual cost-of-living increases to the minimum wage based on the Consumer Price Index,
- Senate Bill 198, which would modernize the state wage payment and collection law to increase recordkeeping requirements for employers and enforcement duties of the state Department of Labor & Industry. It would also allow employees to receive back wages and two times those wages in damages, and
- Senate Bill 199, which would prohibit employers from deducting bank fees or charges from employee tips when a customer pays their bill with a credit card.
The full study can be found by clicking here.
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by Christin Brown | January 27, 2015 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Jan. 27, 2015 – Pennsylvania’s frontline workers who are languishing with poverty-level wages would finally be paid more under new minimum wage legislation that state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione announced today.
The five-bill proposal would increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by 2016 and make the state’s tipped minimum 70 percent of the regular base hourly rate. After the increase to $10.10, Sen. Tartaglione’s proposal would tie future increases to the rate of inflation.
“Pennsylvania is the only state in the Northeast that has not listened to the cries of tens of thousands of hardworking residents who are suffering because prices have increased but their paychecks have not for six long years,” Tartaglione said. “We must agree to require businesses to pay workers higher wages not because other states have done it; we must agree to more because it is the right thing to do for them, for taxpayers, and the economy.”
Tartaglione’s Senate Bill 195 would increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $8.67 an hour by July 1 and $10.10 an hour by Jan. 1, 2016.
The tipped minimum wage, covered by Senate Bill 196, would increase from $2.83 an hour to $3.95 an hour on July 1, and would equal 70 percent of the regular minimum at the start of 2016.
“More than 87,000 Pennsylvanians receive just $7.25 for each 60 minutes they work,” Tartaglione said. “It’s hard for many minimum wage workers to buy the things their employers are selling because they don’t have the money to pay for other important things, like electricity.”
Nearly twice as many workers (157,000), the senator said, receive the tipped minimum wage.
The other three bills in Sen. Tartaglione’s minimum wage package include:
- Senate Bill 197, which would provide annual cost-of-living increases to the minimum wage based on the Consumer Price Index,
- Senate Bill 198, which would modernize the state wage payment and collection law to increase recordkeeping requirements for employers and enforcement duties of the state Department of Labor & Industry. It would also allow employees to receive back wages and two times those wages in damages, and
- Senate Bill 199, which would prohibit employers from deducting bank fees or charges from employee tips when a customer pays their bill with a credit card.
According to a Wall Street Journal analysis last December of federal consumer spending statistics between 2007 and 2013, middle class Americans had to adjust for a 24-percent increase in healthcare costs, 26-percent higher rent bills and 12.5 percent more for food.
“Unfortunately, a minimum wage earner doesn’t need a study to confirm that most everything for them costs too much money,” Tartaglione said. “We need a higher minimum wage now because the cost of not making this a requirement will cause more harm.”
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by Christin Brown | January 15, 2015 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 15, 2015 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione announced that she will once again hold an influential seat to continue fighting for labor rights and an increase in the minimum wage as the Democratic chair of the Senate Labor and Industry Committee.
“Serving as the Democratic Chair of this important panel ensures that thousands of working Pennsylvanians, including many who work for the lowest of wages, will continue to have a voice in Harrisburg,” Tartaglione said. “I am hopeful that a pledge of greater bipartisanship and a governor who supports a higher minimum wage will combine with my fervent desire to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage soon.”
Sen. Tartaglione said she will introduce her new minimum wage package of proposals later this month.
In addition to Labor and Industry, the six-term lawmaker will serve on Appropriations, Banking and Insurance, Law and Justice, Policy, and the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness committees.
For the 2015-2016 legislative session, Sen. Tartaglione has committed to focus on legislation dealing with gun violence, people with disabilities and delivering heart and lung benefits to paramedics.
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by Christin Brown | January 6, 2015 | News Releases
HARRISBRUG, Jan. 6, 2015 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today took the oath of office today for her sixth term in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and promised to continue her fight for better policies that promote economic development, raise the minimum wage, and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.
“Many of Pennsylvania’s neighboring states increased their minimum wage rates Jan. 1, which means we now are the only ones paying substandard, poverty-level stipends,” Tartaglione said following her oath of office.
“I am looking forward to working with the newly elected Republican leadership in the Senate and Gov. Tom Wolf to make sure Pennsylvania finally increases the minimum wage this year,” she said.
