by Christin Brown | July 27, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, July 27, 2012 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione has written a letter to Labor and Industry Secretary Julia Hearthway asking her to reverse and administration decision to furlough nearly 100 employees who process claims and investigate fraud.
“Not only will this result in joblessness for a substantial number of employees in an economy which has been slow to recover, but also, it will further diminish the quality of service provided by the department,” Tartaglione wrote.
The letter, co-signed by 15 Senate colleagues, came in response to an administration decision to close Philadelphia’s Unemployment Compensation Service Call Center and to consolidate the Claims and Field Operations divisions of the State Worker’ Insurance Fund. The decision eliminates the jobs of 75 workers in Philadelphia and 24 additional workers in Erie, Dauphin, Northumberland and Lackawanna counties.
Those workers process and investigate claims, ensuring prompt payment of benefits and detecting cases of fraud. This year, the administration led passage of a sweeping package of reforms that cut benefits to workers and targeted what it claimed was widespread fraud in unemployment claims.
“If there is widespread fraud, then it makes no sense to cut workers who investigate claims,” Tartaglione said. “These workers were already overwhelmed by record claims during the recession and slow recovery, and fewer of them means more frustration both for laid off workers and for employers who want claims investigated thoroughly.”
Full text of letter:
Dear Secretary Hearthway:
This letter serves to address the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s recent decision to close Philadelphia’s Unemployment Compensation Service Call Center and to consolidate the Claims and Field Operations divisions of the State Workers’ Insurance Fund.
With this decision, 75 employees have been furloughed in Philadelphia and a total of 24 employees have been furloughed in Erie, Dauphin, Northumberland and, primarily, Lackawanna counties. While the news of these layoffs is alarming, of greater concern is the Department’s failure to notify elected officials of its intentions to discharge workers prior to taking such action.
As Legislators and residents of this Commonwealth, we offer our utmost disapproval.
While we realize there have been fewer unemployment claims filed in recent months, and while we recognize the importance of efficiency within the Department, we neither understand nor support the rationale behind these decisions. The impact of closing an entire unemployment compensation call center and furloughing employees who investigate suspicious workers’ compensation claims will prove detrimental to the Commonwealth. Not only will this result in joblessness for a substantial number of employees in an economy which has been slow to recover, but also, it will further diminish the quality of service provided by the Department.
With unemployment rates remaining above pre-recession levels, thousands of individuals continue to rely upon unemployment to support themselves and their families. Currently, these claimants are reporting difficulties in gaining adequate unemployment compensation services, such as obtaining their initial benefit payments in accordance with federal standards and gaining telephone access to call center employees in a timely manner. Additionally, the current application and bi-weekly filing system is not user-friendly, requiring greater explanation and assistance from call center employees. It is reasonable to assume these problems will grow and compile further following the closure of Philadelphia’s call center, as there will be fewer employees to address claimants’ concerns.
Similarly, numerous employers and workers from across the state depend on SWIF for workers’ compensation insurance. To ensure the Fund does not pay false claims, the Department has teamed up with the Office of the Attorney General to fight fraud attempts. Just as the Department advocated for the passage of Act 60 of2012, which ramped up efforts to reduce the occurrence of fraud in unemployment compensation benefits paid to claimants, it is likely such efforts are underway in the restructuring of SWIF; yet, it seems unlikely that a reduction in the number of investigators within SWIF would result in greater efficiency and accuracy in identifying fraudulent behavior toward the Fund. As a result, while merging divisions and laying off workers may decrease the Department’s financial expenditures in the immediate future, less SWIF employees investigating possible fraudulent claims seems to hold the potential of becoming more costly for the Department in later years.
At this time, we ask that you reconsider your decision to furlough approximately 100 employees of the Department of Labor and Industry. The loss of employees at the Philadelphia call center and SWIF investigators from various locations throughout the state would surely be problematic and undesirable for the Department, employers and claimants now and in the future.
Without an opportunity to converse in this matter with the Department and to review any relevant data that prompted the furloughing of these employees, we cannot and will not support the actions taken by the Department in this instance. If you wish to discuss this issue, please feel free to contact my office at (717)787-1141.
Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione
Sen. John Blake
Sen. Jim Brewster
Sen. Jay Costa
Sen. Andrew Dinniman
Sen. Jim Ferlo
Sen. Wayne Fontana
Sen. Vincent Hughes
Sen. Richard Kasunic
Sen. Daylin Leach
Sen. Judith Schwank
Sen. Tim Solobay
Sen. LeAnna Washington
Sen. Anthony H. Williams
Sen. John Wozniak
Sen. John Yudichak
by Christin Brown | July 16, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, July 17, 2012 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today urged African-American homebuyers to contact the U.S. Department of Justice to see if they are qualified to receive part of a $125 million settlement with Wells Fargo.
