by Christin Brown | Junio 14, 2016 | News Releases
Harrisburg – Junio 14, 2016 – A grant of $80,877 has been awarded to the Norris Square Senior Community Center, state Sen. Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia) said today.
“Grants for senior centers help bolster activities and provide critical assistance to seniors in Philadelphia and the surrounding region,” Tartaglione said. “The funding approved today for the Norris Square Senior Community Center will help the center continue providing invaluable service to the area.”
According to the Department of Aging, 43 senior centers from around the state will share in $2 million in grant funding in this round.
The funding helps advance programming for seniors. It also enables senior centers to complete critical projects, improve technology, recruit new members and meet the needs of area seniors. Grants enhance social and recreational activities while providing a safe community meeting place, Tartaglione said.
“The grants are resources that can be used to help seniors stay involved in the community,” Tartaglione said.
-30-
by Christin Brown | Junio 2, 2016 | News Releases
PHILADELPHIA, Junio 2, 2016 − State Sens. Christine M. Tartaglione and Shirley M. Kitchen today joined Gov. Tom Wolf for a tour of one of the nation’s leading research centers investigating the causes of drug addiction.
The Center for Substance Abuse Research (CSAR), at Temple University’s Lewis J. Katz School of Medicine, brings together dozens of experts from across Temple campuses to carry out interdisciplinary research to understand the biological basis of drug addiction and other effects of addictive drugs that result in altered states of biological function.
“As we face an opioid overdose epidemic in Pennsylvania, we are fortunate to have the substantial resources of Temple University to approach the problem at the most fundamental level,” Tartaglione said. “It’s inspiring to be in the midst of incredibly talented people doing incredibly important work.”
CSAR recently received a $1 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop and implement an educational program called SEADAP (Science Education Against Drug Abuse Partnership) to teach students in grades 6 through 12 about how commonly abused drugs work in the brain to produce addiction.
“While we face this very serious challenge in our community, it’s encouraging to see that we have the tools here that can lead to success,” said Kitchen, who, for years, has worked closely with the recovery community. “We have the talent right here in North Philadelphia that can help transform lives across Pennsylvania.”
The senators joined the governor on a tour of Temple research facilities and took part in a roundtable discussion about the intersection of academic research and public policy.
After the tour, Wolf, who has made mitigating the opioid crisis a priority for his administration, said the facility is “bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and drug addiction.”
“The challenge is how we take the good research that’s going on here and turn it into good public policy,” he said.
Kitchen and Tartaglione recently announced support for a legislative package intended to address the opioid addiction crisis from prevention through recovery. To read details of that effort, click here.
###
by Christin Brown | Octubre 28, 2015 | News Releases
Harrisburg – Octubre 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-Noviembre.
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 Enero.
“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 Diciembre. 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 Julio.
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
# # #
by Christin Brown | Enero 30, 2014 | News Releases
Philadelphia, Jan. 30, 2014 – Senate Democrats gathered in seven communities across Pennsylvania today to challenge Gov. Tom Corbett to produce a spending plan that is aligned with the needs of Pennsylvanians.
Sen. Christine Tartaglione joined Philadelphia senators here to highlight the negative impact of previous Corbett budgets and describe why the upcoming budget is so important.
[hdvideo id=14 ]
“Pennsylvania’s state budget is an identification of priorities and a strategy for investment,” Sen. Tartaglione said. “We can do better than what Gov. Corbett and his administration have provided.
Tartaglione and Senate Democrats said their budget priorities reflect needs shared by all Pennsylvanians, including job creation, expansion of health care through Medicaid, increasing the minimum wage, repairing the social safety net and restoring education funds.
“Under Gov. Corbett’s leadership, Pennsylvania has fallen to the bottom in job creation and government efficiency, and we must do a better job of identifying policy priorities,” she said. “Senate Democrats have concrete plans to move the state forward and our payment method does not involve a broad-based tax increase.”
Senate Democrats said they will push for the following in this budget:
- Creating jobs by funding targeted water and sewer rehabilitation projects, strengthening school-to-work programs and expanding community economic zones throughout the state;
- Investing in education with a $300 million boost, bolstering funds for early education and committing to a long-term financing plan that restores funding;
- Increasing the state’s minimum wage to at least $9 per hour, indexing the wage to inflation and raising the tipped minimum wage;
- Expanding Medicaid and extending health care to 500,000 Pennsylvania families while generating budget savings of $400 million; and
- Repairing holes in the social safety net by using $85 million in Medicaid budget savings for human services programming such as drug, alcohol and mental health.