Tartaglione – who was accompanied by her mother, Margaret Tartaglione – joined other Senate Democrats in the swearing-in ceremony who were newly elected or re-elected in the November General Election.
“Many elected officials today said they are promising to work openly and together to solve Pennsylvania’s problems and improve life in this great state for everyone. I am encouraged by this and pledge to work at least as cooperatively,” Tartaglione said.
This is the beginning of Tartaglione’s sixth term in the Senate. She was first elected to the chamber in 1995.
For the 2015-2016 legislative session, Sen. Tartaglione has agreed to co-sponsor bills dealing with gun violence, people with disabilities, credit card deductions for tipped wage earners, and delivering heart and lung benefits to paramedics.
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by Christin Brown | December 18, 2014 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 18, 2014 – A Pennsylvania group that works to improve life for people with developmental disabilities will hold four meetings next month, including one in Norristown, to gage how it can best target funding under a new grant program, state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione said today.
The Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council is also seeking proposals for its Grassroots Grants Program.
“This is a great opportunity for groups and businesses that work with Pennsylvanians who have developmental disabilities to provide input and get funding for their ideas,” Tartaglione said. “Philadelphians with developmental disabilities will be helped if we work together to make a difference.”
January’s four meetings – called “conversations” – will be held Jan. 12 in Pittsburgh; Jan. 21 in Camp Hill; Jan. 22 at Montgomery County Behavioral Health, 1430 DeKalb St., Norristown; and Jan. 23 during a statewide webinar/conference call (1-866-210-1669, participant code 3478987#).
Grassroots Grants of as much as $10,000 are designed to support short-term projects of up to 18 months.
Applicants should be prepared to provide a brief statement explaining: who they are, the problem they are trying to address, how they are trying to address the problem, and how their proposal relates to the council’s mission.
The deadline for applications is 3 p.m., Feb. 11.
“The upcoming conversations are necessary and important,” Tartaglione said. “Anyone with a stake in providing a better future for Pennsylvanians with developmental disabilities should participate and apply for funding.”
For more information, visit the council’s website at www.paddc.org or contact David Golin at 717-772-4127 or dgolin@pa.gov.
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by Christin Brown | December 3, 2014 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 3, 2014 – As the Corbett administration continued its subterfuge during its final mid-year budget briefing, state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today said Pennsylvania would generate new revenue if it finally approved a minimum wage increase.
“Other state economies that are doing a better job recovering from the recession have one thing in common,” Tartaglione said. “They have increased their minimum wage rates.
“Raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage from its poverty-level $7.25 an hour to at least $10.10 an hour by 2016 will not completely close Gov. Corbett’s new $2 billion deficit, nor will it completely change the opinion of those who set our credit rating. It also will not make paying for basic education a more equitable system.
“Raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage will, however, help employers keep and hire more productive workers. It will put more money in workers’ pockets and it will deliver more income tax revenue for the Corbett-decimated economy,” the senator said.
No proposal to increase the minimum wage was voted out of committee during the 2013-2014 legislative session, including Sen. Tartaglione’s proposals to incrementally increase the base hourly rate from $7.25 to $10.10 by 2016 and to make the tipped minimum wage 70 percent of the regular minimum.
Tartaglione said she will re-introduce proposals to increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage when the legislature opens its new session in January.
“We need a higher minimum wage because Pennsylvania workers need it to survive and to be less dependent on social services,” Tartaglione said.
Ten states and Washington D.C. increased their minimum wage rates in 2014, including Delaware and Maryland.
Minimum wages will increase in nine states Jan. 1, including in New Jersey and Ohio.
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by Christin Brown | November 6, 2014 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 6, 2014 – To help keep heaters working and the lights on through winter, state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today said the time is now for low-income residents in her district to apply for the popular Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program; better known as LIHEAP.
The application window for federally funded LIHEAP grants will stay open through the beginning of April.
“LIHEAP will help people pay for emergency repairs they didn’t budget for,” Tartaglione said. “Whether it’s a frozen pipe or the threatened termination of electrical service, LIHEAP’s crisis grants can help people who need help to get through the winter.”
The energy assistance program delivered grants totaling $14.3 million last winter.
If needed, LIHEAP can provide a cash grant of up to $1,000 per customer. The grants are directly paid to a utility or other vendor, like PECO. Grants can cover payments to get service restored. The maximum grant funding for emergencies is $500.