“It’s terrible to find out that financial institutions are still considering race when evaluating lending applications,” Tartaglione said. “The multi-state settlement shows that such practices will not be tolerated and minority consumers can find protection under the law.”
Two years ago, the state human relations commission started an investigation to determine whether mortgage lending and foreclosure practices of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and Wells Fargo Financial Pa. Inc. violated the Pa. Human Relations Act (PHRA) by targeting borrowers for discrimination based on their race.
The commission investigation was prompted by its statistical analysis of U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development statistics, conducted with HUD funding. The study revealed substantial disparities in pricing and foreclosure rates between African American and white borrowers.
The investigation resulted in a complaint alleging that Wells Fargo engaged in reverse redlining, the practice of targeting African American borrowers for high interest loans without regard for their ability to pay.
The Human Relations Commission estimates that more than 1,000 Philadelphians were victims of the practice.
Settlement of the complaint requires Wells Fargo to establish the $50 million new homebuyer assistance fund from which qualified buyers will receive up to $15,000 for down payments. An additional $2 million will be designated for African-American residents in the city of Philadelphia who originated home loans with Wells Fargo between Jan. 1, 2004 and Dec. 31, 2009.
Other funds will provide cash rebates for African American borrowers who might have qualified for prime loans, but received nonprime rates from Wells Fargo. A federal government designee will determine and notify potentially eligible
recipients.
Philadelphia area residents who believe they may be eligible for funds should email the U.S. Department of Justice at wellsfargo.settlement@usdoj.gov.
by Christin Brown | July 1, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, June 30, 2012 – More than three years after her first bill was introduced, Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today praised House passage of a measure that will raise revenue for State Police training classes while creating a fairer fine-distribution system. Senate Bill 237 passed the House with an overwhelming majority tonight and heads to the governor’s desk.
The bill is expected to raise as much as $4 million for cadet training, while municipalities that provide less than 40 hours of local police coverage will lose their share of fines collected through State Police traffic stops.
“More and more municipalities have ended local police coverage to depend on state police,” Tartaglione said. “We have not been training enough new troopers to keep up. The House action tonight begins to reverse that trend.”
Under current law, half of the traffic-enforcement fines collected through state police patrols in a local municipality are returned to the municipality through a Motor License Fund formula – even if the municipality relies only on the state for police protection.
Senate Bill 237 will deny distribution of traffic-fine revenue from the Motor License Fund to any municipality that does not provide locally for at least 40 hours of coverage per week through its own force or a regional contract. Municipalities with fewer than 3,000 residents are exempt.
The bill, first introduced by Tartaglione in the 2009-10 session as SB 225, passed the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously more than a year ago. It is expected to affect about 1,200 municipalities across Pennsylvania.
by Christin Brown | June 30, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, June 30, 2012 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today praised passage of a bill that will put more wheelchair-accessible taxis on the streets of Philadelphia.
House Bill 2390 expands the number of taxicab medallions issued by the Philadelphia Parking Authority to allow for a growing fleet of vehicles that can be used by riders who can remain in their wheelchairs.
“This bill takes a prudent and careful step toward making Philadelphia’s transportation system more accessible,” Tartaglione said. “It means progress that will be monitored and measured as it moves forward.”
Under the bill, the authority will issue 15 new taxicab medallions each year until the maximum number available expands from 1,600 to 1,750.
The bill also establishes a wheelchair-accessible taxicab driver training program for the city. A driver who completes the training will receive a $50 stipend for each full day of training attended or an amount that the authority decides on by order or regulation.
“By transforming the cab fleet over time, Philadelphia’s disabled community will have a chance to assess the changes and provide feedback,” Tartaglione said. “The transformation will be expensive and we have to make sure we do it right.”
The issue will be the subject of a hearing by the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee within six months, Tartaglione said.
The bill now heads to the governor’s desk.
by Christin Brown | June 29, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, June 29, 2012 – Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today released the following statement on the final 2012-13 budget:
“I commend the thousands of Pennsylvanians who took the time to come to Harrisburg over the past five months for their persistence and determination in moving this budget from where it started in February to what was passed today.
I also want to thank some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for recognizing the governor’s proposal for what it was and understanding its potential impact on our most vulnerable citizens.
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Despite the efforts of citizens and the understanding of my colleagues, this budget fails the test put forth a half century ago by the writer Pearl S. Buck who said we ‘must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members.
This budget, along with changes in the welfare code, allows our seniors to fear being deserted by the government they supported throughout their lives.
This budget takes its pain and payment from working families, minimum-wage workers, the nameless, the frail and the seniors who are struggling to live at home.
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This budget makes its promises and payments to the powerful, the privileged and the faceless corporations that live in mailboxes in Wilmington, Delaware.
