Senate Democrats Discuss Housing Scarcity and Houselessness at Policy Hearing

Senate Democrats Discuss Housing Scarcity and Houselessness at Policy Hearing

PHILADELPHIA, March 15, 2022 – State Senator Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), Chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined Senators Sharif Street, Nikil Saval, Amanda Cappelletti, Tina Tartaglione and Art Haywood to host a public hearing on housing scarcity and contemporary houselessness yesterday at Temple University.

“We need to tackle the issue of economic injustice – from raising wages to actual living wages and ensuring rent and housing prices are fair, transparent, and flexible according to each individual’s financial situation,” Muth said. “All levels of government need to implement policies that ensure public dollars are actually helping the public, not the wealthy, private real estate and private equity firms making billions off of taxpayer funded subsidies and evicting people who can’t afford to pay skyrocketing rent and housing rates. I hope our hearing and the impassioned testimony provided by actual Pennsylvanians living these challenges forces this conversation into the ongoing budget debate and into all 67 counties and local government priorities.”

The policy hearing featured three panels of participants who presented testimony and discussed personal stories about housing scarcity, houselessness, and the government’s responsibility to provide safe, affordable, and accessible housing in Pennsylvania.

“The recent tragic fire in Philadelphia’s Fairmount community that claimed the lives of 12, including 9 children, began with a failure of government. A family was forced to make the untenable choice of cramming eighteen individuals into a single unit because of a lack of resources. Housing is security and dignity. Years of divestment from every level of government have been an abdication of government’s duty to protect the communities they serve,” Street said. “The fundamental question for society and government is ‘how do we create accessible, safe and affordable housing for all?’  I look forward to joining my colleagues in creating policy to address the critical issue of housing scarcity.”

Testifiers at the hearing included Gail Loney, a North Central Philadelphia resident; Alisha Robinson, a Frankford resident; Kelvin Jeremiah, president and CEO, Philadelphia Housing Authority; Aaron Zappia, Senior Government Relations Manager, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania; Andrew Frishkoff, Executive Director, Philadelphia Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC); and Stephanie Sena, Anti-Poverty Fellow & Housing Advocate, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.

“The housing crisis is not unsolvable—we need to act to ameliorate it at every chance we get,” Saval added. “That means raising wages, building equity into our systems, and preserving affordable housing by giving people what they need to repair and maintain and stay in their homes.”

All submitted testimony from the policy hearing and the full video is available at SenatorMuth.com/Policy.

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Testimony

Panel 1: Lived Experience

  • Gail Loney, North Central Philadelphia Resident
  • Alisha Robinson, Frankford Resident

Panel 2: The Philadelphia Housing Authority

Panel 3: Policy Solutions

Additional Testimony

 

Senate Democrats Discuss Recovery and Treatment Issues at Virtual Policy Hearing

Senate Democrats Discuss Recovery and Treatment Issues at Virtual Policy Hearing

HARRISBURG, January 20, 2022 – State Senator Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), Chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, today joined Senator John Kane (D-Delaware/Chester) and Senator Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia) to host a virtual public hearing on the recovery challenges associated with substance use disorder.

“Today’s hearing was an opportunity to hear about what we are currently doing here in Pennsylvania and whether our current treatment system is providing positive outcomes for those in recovery from substance use disorder – and more importantly, if it is not working, how can we improve our systems and programs,” Muth said. “We need to ensure that the Commonwealth and our treatment and recovery programs are effective and are providing the best means for sustained, lifelong recovery.”

The virtual policy hearing featured three panels of expert testimony that focused on funding issues faced by the recovery community; the oversight of recovery houses in Pennsylvania; and the challenges with relapsing during recovery from substance use disorder.

“This issue is personal for me – I’ve been sober for almost 40 years. And I know firsthand how difficult recovery is,” Kane said. “Individuals in recovery are facing massive challenges. But as legislators, we have the chance to make that journey a little bit easier. I’m grateful to all the panelists who testified at today’s hearing, and I’m looking forward to getting to work to make sure safe and effective recovery options are available for everyone.”

It is estimated that Pennsylvania is set to receive up to $232 million of the $26 billion global opioid settlement in 2022 and up to $1 billion total over the next 18 years. Of that funding, nearly 70 percent of all funds will be distributed to county authorities to fund initiatives that include medication-assisted treatment, naloxone distribution and services for pregnant and parenting persons suffering from opioid use disorder. 