Annual household income limits apply. A one-person household must not earn more than $17,505 while an eight-person household can earn a maximum annual stipend of $60,135. Add $6,090 for each additional person.
“My office can help residents apply for the LIHEAP program if they have questions or concerns,” the senator said.
Either of Tartaglione’s district offices can provide applications. Questions may be asked by calling her Bridge Street office, 215-533-0440, or her Susquehanna Avenue office, 215-291-4653.
The LIHEAP application is also available online.
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by Christin Brown | October 21, 2014 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 21, 2014 – The nation’s oldest, private psychiatric hospital will be able to preserve a tract of land near Tacony Park, thanks to a $ 150,000 state grant secured today by state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione.
The Natural Lands Trust will use the money from the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program to preserve the property around Friends Hospital.
That tract includes a trail that is part of the Fairmount Park System.
“This important investment will help the trust place a conservation easement on this historic piece of land so that it, and the trail, continue as a great place for people to get outside, be healthy and enjoy nature,” Tartaglione said. “It will also help to build a new trail on the other side of Tacony Creek.”
Friends Hospital was founded by the Quakers in 1813 with the mission of treating “every person … with dignity, respect and equality.”
The Commonwealth Financing Authority is an independent agency of the commonwealth that is designed to administer Pennsylvania’s economic stimulus packages. CFA holds fiduciary responsibility over the funding of programs and investments.
CFA’s next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 14 in Harrisburg.
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by Christin Brown | October 20, 2014 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 20, 2014 – Wissinoming Park will offer many new features to summertime visitors now that a $ 300,000 state grant has been awarded to help pay for their construction, Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione said today.
Wissinoming is getting a Community Conservation Partnerships Grant for the project. It’s one of 219 awarded by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The total value of all grants is $33 million.
“Many outdoor spaces throughout the commonwealth will benefit from these new investments, but I am particularly happy that Wissinoming Park will get this money to convert the park into a new destination for outdoor enthusiasts,” Tartaglione said.
“Because we live in an urban setting, it is important that we continue to invest in our green spaces. Wissinoming Park is a vital part of the 2nd Senatorial District and the project promises to transform the space into a better experience once the improvements are finished,” she said.
A new spray park, playground equipment and a picnic grove will be added with the $300,000 grant.
Tartaglione said Wissinoming will also get improved ADA access, walkways, landscaping and signage.
DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnerships Grant program is administered by its Bureau of Recreation and Conservation to provide financial assistance to local governments, river and trail organizations, land trusts and other non-profits for planning, acquisition and development of park, recreation, conservation and greenway projects.
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by Christin Brown | October 15, 2014 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Oct. 15, 2014 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today helped to quash a backdoor attempt to weaken unions by joining a bipartisan push to defeat an amendment that would have prohibited employers from automatically deducting membership dues from a worker’s paycheck.
Called “paycheck protection” by proponents, Tartaglione said the proposal, introduced by Sen. Scott Wagner (R-York) as an amendment to a bill designed to help children with food allergies, was not democratic.
“The only thing Sen. Wagner’s amendment would do is eliminate unions’ abilities to choose who they want to represent them in government,” Tartaglione said. “It would eliminate the voices of the men and women who work hard day-in and day-out to put food on the table for their families, just because they belong to a union.
“Union members can already decide whether or not they want to contribute to union political spending. The law protects them if they choose not to contribute. And, she said, for every hour worked by a teacher, the money they earn for that work is no longer the state’s money; it is the employee’s.
“So, I ask you: why do we call this measure ‘paycheck protection?’” she said on the Senate floor.
Tartaglione added that voting in favor of the Wagner amendment would have handed control of the commonwealth to corporations “and their one-sided political agendas.”
The Senate voted 28 to 20 to defeat the freshman Republican’s proposal.
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by Christin Brown | October 7, 2014 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Oct. 7, 2014 – State lawmakers and Capitol visitors had the opportunity today to experience how people live with disabilities during Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione’s annual Disability Awareness Day.
People without disabilities were able to experience “blindness” or what it is like to move around in a wheelchair during the three-hour event.
“I present this important day because personal experiences can have a bigger impact on our decision makers,” Tartaglione said. “People with disabilities face real challenges many times a day, all of the time. Experiencing what they experience helps us as a commonwealth improve services and be more thoughtful when budgeting decisions need to be made.”