Sen. Tartaglione said her priorities for the new budget are for the state to restore education funding and for the governor to finally take the lead on raising the minimum wage.
“Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is currently $7.25/hour,” she said. “That isn’t enough for a person living in this state to pay rent, buy a car or purchase groceries for themselves, much less a family. My legislation will raise the minimum wage incrementally to $9.00/hour by 2015, after which it would automatically increase every year with inflation.”
Without an adequate base wage that is competitive with neighboring states, Tartaglione said educational initiatives, if the governor proposes any, would be moot.
“All the education and career preparation in the world won’t help present and future generations if we don’t ensure access to quality jobs and quality income when they graduate,” the senator said. “Right now, we have too many minimum wage jobs and too many educated, over-qualified, minimum wage workers.
“We need to ensure individuals working full-time jobs are able to support themselves and their family members,” she said.
Senate Democrats said they will provide immediate reaction to the governor’s budget address following his scheduled speech to the General Assembly Feb. 4.
-30-
by Christin Brown | Diciembre 10, 2013 | News Releases
Harrisburg – Diciembre 10, 2013 – In advance of the governor’s planned mid-year budget briefing, state Senate Democrats today announced details of a plan to generate more than $1 billion in budget savings and revenues they say can be used to make key investments, avoid deep cuts or tax increases in dealing with a projected $839 million budget deficit.
“Senate Democrats have identified ample revenues to not only deal with the significant budget deficit that has developed under Gov. Tom Corbett’s watch, but we’ve also found resources to fund key job creation initiatives, education investments and safety net repairs that are needed as a result of short-sighted administration policies,” Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), the Senate Democratic leader said.
In a Noviembre budget status report, the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) reported that Pennsylvania was facing a structural deficit of $839 million.
At today’s news conference in the state Capitol, Costa detailed the Senate Democratic $1.091 billion savings and revenue plan. The plan includes the following features and fiscal benefits:
- Expanded Medicaid — $400 million;
- Escheat Reform — $150 million;
- Wine and Spirits Modernization — $125 million;
- Charter School Reform — $85.5 million;
- Capital Stock and Franchise tax phase-out freeze — $75 million;
- Multi-state claims processing for SSP/SSI – $75 million;
- Enhanced tax collection — $55 million;
- Medicaid Managed Care — $50 million;
- Tobacco products tax — $36 million;
- Vendor discount elimination — $40 million.
Senate Democratic Whip Sen. Anthony H. Williams (D-Philadelphia) said Pennsylvanians should not accept the recurring rhetoric from the Corbett administration that they have to cut and slash each and every year due to a revenue shortfall.
“Every year we have heard the same tune from the governor that his hands are tied because revenues are soft and the job market is flat,” Williams said. “For the last three years, Senate Democrats have put forth plans outlining how we can generate budget savings and additional revenues to make key investments without severe cuts.
“The song the governor keeps singing about his budget woes is stale and taxpayers are tired of it. The fact is we need a new more aggressive approach,” he said.
Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Sen. Vincent J. Hughes (D-Philadelphia) said the reason Pennsylvania keeps having budget deficits and scrambling for money each year is the Corbett administration does not have a comprehensive and coherent job creation strategy.
“Under the governor’s leadership, we’ve gone from eighth in job creation to near last among all states, dead last among all our neighboring states and last among all big states,” Hughes said. “We have a Corbett jobs deficit of 166,000 on top of a Corbett budget deficit of $839 million.
“The reason we can’t move forward is that the Corbett corporate tax cuts of over $1 billion, combined with a lack of attention to the needs of everyday Pennsylvanians in job creation, education and safety net protections, weigh us down.”
Senate Democrats also continued to lament the $1 billion in cuts in education funding authored by the Corbett administrations several years ago. The Democrats said this policy has been counterproductive and costly to the average taxpayers because the state simply shifted the burden.
“We can devise a better approach to budgeting and revenue generation that will not result in our local taxpayers paying more in property taxes and children losing opportunities in school,” Costa said. “The Senate Democratic plan provides a path that is responsible and deals with the Corbett budget deficit.”
In addition to the budget and savings plan, Senate Democrats said they would soon announce their budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year.
-30-
by Christin Brown | Septiembre 13, 2013 | News Releases
QUIÉN:
Senadora estatal Christine Tartaglione, Presidenta demócrata de la Comisión de Trabajo e Industria del Senado
Senador Estatal Vincent Hughes, Presidente Demócrata del Comité de Apropiaciones del Senado
Elizabeth McLroy, Secretaria-Tesorera de la AFL-CIO de Filadelfia
Mark Price, economista laboral del Keystone Research Center
Kathy Black, Presidenta de la Coalición de Mujeres Sindicalistas
John Dodds, Director Ejecutivo del Proyecto de Desempleo de Filadelfia
QUÉ: Senador Tartaglione anunciará la introducción de una nueva legislación para aumentar el salario mínimo de Pennsylvania de $ 7.25 a $ 9.00. Se unirá a la senadora Hughes y los defensores de apoyar el proyecto de ley. Ella estará acompañada por el senador Hughes y defensores que apoyan el proyecto de ley.