“Having been in recovery for more than 18 years, I know first-hand how important it is to ensure people in recovery have the resources they need as soon as they reach out for help,” Tartaglione added. “The 2nd Senatorial District is no stranger to the challenges substance abuse brings. My community, Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania as a whole need to know that there are elected officials that are dedicated to helping end substance abuse and to expanding access to treatment.  The hearing today has helped to open people’s eyes to how crucial timely treatment is.”

Testifiers at today’s hearing included Jennifer Smith, Secretary, PA Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP); Bill Stauffer, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Recovery Organizations Alliance (PRO-A); Deb Beck, President, (Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of PA (DASPOP); Jessica Molavi, Clinical Manager of Specialty Programs at Mirmont Treatment Center; and Adam Al-Asad and Sarah Laurel from Savage Sisters Recovery.

All submitted testimony from today’s hearing and the full video is available at SenatorMuth.com/Policy

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Testimony

Panel 1: Recovery Funding

Panel 2: Oversight of Recovery Houses

Panel 3: Chronic Relapsing 

Additional Written Testimony

Senate Dems to Host Virtual Hearing Next Week on Recovery Challenges with Substance Use Disorder

Senate Dems to Host Virtual Hearing Next Week on Recovery Challenges with Substance Use Disorder

ROYERSFORD, January 14, 2022 – State Senator Katie Muth, chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, will join Senators John Kane and Christine Tartaglione to host a virtual public hearing next Thursday at 10 a.m. to discuss recovery challenges associated with substance use disorder.

The hearing will be held Thursday, January 20 at 10 a.m. on Zoom. Interested participants can register in advance by clicking here.

The policy hearing will feature testimony from three panels of experts that will discuss the challenges facing individuals in recovery from substance use disorder. The panels will include representatives from state agencies, treatment clinics, and local recovery houses who will each discuss their specific needs and challenges.

The hearing will also be livestreamed at SenatorMuth.com/Policy and on Senator Muth’s Facebook page. 

Media participation is encouraged.  

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Senate Dems Discuss Evaluating and Improving Drug Treatment Centers at Policy Hearing

Senate Dems Discuss Evaluating and Improving Drug Treatment Centers at Policy Hearing

READING, December 6, 2021 – State Senator Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), Chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, today joined Senators Judy Schwank and Christine Tartaglione to host a public hearing on evaluating and improving drug treatment centers in Pennsylvania.

“The alarming rates of substance abuse and drug overdoses have been magnified throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. And when individuals and their families reach out for help and seek treatment, they do not have the resources and information available to make an informed choice about treatment facilities. Pennsylvania families deserve better,” Senator Muth said. “Today’s policy hearing allowed our Committee to hear from families who have tragically lost loved ones to addiction, and it also afforded us an opportunity to discuss possible legislative solutions and policy changes that can improve the evaluation process and treatment outcomes of Pennsylvania’s drug treatment centers.  Patient outcome survey data should be guiding treatment plans, not insurance companies that often deny coverage for the care required for successful recovery.”

Pennsylvania has one of the highest rates of drug overdose in the nation and drug overdose deaths have increased in 46 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Center for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics indicated that there were over 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States during the 12-month period ending in April 2021, an increase of 28.5% from prior year.

“We must rethink our approach to adequately address the ongoing opioid epidemic, and one way to do that is to look at drug treatment centers. Individuals taking the crucial step of seeking treatment for addiction need to be given access to all the information they need to make the right decision for their own particular circumstances,” Schwank said. “This hearing provided us an opportunity to learn directly from individuals impacted by addiction, treatment providers and state regulators. It will give us a chance to better understand what factors make drug treatment more effective.”

Senator Schwank has introduced two bills – Senate Bill 975 and Senate Bill 976 – to address issues with Pennsylvania’s drug treatment facilities and recovery homes. Senate Bill 975 would require the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) to distribute an annual survey to all substance use disorder treatment centers and recovery homes operating in PA, record, and publish online for public access the responses provided by those treatment centers and recovery homes. Senate Bill 976 would prohibit any treatment center in PA to refuse admittance to anyone reporting to a treatment facility requesting medical or psychological services addressing substance use disorder – even if an individual is under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time they report. It would also prohibit any health insurance company operating in PA from refusing coverage for admittance and provision of medical and psychological services.