Even as we claim to have no more money to spend, we are paying for those mailboxes in Delaware.
Our students are paying. Our homeowners are paying. Our college graduates are paying.
This budget lets the previous generation, and the next generation, pay the price for the politics of this generation.”
by Christin Brown | June 12, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, June 12, 2012 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione praised the hundreds of union apprentices lining the Rotunda steps today and urged them to help convince lawmakers to rebuild the middle class.”Apprenticeships through organized labor not only prepare students for jobs, but they help ensure that the jobs can support families and communities,” she said. “We do a lot of talking in Harrisburg about creating jobs but there isn’t enough talk about whether the jobs we are creating will sustain families without the need for government support.”
The Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council organized the Capitol rally that drew trades people from across the state.
Tartaglione told the workers that, despite thousands of structurally deficient bridges dotting the state and hundreds of miles of obsolete roads, many lawmakers have lost the courage to build.
“At the same time we wonder why the economy is slow to recover,” she said. “So, while you are here in Harrisburg and the legislators are listening, try to instill in them the courage to build. We already know we have people trained and ready to do it.”
According to the Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council President Frank Sirianni, Pennsylvania currently has more than 8,000 apprentices in the construction industry. He said the graduation rate from these programs is 75 percent in the union sector, compared to 50 percent in the non-union sector.
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by Christin Brown | June 11, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, June 11, 2012 – After more than three years of effort, Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione’s bill to raise revenue for State Police training classes while creating a fairer fine-distribution system passed the Senate unanimously today.
Senate Bill 237 is expected to raise as much as $4 million for cadet training, while municipalities that provide less than 40 hours of local police coverage will lose their share of fines collected through State Police traffic stops.
“Public safety is a top priority for state and local government, and it’s expensive,” Tartaglione said. “We are not training enough new troopers to keep up with the need and at the same time some large municipalities are taking advantage of State Police. That’s affecting all of us.”
Under current law, half of the traffic-enforcement fines collected through state police patrols in a local municipality are returned to the municipality through a Motor License Fund formula – even if the municipality relies only on the state for police protection.
“Cities and small towns are struggling with the rising cost of police services, while more than 1,500 municipalities pay nothing, and get money back,” Tartaglione said. “This inequity has led to budget deficits and inadequate State Police staffing.”
Senate Bill 237 would deny distribution of traffic-fine revenue from the Motor License Fund to any municipality that does not provide locally for at least 40 hours of coverage per week through its own force or a regional contract. Municipalities with fewer than 3,000 residents are exempt.
The bill, first introduced by Tartaglione in the 2009-10 session as SB 225, passed the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously more than a year ago. It is expected to affect about 1,200 municipalities across Pennsylvania.
by Christin Brown | June 5, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, June 5, 2012 – While applauding the bipartisanship that marked negotiations, Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today voted against the final version of Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation reform, calling it a “disservice” to the economy and working families.
“I appreciate the work and cooperation of all who worked on this legislation, but I cannot, in good faith, support it in its current form,” Tartaglione told her colleagues shortly before the Senate voted 29 to 19 on Senate Bill 1310, the product of more than a year of discussions.
The bill attempts to address the $3.9 billion Pennsylvania owes the federal government for loans made during the depths of the recession.
Along with changes implemented in Act 6 of 2011, the measure ensures an estimated $500 million in cuts to benefits and eligibility while Pennsylvania’s taxable wage base, on which businesses pay unemployment taxes, remains among the nation’s lowest.
“In an economy that may just be beginning to recover from a devastating recession, I have genuine concerns about reducing eligibility,” Tartaglione said.
Noting that 186,000 Pennsylvanians have been out of work for more than six months, Tartaglione said unemployment benefits not only keep families afloat, but also provide the economy with base support as job growth continues to lag.
“The growth in the economy does not come from business alone,” she said. “Business wouldn’t succeed in Pennsylvania without Pennsylvania families supporting them through purchase and use of their services. Without money – either from jobs or UC when jobs have been lost through no fault of the employee, I feel we do the commonwealth and its economy a disservice.”
Senate Bill 1310 now heads back to the House for consideration.
LISTEN to the Senator’s remarks made on the Senate floor:[audio:https://www.senatortartaglione.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/sentartaglione-comments-on-sb1310-unemployment-compensation-reform.mp3|titles=sentartaglione-comments-on-sb1310-unemployment-compensation-reform]
by Christin Brown | June 4, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, June 4, 2012 – A bill that will raise revenue to fund State Police training classes while creating a fairer fine-distribution system cleared the Senate Appropriations committee today, according to state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione, the bill’s sponsor.
Senate Bill 237 will raise as much as $4 million for cadet training, while municipalities that provide less than 40 hours of local police coverage will lose their share of fines collected through State Police traffic stops.