El salario mínimo de Pensilvania está fijado actualmente en 7,25 dólares para la mayoría de los empleados por hora, lo que exige la ley federal. Dieciocho estados han aprobado salarios mínimos por encima del nivel federal. Los legisladores de Pensilvania no han aumentado el salario mínimo estatal desde 2006.
CUÁNDO: Martes17 de septiembre a las 14.00 horas
DÓNDE: Ayuntamiento de Filadelfia, Sala de Recepciones del Alcalde (Sala 202)
CONTACTO: Para más información, póngase en contacto con Ben Waxman por correo electrónico: [email protected] o 717-787-7112
by Christin Brown | Abril 30, 2013 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Abril 30, 2013 — Gov. Corbett’s contention that drug use is responsible for Pennsylvania’s high unemployment rate is disturbing, but not the most troubling part of his interview on PAMatters.com, state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione said today.
“The governor’s disdain for the unemployed and the thousands of families affected is long-held and already well-known,” Tartaglione said. “But the rest of the interview showed a state executive with a poor grasp on Pennsylvania economics and a propensity to freely make statements unburdened by facts.”
Among the glaring misstatements of fact Corbett made in the interview is the contention that “we now have more people working than ever before.”
“There are, in fact, more unemployed Pennsylvanians today than there were the day the governor was inaugurated,” Tartaglione said. “And the size of the labor force is still more than 100,000 short of its peak during the Rendell administration. These are numbers that are easy to obtain by anyone with a computer. It’s stunning.”
In one of the interview’s more eye-opening moments, Corbett questioned the accuracy of the U.S. Labor Department’s employment calculations, saying he recently learned how the unemployment rate is calculated.
Addressing criticism that Pennsylvania has fallen from the top ten to the bottom five among states in job creation, Corbett didn’t dispute the figures.
“What I dispute is the use of statistics,” he said. Corbett went on to misattribute the quotation about “lies, damn lies and statistics” to Mark Twain, who had actually misattributed it himself in a 1906 magazine article.
Corbett also claimed that Pennsylvania’s stubbornly high unemployment rate is due to more people re-entering the workforce after having given up.
Figures released by U.S. Department of Labor this week indicate the opposite, with two consecutive monthly drops in the size of the labor force.
Before making his statement that prospective employees failing drug tests was a chief reason for high unemployment, Corbett also blamed poorly trained Pennsylvania workers who are unable to take advantage of opportunities in the gas drilling industry.
The governor suggested workers need more training through vocational schools and community colleges.
“Year after year the governor has proposed cuts in funding for the types of training he’s suggesting, including for community colleges, which haven’t received a state funding increase since before the gas boom began,” Tartaglione said. “You can’t just talk the talk, you have to walk the walk.”
Tartaglione said Pennsylvania’s 512,000 unemployed should worry that the Corbett administration has not only pushed for cuts in benefits and created havoc in unemployment call centers, but he’s seemingly out of touch with Pennsylvania’s economy.
“The governor needs to look at the statistics and admit they are real. When our chief executive compares the unemployment rate to a ‘damn lie,’ then there is no hope for policy change from the top.”
###
by Christin Brown | Febrero 14, 2013 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, 14 de febrero de 2013 - La senadora estatal Christine M. Tartaglione ha hecho pública hoy la siguiente declaración en relación con la decisión de la fiscal general Kathleen Kane de rechazar el contrato de lotería con Camelot Global Services:
"La Fiscal General hizo uso de su autoridad para apoyar lo que muchos de nosotros hemos estado diciendo todo el tiempo: que la venta de lotería de la administración fue una extralimitación preocupante de su autoridad y, simplemente, un pésimo acuerdo para los trabajadores, las personas mayores y los partidarios de un gobierno abierto.
Es tranquilizador saber que en Pensilvania existe un sistema de controles y equilibrios de la autoridad ejecutiva.
El Fiscal General utilizó un razonamiento sólido para poner fin a un mal plan que contenía la expansión ilegal del juego, riesgos significativos para los programas de mayores y el control extranjero de una agencia estatal de gran éxito.