Wheelchairs, walkers, vision-distorting goggles, magnifiers, arm restraints and noise-canceling headphones helped volunteers simulate life with a disability.
Informational hand-outs and service dog demonstrations emphasized the available services that make a difference in the lives of Pennsylvanians who do live with disabilities every day.
The following organizations participated today in the senator’s Disability Awareness Day at the Capitol:
- PA Initiative on Assistive Technology at the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University
- Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
- PA Statewide Independent Living Council
- PA Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services
- Susquehanna Service Dogs
- UniqueSource
- United Cerebral Palsy of Central PA
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by Christin Brown | October 6, 2014 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Oct. 6, 2014 – Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione is urging the administration of Gov. Tom Corbett to finally take immediate action to improve Pennsylvania’s website for job seekers.
In a letter to state Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Julia Hearthway, the senator said the administration must stop importing postings from websites such as Craigslist to ensure salacious job “opportunities” like exotic dancers and casting couch openings are filtered out.
“It is critical that the department address the overarching problems with this site, so that individuals are able to find quality, family-sustaining jobs with ease,” Sen. Tartaglione wrote in her Oct. 2 letter. “As such, I am requesting the department develop and communicate a plan to improve the job component which includes encouraging or requiring all employers in the commonwealth to make use of this website.”
Tartaglione’s letter is here:
October 2, 2014
The Honorable Julia Hearthway
Secretary
Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
1713 Labor & Industry Building
651 Boas Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Dear Secretary Hearthway:
The purpose of this letter is to discuss the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s Job Gateway website. On numerous occasions, my staff and I have communicated our concerns regarding the accessibility of the site and the quality of the jobs posted on it. It is critical that the department address the overarching problems with this site, so that individuals are able to find quality, family-sustaining jobs with ease. As such, I am requesting the department develop and communicate a plan to improve the job component which includes encouraging or requiring all employers in the commonwealth to make use of this website.
Currently, as you know, all unemployed persons in the commonwealth are required to register with and use Job Gateway in order to receive unemployment compensation benefits in the state. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find legitimate employment through Job Gateway in its present form, as the site, as demonstrated by recent media accounts, is clouded with unverified positions from unregistered employers. For this reason, I previously requested the department no longer post unregistered employers and unverified jobs on its site, and I asked the department to undertake efforts to increase the number of registered employers. To address these issues, I would like to suggest that the department to stop including sites that are unprofessional in nature, such as Craig’s List, in the Job Spidering used by Job Gateway. Only websites that are strictly designed for employment purposes, and that offer sustainable wages, should be utilized for the department’s job portal. If this website is truly for the good of the commonwealth, I think you will agree these conditions are in the best interests of all persons seeking employment in Pennsylvania.
At this time, please consider incorporating the above-requested changes into its Job Gateway site. I look forward to discussing this matter further with you. In the meantime, should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (717)787-1141.
Sincerely,
Christine M. Tartaglione
State Senator
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by Christin Brown | September 29, 2014 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 29, 2014 – Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione, advocates and members of Raise the Wage PA today marched to Gov. Tom Corbett’s office here to finally urge his endorsement of legislation that would increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.
Raise the Wage PA’s “statewide action day” featured similar rallies in nine other cities.
Sen. Tartaglione’s Senate Bill 1300 would incrementally increase the commonwealth’s minimum from $7.25 to $10.10. Her companion proposal, Senate Bill 1099, would increase the tipped minimum wage to 70 percent of the regular base hourly rate.
“We continue our fight because Pennsylvania is falling behind dozens of other states that have already agreed that raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do,” Tartaglione said today. “Our front-line workers have not been able to sustain themselves on $7.25 an hour for years.
“Mandating that they receive a fairer $10.10 an hour would be good for them and it would be good for their employers and their communities. Most studies show that a more livable minimum wage will help more than it will hurt,” she said.
Gov. Corbett and leading Republican lawmakers have so far refused to consider her proposals and those presented by other House and Senate members.
Meanwhile, 10 states and Washington D.C. raised their minimum wage rates this year to bring the total count of states with higher base hourly wages to 23 plus D.C.
As Tartaglione and Raise the Wage PA were marching today from Fergie’s Pub to the governor’s office, rallies in support of a higher minimum wage were happening – or had happened – in Allentown, Altoona, Erie, Harrisburg, Media, Morrisville, Pittsburgh, Reading and York.
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