“Public safety is a significant expense for all levels of government,” Tartaglione said. “Some large municipalities are taking advantage of state police, putting the cost on all state taxpayers and stretching State Police resources. This bill will help ease the coverage complications and financial pressure on the State Police while creating a fairer funding system for all Pennsylvania taxpayers.”
Under current law, half of the traffic-enforcement fines collected through state police patrols in a local municipality are returned to the municipality through a Motor License Fund formula – even if the municipality relies only on the state for police protection.
“Taxpayers in struggling cities pay the rising cost of police services through local property taxes, while more than 1,500 municipalities pay nothing, and get money back,” Tartaglione said. “This puts creates added strain on public safety during difficult economic times.”
Senate Bill 237 would deny distribution of traffic-fine revenue from the Motor License Fund to any municipality that does not provide locally for at least 40 hours of coverage per week through its own force or a regional contract. Municipalities with fewer than 3,000 residents are exempt.
The bill passed the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously more than a year ago. It is expected to affect about 1,200 municipalities across Pennsylvania.
by Christin Brown | May 9, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, May 9, 2012 – State Sen. Christine M . Tartaglione today praised the thousands of civic activists, educators and social service providers who traveled to Harrisburg over the past two months for helping Senate Democrats force changes in state budget priorities.
“The budget framework passed in the Senate today still falls short of meeting the goals of job creation and protecting vulnerable families,” she said. “But it’s a sign that people are being heard.”
The $27.7 billion spending plan proposed by Senate Republicans today restores $500 million of the shortsighted cuts proposed by Gov. Tom Corbett, but still leaves many working families without access to affordable child care or health insurance.
Tartaglione, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the proposal represents a positive shift in the budget debate as Senate Democrats were given an opportunity to provide significant input about their ideas and priorities.
Majority Republicans rejected a series of Democratic amendments that would have used available revenue to restore additional amounts for cash assistance, adultBasic, human services, Accountability Block Grants and child-care services.
Tartaglione voted to approve the budget bill on final passage with the intention of continuing the progress toward a budget that includes new ideas and shared sacrifice.
“While progress is refreshing, the people we heard in the Rotunda and on the steps of the Capitol since the governor’s budget address should continue making their voices heard,” Tartaglione said. “We have a long way to go.”
by Christin Brown | April 3, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, April 3, 2012 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione joined Senate Democratic colleagues at a Capitol news conference today calling on the Corbett administration to focus budget priorities on jobs and working families.
“Last year’s budget and this year’s proposal put a heavy burden on Pennsylvania’s vulnerable families while large corporations reap the rewards of their political support,” Tartaglione said. “The governor’s priorities have resulted in stagnant employment, spiking property taxes and insolvent school districts. There is still time to shift direction.”
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Tartaglione is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 679, which would require “combined reporting” for businesses in Pennsylvania and close the “Delaware Loophole.”
“Working families and small businesses are paying the price for the administration’s hands-off approach to corporate taxes,” Tartaglione said.
In addition to combined reporting, Senate Democrats have identified numerous ways the state could raise additional revenue to invest in infrastructure, schools and job creation.
Tartaglione said Senate Democrats would like to add at least $250 million into Accountability Block Grants and higher education along with another $225 million in job creation strategies that include research and development. Senate Democrats are renewing their call to refocus unused cash in the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) for job creation.
by Christin Brown | March 27, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, March 27, 2012 –State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione will join the Pennsylvania Assistive Technologies Foundation next week for a news conference to discuss the success of investments in Pennsylvanians with disabilities and the challenges they still face.
The news conference will be held in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday, April 2, at 11 a.m.
Your coverage is invited.
Assistive Technologies News Conference
Monday, April 2, 2012
11 a.m.
Capitol Rotunda, Harrisburg, PA.
by Christin Brown | March 15, 2012 | News Releases
The barricades and the extra police at the end of a Capitol hallway tell you everything you need to know about the administration of Gov. Tom Corbett.
From Day One, the governor, who campaigned bravely about ordinary citizens reclaiming their government, has shown curious fear of those same citizens.
Feeling safer with a small audience of unquestioning supporters, the once-courageous reformer has recently taken to using his massive security apparatus to turn away the unwashed masses.
When a group of citizens in wheelchairs visited the Capitol in February, the former criminal prosecutor who spent a dozen years as a National Guard infantryman, took no chances.
Capitol Police were deployed and barricades were erected to keep the dangerous wheelchair people at bay. This wasnt too difficult. The security detail explained that they were told to not to let people in wheelchairs on the elevators. Blocking the elevators was all it took to keep them on the ground floor, a safe distance from the governors lair.