“Today was a crucial step in addressing the crisis that is addiction, and the failure of treatment that surrounds it,” Tartaglione said. “The shifting demographics of addiction and overdoses show us that there is no community in this commonwealth that has not been touched by its devastation, from Erie to Philly and Allentown to Pittsburgh, the PA Senate Democrats are dedicated to bettering and expanding addiction treatment services offered.”

The Senate Democratic Policy Committee heard from several panelists at Reading Area Community College that included representatives from the Opioid Crisis Action Network, the Self-Help Movement, the Caron Foundation, the Council on Chemical Abuse, and the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

All submitted testimony from today’s hearing and the full video is available at SenatorMuth.com/Policy

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Testimony

Panel 1: Affected People 

Panel 2: Care Providers

Panel 3: Policy Solutions

Senate Dems Discuss Worker Misclassification Issues at Policy Hearing

Senate Dems Discuss Worker Misclassification Issues at Policy Hearing

PHILADELPHIA November 15, 2021 – State Senator Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), Chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, today joined Senators Nikil Saval, John Kane, Christine Tartaglione and Lindsey Williams to host a public hearing to discuss issues related to worker misclassification in Pennsylvania.

“Worker misclassification isn’t just about building trades or construction, this issue impacts a whole segment of our workforce that deserves to be protected and paid fairly by their employers,” Senator Muth said. “I appreciate all of my colleagues and the panelists that participated today to shine a light on another instance of corporate greed – employers that are prioritizing profits over workers. It is time that we stand up for our workers in the state Senate.”

The Senate Democratic Policy Committee heard from several panelists at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Building in Philadelphia who all discussed the problems workers are face with when they are misclassified by their employers. The Keystone Research Center indicates that if Pennsylvania has rates of misclassification in the construction industry comparable to those in other states, it loses about $10 million in unemployment insurance taxes, at least $15 million in income tax revenues (and possibly three times as much), as much as $83 million in workers compensation premiums, and $200 million in federal income taxes.

“Worker misclassification is pervasive, and the resulting damages cut across all sectors of employment and all facets of our communities. Pennsylvania is a labor state with a long history of protecting workers’ rights, and it’s imperative that we continue this work in our swiftly changing economy,” Senator Saval said. “Just as companies that exploit workers can take these practices from state to state, Pennsylvania can create a model for worker protections that other states can adopt. How we approach this right now will impact the future of work.”

The hearing featured representation from various regional and statewide labor unions, including the Steamfitters Local 420, Painters DC21, Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, PA AFL-CIO, and the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. Senator John Kane spent four decades as a union plumber prior to serving in the Senate and also served for twelve years as the Business Manager for one of the largest plumbers’ unions in the Commonwealth.

“My members earned good, family-sustaining wages and had good benefits. They had protections for workplace injuries and safe working conditions. When workers are misclassified as independent contractors, they lose these protections,” Senator Kane said. “I want to be clear – the misclassification of workers is a form of theft, plain and simple. Businesses cut costs to help their bottom line, and our workers pay the price. It’s long past time we took action to end worker misclassification, and I’m grateful to all our panelists for sharing their perspective in today’s hearing.”

The hearing also highlighted the worker misclassification issues experienced by workers in the app-based gig economy and discussed potential policy solutions to address the issue of worker misclassification. One bill discussed was Senate Bill 879 which was introduced by Senator Saval. This bill would hold general contractors responsible for paying any employees up and down a worksite, even if they are hired by a subcontractor.

“For too long unscrupulous employers have cut costs and corners by misclassifying Pennsylvania’s workers. The Pa Senate Democrats have and will continue to fight for the workers of this commonwealth,” Senator Tartaglione said. “Every worker deserves the protections that come with being an employee not a contractor. The cost of doing business cannot and should not be shifted onto a businesses’ employees.”

“Misclassification hurts workers, hurts employers who are doing the right thing by their workers, and it hurts taxpayers,” Senator Williams added.