Y lo que es más importante, se aseguró de que el pueblo de Pensilvania volviera a tener voz a la hora de decidir cuestiones críticas para su futuro y sus finanzas. Esperemos que esto ponga fin a los acuerdos a puerta cerrada y permita a los funcionarios y empleados de la lotería estatal trazar su propio plan de ingresos bajo la brillante luz del escrutinio público."
###
by Christin Brown | Febrero 5, 2013 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Febrero 5, 2013 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today released the following statement regarding Gov. Corbett’s proposed budget:
“In two years, Pennsylvania has fallen from the top ten into the bottom third in job creation. If this budget were passed as proposed, that freefall would continue and thousands more Pennsylvanians will be spending their days on hold with the unemployment office.
The governor’s budget takes a ‘wishing well’ approach to the economy by throwing money at corporations and wishing for jobs. The administration has made no attempt to enforce Pennsylvania’s tax laws and shows no support for closing the Delaware loophole, leaving hundreds of millions of dollars flowing out of our state instead of into our schools.
Tying education funding to an ill-advised plan to eliminate thousands of good-paying jobs and millions in profit through the state liquor stores is a cynical, political gimmick that will only delay a reasonable solution to the challenge of educating children for a competitive 21st century economy.
Under this administration, the economy is leaving Pennsylvania behind. Another budget that proposes job cuts and corporate giveaways will only continue our race to the bottom.
School taxes are going up. Corporate taxes are going down. Gas prices are going up. Buying power is going down.
This is not a plan that works for working families.”
by Christin Brown | Octubre 2, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Junio 30, 2012 – Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione today released the following statement on today’s Commonwealth Court ruling:
“I’ve been confident all along that the courts would see the serious flaws and dubious reasoning behind voter ID.
With just over a month to go before the election, we have to switch our focus to making sure that people know they can vote just as they did in the primary and that their votes will be counted.
Unfortunately, the ruling comes after the millions of dollars were wasted trying to get this done in time to affect the presidential election. The effort was a costly mistake and it comes at a time when we’re cutting back on help for families with disabled children and other important social services.
For months I’ve been hearing from frustrated seniors, students and others who didn’t know what the requirements were and the requirements kept changing.
Now, I can tell them that they can express their frustration the way the Founders intended them to: by voting.”
by Christin Brown | Junio 29, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Junio 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 Febrero 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.
[hdvideo id=7 ]
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.
[hdvideo id=8 ]
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 | Abril 3, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, 3 de abril de 2012 - La senadora estatal Christine M. Tartaglione se unió hoy a sus colegas demócratas del Senado en una rueda de prensa en el Capitolio para pedir al gobierno de Corbett que centre las prioridades presupuestarias en el empleo y las familias trabajadoras.
"El presupuesto del año pasado y la propuesta de este año suponen una pesada carga para las familias vulnerables de Pensilvania, mientras que las grandes empresas cosechan los frutos de su apoyo político", dijo Tartaglione. "Las prioridades del gobernador han provocado el estancamiento del empleo, el aumento de los impuestos sobre la propiedad y la insolvencia de los distritos escolares. Todavía hay tiempo para cambiar de rumbo".
[hdvideo id=6 ]
Tartaglione es el principal promotor del proyecto de ley 679 del Senado, que obligaría a las empresas de Pensilvania a presentar "informes combinados" y cerraría la "laguna legal de Delaware".
"Las familias trabajadoras y las pequeñas empresas están pagando el precio de la indiferencia de la Administración ante el impuesto de sociedades", afirmó Tartaglione.
Además de los informes combinados, los demócratas del Senado han identificado numerosas formas en que el Estado podría recaudar ingresos adicionales para invertir en infraestructuras, escuelas y creación de empleo.
Tartaglione dijo que a los demócratas del Senado les gustaría añadir al menos 250 millones de dólares a las Subvenciones Globales de Rendición de Cuentas y a la educación superior, junto con otros 225 millones de dólares en estrategias de creación de empleo que incluyan la investigación y el desarrollo. Los demócratas del Senado renuevan su llamamiento para reorientar los fondos no utilizados de la Autoridad de Financiación del Estado (CFA) hacia la creación de empleo.
by Christin Brown | Marzo 15, 2012 | News Releases
Las barricadas y los policías adicionales al final de un pasillo del Capitolio dicen todo lo que hay que saber sobre la administración del Gobernador Tom Corbett.
Desde el primer día, el gobernador, que hizo campaña con valentía sobre los ciudadanos de a pie reclamando su gobierno, ha mostrado un curioso temor hacia esos mismos ciudadanos.