Meanwhile, lobbyists, pages, pizza drivers and politicians continued to enjoy access as usual.
It was a breathtaking metaphor for the Corbett administration, a policy-as-performance-art moment that wrapped the Corbett fear and loathing in a tidy package.
It might be illegal.
Does that matter?
It should at least matter to the tough, law-and-order prosecutor who boldly took on the entrenched Harrisburg powerbrokers before running off to his Capitol office and blocking the elevators.
And it should matter to the millions of Pennsylvanians that dont have lobbyist credentials and Capitol security badges.
As the new security policy was explained by underlings in the administration, you can not only be banned from the building for causing a ruckus, but you can be banned if the administration thinks you might cause a ruckus. Or if somebody who looks like you has caused a ruckus.
Its scary where this leads. Any justification that can be mustered for a people-in-wheelchairs policy can be rolled out again for race, religion, shoe-size, hair-do or lack of proper manicure.
But there is no justification for the administrations unilateral security actions. No legal justification anyway.
If the governor thinks that the wheelchair people will quietly roll away in deference to his show of force, he doesnt know what the view of the world looks like from this seat.
On the occasions that I have been asked about how my accident changed my life, I often say: It took my legs, but it opened my eyes.
There are more than a million Pennsylvanians who use wheelchairs for one reason or another and Ive met a lot of them. The weakest and most vulnerable among them have shown me more courage than this governor.
Sure, theres a tendency when youre faced with adversity to lock yourself in a dark room, surround yourself with friends and block out the world.
But one day you realize that whatever the adversity, it must be faced directly. Boldly. Courageously.
When the governor sent his security team to stop the wheelchairs, it wasnt just a cowardly overreach of executive authority.
It was also a missed a chance to overcome his own disability: a blindness to the plight of ordinary people.
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by Christin Brown | March 7, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, March 7, 2012 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today said Senate approval of a bill requiring photo identification from voters, which comes one week after the Corbett administration barred disabled visitors from public areas of the Capitol, represents a “disturbing trend” for people already struggling under state budget cuts.
“Creating barriers to prevent the disabled from voicing their grievances with their government, either inside the Capitol or inside the polling place, has become a priority with the legislature’s Republican majority and the current administration,” Tartaglione said.
The Senate today passed House Bill 934 along largely party lines, after rejecting a Tartaglione amendment to exempt those with disabilities.
“More than 20 years after implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Pennsylvania is still struggling to make all polling places accessible,” Tartaglione said. “Creating bureaucratic barriers on top of that sends a clear message to more than a million Pennsylvanians that this administration has no interest in hearing from them.”
Last week, Tartaglione wrote a letter to Corbett protesting the closure of Capitol hallways and elevators on February 29, when advocates for the disabled planned a rally.
Signed by the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, the letter cited the action’s “disturbing overtones of discrimination.”
“Such a policy represents an unconstitutional overreach of executive power, and it fosters distrust and alienation between the government and the people it is elected to represent,” the letter said.
The bill, which now heads to Corbett’s desk, is expected to cost as much as $11 million in the first year. Tartaglione said that money would be better used to improve a program that provides loans to disabled Pennsylvanians for purchase of technology that would allow them to return to the workforce.
“Nearly 200,000 Americans were disabled fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Tartaglione said. “Creating barriers to their participation in the government for which they sacrificed is repugnant and shameful.”
Listen to the Senator’s remarks following the floor vote on the Voter ID legislation:[audio:https://www.senatortartaglione.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/voter-id-reaction-sen.tartaglione-03-07-10.mp3|titles=voter-id-reaction-sen.tartaglione-03-07-10]
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by Christin Brown | March 6, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, March 5, 2011 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today released the following statement regarding Appropriations Committee action on House Bill 934:
“Tonight’s action in the Appropriations Committee revealed a stark lack of consideration for the thousands of Pennsylvanians who will be disenfranchised by photo identification requirements for voters.
Rejecting attempts to soften the impact through voter education and ensure participation through protections for voting rights, the Republican majority ignored the concerns of seniors, minorities, the disabled, the poor and the poorly educated.
The bill that came out of the committee tonight is another attempt to marginalize Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable citizens and silence their voice.
It’s appalling that the same lawmakers who can’t find a penny to spare for insolvent school districts, or road repairs are willing to waste millions on this appalling attempt to keep people from the polls.”
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by Christin Brown | February 29, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Feb. 29, 2012 – Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione released the following statement today regarding yesterday’s budget hearing for the Department of Public Welfare:
“The blind and shortsighted slashing done by this budget creates many small cycles that, when completed, will create budget challenges for future administrations and future generations.
Few are more illogical than reductions in funding for efforts that help people with disabilities gain more independence and find suitable employment. Pennsylvania’s previous efforts in assistive technology have not just made thousands of people more independent and secure, but they’ve also made workers out of people who were not able to find employment because of some physical barrier.