All submitted testimony from today’s hearing and the full video is available at SenatorMuth.com/Policy

 

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Testimony

Panel 1: Local Unions Roundtable

  • Gary Masino, Sheetmetal Workers Local 19.
  • Tom Redden, Steamfitters Local 420
  • Tyler Honschke, Painters DC21
  • Brian Eddis, Philadelphia Building Trades

Panel 2: Statewide Unions Roundtable 

Panel 3: The Gig Economy

Panel 4: Policy Solutions

 

PA Senate Democrats Hold Policy Hearing on OSHA Protections for Public Employees

PA Senate Democrats Hold Policy Hearing on OSHA Protections for Public Employees

Harrisburg – May 20, 2021 – At the request of Senator Tina Tartaglione (D- Philadelphia),  Democratic Chair of the Senate Committee on Labor & Industry, the Pennsylvania Democratic Policy Committee held a virtual public hearing to discuss Senate Bill 310  and OSHA protections for public employees.

“For more than 50 years, America’s private-sector employees and federal employees have benefitted from the safeguards and the peace of mind provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). It is a travesty that Pennsylvania’s public employees don’t have the same protections,” Senator Tartaglione said. “All workers have the right to a safe and healthy workplace, and they have a right to know they won’t face retribution when they speak out about deficient and dangerous conditions. My Senate Bill 310 would extend critical OSHA protections to all Pennsylvania workers.”

Senate Bill 310 would establish the Pennsylvania Occupational Safety and Health Review Board within the Department of Labor and Industry. Currently, Pennsylvania workers at state and local government agencies do not have Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) protection. This proposed legislation would extend OSHA safety rules to public employees of the commonwealth, all legal political subdivisions, public schools, public transit systems, and non-profit organizations in Pennsylvania.

“Workers deserve to know that when they come to work, their health and safety is a priority and not an afterthought.  No one should have to accept that life threatening conditions are just part of a job, and workers in every profession and field should have OSHA protections.  I am proud to support Senate Bill 310, and I am so grateful to Senator Tartaglione for championing this bill in the Senate and making workplace protections a priority in our caucus,” Sen. Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, said.

“According to the AFL-CIO Death on the Job Report, 8.1 million public sector workers lack OSHA protection nationwide. In 2019, their injury and illness rate were 64 percent higher than employees in the private sector,” Mike Maguire, Director of Political & Legislative Affairs at AFSCME Council 13, said. “Since the establishment of OSHA in 1971, more than 627,000 worker’s lives have been saved. Let’s extend those protections to our commonwealth’s public sector workforce.”

In opposition to the Senate Bill 310 were Keith Wentz, Manager of Risk Management & Underwriting at the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP), and Stuart Knade, Esq., Chief Legal Officer of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

Wentz noted in his testimony that he and his organization do not believe that further OSHA protections are needed for public employees because there are already voluntary safety boards and random inspections of facilities.

Knade said that implementing OSHA protections for public employees in Pennsylvania would be difficult because OSHA was not written with them in mind, creating issues with implementation. He also said that the implementation would be cost prohibitive.

Both Wentz and Knade agreed to continue further conversations with Senator Tartaglione on Senate Bill 310 and public employee protections.

“Costs actually go down when you make your workplace more safe,” Rick Bloomingdale, President of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, said. Bloomingdale said in his testimony that the same arguments that Wentz and Knade gave today were used in the 1970s when OSHA was first enacted. However, over the years, OSHA has proven to be a draw for employees and employers in the private sector.

Bloomingdale said that there is less employee turnover, higher morale, and less incidents leading to injury and need for workplace compensation because of OSHA regulations in private sector workplaces.

“According to the National AFL-CIO’s Annual Death on the Jobs report, in 2016, state and local public-sector employers reported an injury rate of 4.7 per 100 workers, which is significantly higher than the reported rate of 2.9 per 100 among private-sector workers,” Bloomingdale said.

Jeff Ney, Treasurer of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), explained in his testimony that teachers are also excluded from OSHA protections.

“Like me, so many public employees are shocked to learn that these basic protections don’t apply to them or to their place of employment,” Ney said. “The common-sense protections contained in SB 310 will also ensure that our students have a safe and healthy educational environment – which is the most basic and indispensable factor in fostering academic excellence. School employees’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions.”

Maguire, of AFCME said in his testimony that workers are more than just resources, they are human beings and they deserve workplaces that treat them that way.

“This is the most important bill to AFCME,” concluded Maguire.

Below are all who participated in today’s hearing:

  • Keith Wentz, Manager of Risk Management & Underwriting, County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) 
  • Stuart Knade, Esq., Chief Legal Officer, Pennsylvania School Boards Association
  • Rick Bloomingdale, President of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
  • Mike Maguire, Director of Political & Legislative Affairs, AFSCME Council 13
  • Jeff Ney, Treasurer, Pennsylvania State Education Association
  • Dr. David Levine, UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business

Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D- Allegheny) also attended this hearing, as did Senators Anthony H. Williams (D- Philadelphia/Delaware), Lisa Boscola (D- Lehigh/Northampton), Lindsey Williams (D- Allegheny), John Kane (D- Chester/Delaware), and Amanda Cappelletti (D- Delaware/Montgomery).

The full recording of this roundtable, as well as the written testimony from participants, can be found at senatormuth.com/policy. A full recording of this hearing can also be found on the PA Senate Democratic Facebook page.

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PA Senate Democrats Joined by PA Sec. of Ag & Second Lady Gisele Fetterman for Policy Hearing on Food Insecurity in Pennsylvania

PA Senate Democrats Joined by PA Sec. of Ag & Second Lady Gisele Fetterman for Policy Hearing on Food Insecurity in Pennsylvania

Harrisburg – April 30, 2021 – At the request of Pennsylvania State Senators Judy Schwank (D- Berks), Tina Tartaglione (D- Philadelphia), and Sharif Street (D- Philadelphia), the Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a virtual policy hearing to discuss the issue of food insecurity in Pennsylvania.

“The pandemic has exposed many issues over the last year, but perhaps most striking of all is the issue of food insecurity,” Schwank said. “I know few of us will forget seeing the long lines of families waiting for food assistance. Today we learned how our local food banks met the extraordinary challenge of feeding our communities and what we need to consider moving forward as the issue of food insecurity is far from solved.”

Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding said that reports compiled by the organization Feeding America show that the number of Pennsylvanians facing food insecurity in 2020 grew substantially to 1.77 million individuals, an increase of 30 percent. The number of children in Pennsylvania facing food insecurity rose to 537,080, an increase of nearly 40 percent in just one year.

“Food Insecurity is defined as the lack of access to enough food for a healthy and active life and at its core equals hunger. Across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, it is estimated that 11% of the population is food insecure with the highest percentage right here in Philadelphia county,” Dixie James, President and COO of Einstein Healthcare Network, said.

Second Lady of Pennsylvania, Gisele Fetterman, also testified at the hearing about her work to address food insecurity through Free Store 15104 and 412 Food Rescue.

“My work exists because of failures in policy,” Fetterman said.

She said that making a state law to prevent perfectly good food from going to waste, as numerous other states have done, would help to address food insecurity by redirecting resources, and also addressing the environmental impact of discarding perfectly good food that could otherwise feed populations.

“We know it is not a lack of food, it is how food gets distributed,” Dr. Kathy Reeves, Senior Associate Dean of Health Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Director at the Center for Urban Bioethics and Professor of Pediatrics Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, said.

Dr. Reeves also advocated in her testimony to treat food as a prescription to address the overall health of Pennsylvanians.

“Food insecurity is intertwined with so many of Pennsylvania’s chronic ills, problems like poverty and health disparities that have been exacerbated by the lingering coronavirus pandemic,” Senator Tartaglione said. “This thorough conversation is imperative as we seek to make nutrition universally accessible in the Commonwealth.”

Loree Jones, CEO of Philabundance which serves five counties in Pennsylvania, said that 40 percent of the 60 percent increase Philabundance has seen in need this past year were people using the emergency food system for the first time. She said that Feeding America is projecting that nationally more than 42 million people, including 13 million children, may experience food insecurity due to COVID-19.

Secretary Redding said that additional funding to provide food in the pandemic has come from both federal and state resources, providing additional funding for United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) foods purchases through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). As of April 17, 2021, food banks in Pennsylvania report having distributed in excess of 2.4 million of these food boxes, weighing more than 51.5 million pounds.