In short, cutting assistive technology efforts reduces the workforce and promotes lives of dependency and welfare.
Today, we heard about the administration’s plans to cut welfare and it makes me wonder where these people have been to form the mindset that produced these decisions.
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by Christin Brown | February 21, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Feb. 21, 2011 – Sen. Christine Tartaglione today questioned Pennsylvania’s revenue secretary over why corporate tax loopholes aren’t drawing the same attention as consumers who make purchases on line.
“The governor’s going after getting the Internet loophole closed, which affects individual taxpayers, yet he’s not willing to go after a corporate loophole which affects big business and that’s very sad,” Tartaglione told Revenue Secretary Dan Meuser.
In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee today, Meuser outlined his department’s plans to force Pennsylvania taxpayers to report Internet purchases from all of 2011 and remit unpaid sales or use tax before the April tax deadline. Under the plan, taxpayers will be required to remember Internet purchases from 2011 and remit the six percent use tax.
But nearly eight years after Pennsylvania’s Business Tax Reform Commission recommended closing the Delaware loophole for corporate income taxes, and nine months after Tartaglione wrote to Meuser about the growing number of Pennsylvana gas drillers with Delaware subsidiaries, the secretary could not detail action taken to enforce tax laws on businesses.
Despite testifying that “companies go way out of their way to avoid paying our tax level,” Meuser said “solutions are being evaluated.”
“Why don’t we just close the Delaware loophole?” Tartaglione asked.
“That discussion certainly has been going on for a while,” the secretary replied. “We’re very focused on it. We’ll see what comes along.”
Tartaglione said the imbalance in tax enforcement is troubling.
“It’s difficult to imagine what is being evaluated,” Tartaglione said. “We have an extensive tax commission report nearly eight years old, and 23 states have already adopted combined reporting to close the Delaware loophole. If the administration would apply the same level of enforcement to corporations as it is to consumers, we could restore hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts.”
Tartaglione is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 679, which would require “combined reporting” for businesses in Pennsylvania to close the “Delaware Loophole.”
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by Christin Brown | February 9, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, February 9, 2011 – Nearly a year after she introduced the idea in the Senate, state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today praised the Corbett administration for embracing her job training plan, but cautioned state labor officials to include provisions from her bill that will prevent violations of federal labor law.
In a letter to state Labor Secretary Julia K. Hearthway, Tartaglione urged the administration to adopt protections contained in Senate Bill 678 that provide for oversight of the “Train to Work PA” program by an advisory panel of business and labor experts.
“Experience in other states has produced a mixed record of success as well as a troubling definition of ‘training’ applied by some participating employers,” Tartaglione wrote. “The oversight of an advisory committee would not only protect workers from possible exploitation, but it would also ensure compliance with federal labor law.”
Senate Bill 678 was introduced in March 2011, as part of Senate Democrats’ “PA Works Now” initiative. The bill was modeled after similar programs in other states where experience has shown that strict oversight is necessary to ensure that workers are being trained and not simply used as free labor.
“Train to Work PA” would allow unemployment beneficiaries to continue receiving benefits while undergoing on-the-job training for a limited period of time, and would use federal dislocated worker funds to reimburse employers for training other unemployed workers.
The state Department of Labor yesterday broadly outlined an initiative called “Keystone Works,” containing the core of Tartaglione’s legislation.
Train-to-work programs have drawn scrutiny from workers’ rights groups and prompted the issuance of guidelines by the U.S. Department of Labor after accusations that some employers were providing little or no actual training.
Tartaglione’s bill sets standards for oversight, prohibits replacement of current staff by trainees and requires a plan for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“Properly supervised and legally implemented, my Train to Work PA program will partner good-faith employers and unemployed workers in adapting to the rapidly changing technology of the workplace,” Tartaglione said. “A program undertaken without such guidance could lead to the exploitation of workers, the marginalization of the disabled and regrettable waste of taxpayer dollars.”
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by Christin Brown | February 7, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, February 7, 2011 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today released the following statement regarding the governor’s budget address:
“The budget outlined by the governor today is the result of his long-held and unsupportable distrust of struggling families and an equally inexplicable and unsustainable trust of large corporations.
This shortsighted plan, and many other actions during the first year of this administration, put the blame for economic stagnation on low and middle income workers and give them a disproportionate share of the burden of fixing it.
While Pennsylvania families are being scrutinized for their on-line purchases, their savings and their desire to find work, corporations are being blindly trusted about their income taxes, their commitment to job creation and their concern about the environment.
It’s unlikely that the budget proposed will be the budget passed. But starting the conversation with dramatic cuts to education as Pennsylvania school districts face insolvency and the cost of college rises above the grasp of middle-income families, means that the administration has lost faith in the next generation.