“The lessons learned over this past year have provided us a fresh lens to look at our grant programs to ensure they are equitable and meeting the needs of those we serve. The gaps in the system have been highlighted such as meat processing delays and lack of access to fresh foods. We will continue to enhance our current programs and investigate additional ways to address these needs,” Sec. Redding said. “Additionally, expanding broadband access throughout the commonwealth will assist in providing equal access to resources and e-commerce platforms.”

Scott Cawthern, Acting Deputy Secretary for the Office of Income Maintenance at the PA Dept. of Human Services, also testified about the work that the Dept. of Human Services did in expanding services during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how increased and continued investment in these programs will address food insecurity and improve long-term health outcomes for Pennsylvanians.

“On the state level, we would like to see more coordination between all the food 9 systems in the state including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), SNAP, NSLP, and others to ensure that eligible families are receiving all the food assistance for which they qualify and to ensure that children and families receive the nutrition supports as they grow,” Cawthern said.

Jay Worrall, President of Helping Harvest Food Bank, testified to the importance of community partners in the distribution of food and resources to families and how increasing funding for its signature food insecurity programs, the State Food Purchase Program (SFPP), and the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS), and increase the flexibility for how those funds can be expended would assist even more Pennsylvanians in need.

“Unfortunately, many Pennsylvanians have been and still are struggling to meet their basic needs. Working families across our state face countless situations, such as jobs paying only poverty wages due to wealth inequality and corporate greed, food deserts, unexpected bills for car maintenance or medical treatment, layoffs, and now a global pandemic, all of which cause temporary or permanent financial instability, food insecurity and hunger. Pennsylvania food insecurity rates have increased from 11.1% in 2018 to over 33% as of March 2020.  According to the PA Department of Agriculture, before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 1.53 million Pennsylvanians endured chronic hunger every day, including 478,500 older Pennsylvanians and about 437,000 children,” Sen. Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, said. “Food insecurity makes it impossible to survive let alone thrive.  Every human should have guaranteed access to reliable and nutritious meals.  We need to act urgently to end food insecurity in Pennsylvania and across our nation.”

Below are all who participated in today’s hearing:

  • Dixie James, President & COO, Einstein Healthcare Network
  • Gisele Fetterman, Second Lady of Pennsylvania
  • Secretary Russell Redding, PA Department of Agriculture
  • Scott Cawthern, Acting Deputy Secretary for the Office of Income Maintenance at the PA Dept. of Human Services
  • Dr. Kathy Reeves, MD. FAAP, Senior Associate Dean, Health Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Director, Center for Urban Bioethics – Professor, Pediatrics Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University 
  • Andy Toy, Development and Communications Director, SEAMAAC
  • Tyler Ray, Neighborhood Community Organizer, Urban Creators
  • Maddy Booth, COO, Vetri Community Partnership
  • Mark Edwards, President & CEO, Food Trust
  • Loree Jones, CEO, Philabundance
  • Jay Worrall, President, Helping Harvest Food Bank

The full recording of this roundtable, as well as the written testimony from participants, can be found at senatormuth.com/policy. A full recording of this hearing can also be found on the PA Senate Democratic Facebook page.

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PA Senate Democrats Hold Hearing on Raising the Minimum Wage for PA in Honor of MLK Day of Service

PA Senate Democrats Hold Hearing on Raising the Minimum Wage for PA in Honor of MLK Day of Service

Harrisburg – January 18, 2021 – At the request of State Senators Art Haywood (D-Montgomery/Philadelphia), Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia), and John Kane (D- Chester/Delaware) the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a virtual public hearing on raising the minimum wage for Pennsylvanians. The hearing was held on Martin Luther King, Jr’s Day of Service to honor his legacy of fighting for worker’s rights and economic justice.

“It is unacceptable that Pennsylvania continues to allow its minimum wage to be the poverty wage of $7.25 an hour,” Haywood said. “We hold this hearing today on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of service to continue the work that Dr. King started demanding dignity and respect for all workers, and that starts by paying workers a living wage.”

The Pennsylvania General Assembly last raised the minimum wage in July 2007 to $7.25 per hour. The six states bordering Pennsylvania have enacted minimum wage laws exceeding the $7.25 rate effective in the Commonwealth. Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, and Ohio have enacted higher minimum wages than Pennsylvania’s, which has been stagnate at the federal minimum for more than a decade.