As we go forward, I urge the governor to understand that he represents all of the people in Pennsylvania, from the neighborhoods of North Philadelphia to the rural hilltops dotted with gas wells. The people from my district will have plenty to say about this budget. I urge the administration to listen.
Over the next few months, the families raising that generation will have to prove that they deserve our confidence and our investment in their children and in their communities. This administration does not trust them.
Today’s high school students will have to prove that they deserve the same support for higher education that their elder siblings and their parents received. This administration does not trust them.
School districts will have to prove that early childhood education is a better investment than prisons.
If the governor has his way, Pennsylvania small businesses will continue to bear the burden of high corporate income taxes and will continue in their struggle to compete with big box retailers who enjoy the benefits of one of the world’s most notorious tax loopholes.
It is this fundamental mixture trust and distrust, expressed first by candidate Corbett 18 months ago when he said the unemployed “would rather just sit there” than work, that marks this administration’s vision of Pennsylvania.
Those of us with a different vision will have to prove ourselves. We will show the governor that we will not just sit there. We are ready to work.”
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by Christin Brown | February 1, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, February 1, 2011 – Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione is happy to announce the approval of a $1.5 million state loan to aid plans to redevelop the site of the former Edison High School on Lehigh Avenue.
The loan will be awarded through the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Business in Our Sites program.
“This is good news for the neighborhood and for the entire city. Reclaiming abandoned properties and returning them to community use is a vital part of our economic development effort,” Tartaglione said. “I’m proud of the partnership between government and private industry that led to this announcement. Edison has been a part of the neighborhood’s history and hopefully the site will be a part of its future.”
The main building, known in the area as “The Castle,” has been abandoned since 2002 and was gutted by fire in August. In June it was sold by the School District of Philadelphia to 701 W. Lehigh Partners. The developer plans to remove what remains of the main building and turn the site into a 36,000-square-foot shopping center. Leases have already been signed with Save-A-Lot, Family Dollar and Burger King.
“The redevelopment of the Edison site will provide new shopping opportunity for neighborhood residents, and it will also create badly needed jobs,” Tartaglione said.
The project is expected to cost $11 million, funded mostly through private financing.
State funds will be used for site preparation, water and sewer improvements, utilities, demolition of foundations, excavation and grading. The loan will be paid back over 20 years at two percent interest.
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by Christin Brown | December 14, 2011 | News Releases
Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione tonight issued the following statement on the decision from the chair to suddenly close voting on a taxpayer-friendly amendment to the Marcellus Shale bill despite requests for reconsideration:
“The cynical and arbitrary actions of the majority on the floor of the Senate tonight will only serve to feed the growing public outrage over the influence of corporations on those who are elected to serve people.
The weight of wealthy energy companies on the regulation of Marcellus Shale drilling — from the formation of the governor’s commission to the unprecedented decision from the chair tonight – led to the collapse of Senate protocol by denying members the right to cast votes as they intended.
In the end, democracy broke.
The implications will be long lasting for our environment, our communities, our taxpayers and our faith in a thorough and fair process of government.”
by Christin Brown | December 7, 2011 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, DEC. 7, 2011 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione announced today that she is again hosting a “Toys for Tots” collection box in each of her two district offices.
“All through the recession years, the community has shown its generosity and good will during the holidays,” Tartaglione said. “I’m confident that this year people will continue to share the spirit and support Toys for Tots.”
The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community.
Since program started more than 60 years ago, nearly 400 million toys have been collected and distributed to millions of needy children at Christmas.
“Many of those who donate were once recipients of Toys for Tots,” Tartaglione said. “Giving back has become a tradition.”
Tartaglione is asking the community to bring new, unwrapped toys to the collection boxes at her district offices at 1061 Bridge Street and 127 W. Susquehanna Ave. The offices are open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Coordinators pick up these toys and store them in central warehouses where the toys are sorted by age and gender. At Christmas, coordinators, with the assistance of local social welfare agencies, church groups, and other local community agencies, distribute the toys to the needy children of the community. The toys will be collected until December 16.
For more information, go to www.toysfortots.org.
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by Christin Brown | November 30, 2011 | News Releases
School is a Successful Model of Education Reform
PHILADELPHIA, November 30, 2011 -State Sens. Vincent J. Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) and Christine Tartaglione toured Stetson Middle School today to get a first-hand look at the school’s remarkable turnaround.
“It is an honor to be here today to meet with the faculty, students, and parents of this promising school. Stetson Middle School is a successful model of education reform,” Hughes said. “After years of underachievement, Stetson is now a school with a promising academic future for all students.”