Alissa Barron-Menza, Vice President of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, said that minimum wage was first introduced in 1938 during the Great Depression, and that a livable minimum wage is an essential economic recovery tool.

“This increase is a vital tool for shared recovery that will be good for business, good for customers and good for the economy,” Barron-Menza said.

Morris Pearl, Chairman of the Patriotic Millionaires, also said that a raise to the minimum wage is good for the economy. He said that a strong economy needs people with money to spend in order to maintain it.

“Investors are overwhelmingly in favor of raising the minimum wage,” Pearl said.

Currently, 29 states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, including all states surrounding Pennsylvania.

“The fact that Pennsylvania’s General Assembly hasn’t raised the minimum wage since passing my legislation in 2006 is reprehensible,” Tartaglione said. “While I have continued to sponsor new minimum wage legislation every session since, the majority has failed to take action, leaving the last increase workers have seen to be a 10-cent federal increase in 2009. Pennsylvania’s minimum wage workers deserve better.”

Sen. Tartaglione is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 12. This legislation would immediately raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $12 an hour for all Pennsylvania workers, with a pathway to $15 an hour by 2027. This bill would also eliminate the tipped minimum wage for Pennsylvania, ensuring all workers are making a living wage that is not dependent on patron generosity or lack thereof.

“I was a union plumber for almost four decades, and I know how important livable, family-sustaining wages were for myself and all of our members,” Kane said. “It’s a big problem that our minimum-wage workers haven’t seen a raise in over a decade — we need to guarantee that all Pennsylvanians are paid a livable wage.”

Gene Barr is President & CEO of the PA Chamber of Business and Industry said that his organization does not believe that a raise to the Pennsylvania minimum wage is the most, “effective way to drive assistance.”

Barr said that a raise to the minimum wage will hurt small businesses, will lead to more automation, and that continued work with the state on reducing barriers to employment and expanding an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) are better solutions.

“There is majority business support for raising the minimum wage beyond currently enacted levels – despite what you may hear from the opposition,” Barron-Menza countered to Barr. “For example, a 2016 survey of 1,000 business executives across the country conducted by LuntzGlobal for the Council of State Chambers found that 80 percent of respondents said they supported raising their state’s minimum wage, while only eight percent opposed.”

“No one should be working a full-time job, or multiple full-time and part time jobs, and still be living in poverty because their employer is not required to pay them a livable wage,” Sen. Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, said. “All workers deserve the dignity and respect of a livable wage, and we must raise the minimum wage for Pennsylvania.”

William Spriggs, Professor of Economics at Howard University and Chief Economist at AFL-CIO stated in his testimony that raising the minimum wage is also essential in ending the gender and racial wage gaps widely acknowledged to exist by economists.

Spriggs also said that subminimum wage is paying people less in the service industry ($2.83 in Pennsylvania for restaurant workers) or is biased on where they live, and also has, “very racist roots.”

Ashona Denise Osborne joined the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) fight for $15 an hour minimum wage after working minimum wage jobs her whole life, raising her son as a single mother, and realizing that even getting her Associates Degree in childcare is, “still not enough.”

Many other Senators also attended this hearing including Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D- Allegheny), Amanda Cappelletti (D- Delaware/Montgomery), Carolyn Committa (D- Chester), Maria Collett (D- Bucks/ Montgomery), Wayne Fontana (D- Allegheny), Vincent Hughes (D- Montgomery/Philadelphia), Tim Kearney (D- Chester/Delaware), Steve Santarsiero (D- Bucks), Nikil Saval (D- Philadelphia), Judy Schwank (D- Berks), Sharif Street (D- Philadelphia), Anthony H. Williams (D- Delaware/Philadelphia), and Lindsey Williams (D- Allegheny).

Below are all who testified in today’s hearing:

  • Gene Barr, President & CEO of the PA Chamber of Business and Industry
  • Alissa Barron-Menza, Vice President of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage
  • Morris Pearl, Chair of Patriotic Millionaires
  • Manuel Rosaldo, Centre County Wage Justice Coalition, Assistant Professor of Labor Relations, Penn State University
  • Jacqui Rogers, Bucks County Women’s Advocacy Coalition
  • William Spriggs, Professor of Economics, Howard University and Chief Economist, AFL-CIO
  • Kadida Kenner, Director of Campaigns at the PA Budget and Policy Center
  • Ashona Denise Osborne, SEIU Worker from Pittsburgh
  • Lateefah Curtis, Worker from Philadelphia
  • Adesola Ogunleye, Worker from Philadelphia

The full recording of this hearing can be found at senatormuth.com/policy.