Stetson Middle School, which has a largely Hispanic student body, was one of Philadelphia’s lowest performing schools, until it was taken over by Aspira of Pennsylvania, a Hispanic advocacy group. Since the takeover, the school has produced academic gains, while reducing violence and disruptive behavior.
“In a changing world economy, education becomes more valuable every day,” Tartaglione said. “The success at Stetson proves that with parents, teachers, and administrators working together to help students the future can be bright for any student who wants to achieve.”
Hughes was instrumental, along with Success Schools COO Robert Lysek, in securing 50 iPads for Stetson students and 10 for teachers and administrators. The students use the iPads for remedial math and writing support. Teachers use them to support and facilitate the lessons.
During the tour, Hughes and Tartaglione were updated by student leaders on how Stetson was turned around through targeted education reforms. Many once-disruptive students are now classroom leaders, excelling both academically and socially. The school has seen gains in PSSA scores as well.
The Parent and President School Advisory Council also spoke with the senators about what a great learning environment the school has become.
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by Christin Brown | October 26, 2011 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Oct. 26, 2011 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today voted in opposition to a school voucher plan that will spend millions to benefit a narrow group of students while draining resources from already struggling public schools.
“Instead of students choosing schools, schools will choose students. The unchosen will be children with disabilities, children with learning disorders, children with language barriers and children trapped in unstable families,” she said. “In a school system marred by inequality, the Senate today created more.
On a mostly party-line vote, the Senate passed Senate Bill 1, which creates a $200 million voucher program that makes only five percent of Pennsylvania students eligible and gives charter school officials the ability to accept taxpayer money, but deny admission for any or no reason.
“I understand what the supporters of this bill are trying to accomplish because I have seen what innovation can do in our public schools,” Tartaglione said. “But I represent thousands – perhaps tens of thousands – of young people who will be left behind in struggling schools with fewer resources.”
Senate Bill 1 will spend $73 million from the state General Fund in the first year to allow students to leave failing schools to attend charter schools, taking their state subsidy share with them. But the bill contains no provision for transparency in how the money is spent by charter schools or information on how they will choose students.
“The people in my district have struggled too long for civil rights just to waive them for some pretense of education reform,” she said. “It’s unconstitutional and unconscionable.”
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by Christin Brown | October 21, 2011 | News Releases
In response to the unemployment figures released by the state Department of Labor and Industry, Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione released the following statement. Tartaglione, D-Philadelphia, is the Democratic Chair of the Senate Labor and Industry Committee.
“Nearly four months after Republicans pushed through a short-sighted state budget that slashed key funds for job creation and economic development, today’s news of a rising unemployment rate is a clear sign that Pennsylvania needs bold leadership in a new direction.
“The number of unemployed Pennsylvanians has jumped by more than 50,000 since the day Gov. Corbett signed the budget and the legislative majority’s focus on fringe issues and right-wing ideology offers little hope for the coming months.
“The Corbett budget cut more than $1 billion from education programs, reducing local school district employment by more than 14,000 jobs, with more than 2,000 lost jobs in the Philadelphia School District alone. These deep cuts were made while ignoring a state revenue surplus that grew to nearly $800 million by the close of our last fiscal year.
“The result is a stunning downturn after years of weathering the recession better than most states. When that budget was making its way through the General Assembly, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was 1.7 percentage points below the national average, the best comparison to the national average in more than ten years. Today, that gap has been cut in half, and it’s narrowing.
“Pennsylvania ranked 12th for new job creation in 2010. Today’s announcement means we are moving backward.
“The downturn of our state economy should come as no surprise. Last February, I joined my Senate Democratic colleagues to introduce a sensible job creation plan call PA Works, most of which is still sitting in committee.
“Last week, I voiced support for PA Works Now, our plan to put more Pennsylvanians back to work. We repeated our earlier calls for new investment in infrastructure, job training, and business investments that have clear records of success. The plan outlined a new set of tax credits to encourage small-business owners to make child and elder care available to their employees and to provide new training and internship opportunities for young people.
“My legislation in the package calls for Marcellus Shale drillers to directly invest in training to hire more Pennsylvania workers and create a call center for emergency services that could provide employment for the nearly 15 percent of workers with disabilities who cannot find a job.
“Lawmakers who are distracted by personal priorities and politically-motivated policies that are part of the national Republican political agenda should set aside these hobbies and focus on jobs. Lawmakers intent on eliminating thousands of jobs in our state liquor system should be sobered by today’s announcement and understand that every family sustaining job should have our support and protection.
It is long past time to implement a responsible tax on Marcellus Shale drilling. Also, a reasonable funding plan for transportation investment should be acted without delay. Finally, our priorities must be redirected from risky tax giveaways that reward campaign friends and shifted back to supporting our children, our environment, our schools and our neighbors. ”
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