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Senate Hearing Focuses on Budget Impasse’s Impact on Schools

Harrisburg – October 28, 2015 – At the request of state Sen. Vince Hughes (D-Phila.), the Senate Democratic Policy Committee today held a hearing on the devastating impact that the state’s 120-day budget impasse is having on schools across the state.

“While many of the budget dispute points remain unresolved, what is clear is that the consequences of this impasse are far-reaching,” said Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton), who chairs the committee. “This hearing gives lawmakers a sense of how schools are handling the funding shortfall, and what problems they’ll face if this stalemate continues to drag on.”

Hughes added, “A growing number of schools have been cornered into borrowing money and taking out credit lines just to keep their doors open. Hopefully, this hearing’s focus on this worsening statewide financial crisis will encourage greater urgency, cooperation and compromise in the ongoing budget negotiations.”

During the hearing, state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale testified that at least 27 school districts have taken out loans totaling more than $431 million. He projected that interest payments will total $30 million if the stalemate reaches mid-November.

Those who testified decried how the impasse has harmed students, depleted reserves and how taxpayers will be needlessly saddled with paying the interest on the growing number of loans and credit lines that schools are obtaining to keep their doors open.

Erie Public Schools Superintendent Jay Badams lamented that his district will need to borrow $30 million just to get through January.

“That’s $114,000 in wasted interest money that could have been used for so many badly needed educational expenses,” Badams said.

Dr. Joseph Roy, who serves as superintendent of the Bethlehem Area School District in Northampton County, added that “choices at the state level continue to hammer school districts.” He said the diversion of funds to charter and cyber schools and a “punitive” approach to public education has blown up school expenditures.

Dr. Rula Skezas, who serves as superintendent of the McKeesport Area School District in Allegheny County, noted that even if the district receives its proposed funding it would still fall short of what it received during the 2011 school year. She said McKeesport has taken out a $5 million line of credit to make it to December. She said the district has already eliminated 110 staff positions to try and make ends meet.

Hughes, who serves as Democratic chair of the Appropriations Committee, said public, charter and private schools are already reeling from years of being underfunded. He noted that the Philadelphia School District has already borrowed $275 million during the impasse. Fran Burns, who serves as chief operating officer for the School District of Philadelphia, testified that the district has struggled to contend with a “structural deficit.”

Lamenting the impact on local working families who fund schools through property taxes, Boscola pointed toward an educational survey conducted earlier this year showing that nearly 75 percent of districts were planning to impose property tax hikes, 30 percent were planning on making additional program cuts, and 41 percent were making more staff cuts. She said the state has withheld approximately $3 billion in school funds since the budget impasse began in July.

Joining Boscola and Hughes at the Capitol committee hearing were Senators John Blake (D-Lackawanna), Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny), Andrew Dinniman (D-Montgomery), Christine Tartaglione (D-Phila.) and Sean Wiley (D-Erie),

Those testifying included:

  • The Honorable Eugene DePasquale
    Pennsylvania Auditor General
  • Fran Burns
    Chief Operating Officer, School District of Philadelphia
  • Joseph Gorham
    Superintendent of Schools, Carbondale Area School District
  • Dr. Joseph Roy
    Superintendent of Schools, Bethlehem Area School District
  • Dr. Jay D. Badams
    Superintendent, Erie Public Schools
  • Dr. Rula S. Skezas
    Superintendent, McKeesport Area School District
  • Marjorie Neff
    Chair, School Reform Commission
  • Anthony Pirrello
    CEO, Montessori Regional Charter School of Erie, and Vice President of Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools
  • Matt Przywara
    Member, PASBO
    Chief Financial and Operations Officer, School District of Lancaster
  • Bill LaCoff
    President, Pennsylvania School Boards Association
  • Susan Gobreski
    Education Voters of Pennsylvania
  • Dr. Pearl English
    School Nurse, School District of Philadelphia

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