Sintiéndose más seguro con una pequeña audiencia de seguidores incondicionales, el otrora valiente reformador ha recurrido recientemente a su enorme aparato de seguridad para rechazar a las masas.
Cuando un grupo de ciudadanos en silla de ruedas visitó el Capitolio en febrero, el ex fiscal penalista, que pasó una docena de años como soldado de infantería de la Guardia Nacional, no se arriesgó.
Se desplegó a la policía del Capitolio y se levantaron barricadas para mantener a raya a las peligrosas personas en silla de ruedas. No fue demasiado difícil. El personal de seguridad explicó que les habían dicho que no dejaran subir a los ascensores a las personas en silla de ruedas. Bastó con bloquear los ascensores para mantenerlos en la planta baja, a una distancia segura de la guarida del gobernador.
Mientras tanto, los grupos de presión, los pajes, los pizzeros y los políticos siguieron disfrutando de acceso como de costumbre.
Fue una metáfora sobrecogedora de la administración Corbett, un momento de la política como arte que envolvió el miedo y la aversión de Corbett en un paquete ordenado.
Podría ser ilegal.
¿Importa eso?
Al menos debería importarle al duro fiscal de la ley y el orden que se enfrentó con valentía a los atrincherados agentes del poder de Harrisburg antes de huir a su despacho del Capitolio y bloquear los ascensores.
Y debería importar a los millones de ciudadanos de Pensilvania que no tienen credenciales de grupos de presión ni placas de seguridad en el Capitolio.
Tal como explicaron los subordinados de la administración la nueva política de seguridad, no sólo te pueden prohibir la entrada al edificio por causar jaleo, sino que te pueden prohibir la entrada si la administración cree que puedes causar jaleo. O si alguien que se parece a ti ha causado un alboroto.
Esto da miedo. Cualquier justificación que se pueda esgrimir para una política de personas en silla de ruedas se puede volver a esgrimir para la raza, la religión, el número de calzado, el peinado o la falta de una manicura adecuada.
Pero no hay justificación para las acciones unilaterales de seguridad de las administraciones. Ninguna justificación legal en cualquier caso.
Si el gobernador cree que la gente en silla de ruedas se retirará tranquilamente en deferencia a su demostración de fuerza, es que no sabe cómo se ve el mundo desde este asiento.
En las ocasiones en que me han preguntado cómo cambió mi vida mi accidente, suelo decir: Me quitó las piernas, pero me abrió los ojos.
Hay más de un millón de ciudadanos de Pensilvania que utilizan sillas de ruedas por una razón u otra y he conocido a muchos de ellos. Los más débiles y vulnerables entre ellos me han demostrado más valor que este gobernador.
Claro que cuando uno se enfrenta a la adversidad tiende a encerrarse en una habitación oscura, rodearse de amigos y bloquear el mundo.
Pero un día te das cuenta de que, sea cual sea la adversidad, hay que afrontarla directamente. Con valentía. Con valentía.
Cuando el gobernador envió a su equipo de seguridad a detener las sillas de ruedas, no fue sólo una cobarde extralimitación de la autoridad ejecutiva.
También fue una oportunidad perdida para superar su propia discapacidad: la ceguera ante la difícil situación de la gente corriente.
###
by Christin Brown | Marzo 7, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Marzo 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 Febrero 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]
###
by Christin Brown | Marzo 6, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Marzo 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.”
###
by Christin Brown | Febrero 29, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, 29 de febrero de 2012 - Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione publicó la siguiente declaración de hoy en relación con la audiencia del presupuesto de ayer para el Departamento de Bienestar Público:
"El tajo ciego y miope realizado por este presupuesto crea muchos pequeños ciclos que, cuando se completen, crearán retos presupuestarios para futuras administraciones y futuras generaciones.
Pocas cosas hay más ilógicas que reducir la financiación de los esfuerzos que ayudan a las personas con discapacidad a ganar más independencia y encontrar un empleo adecuado. Los anteriores esfuerzos de Pensilvania en tecnología de apoyo no sólo han hecho más independientes y seguras a miles de personas, sino que también han convertido en trabajadores a personas que no podían encontrar empleo por alguna barrera física.
En resumen, recortar los esfuerzos en tecnología de asistencia reduce la mano de obra y fomenta vidas de dependencia y bienestar.
Hoy hemos oído hablar de los planes de la administración para recortar la asistencia social y me pregunto dónde han estado estas personas para formar la mentalidad que ha producido estas decisiones.
###
by Christin Brown | Febrero 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 Abril 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.”
###
by Christin Brown | Febrero 9, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Febrero 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 Marzo 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.”
###
by Christin Brown | Febrero 7, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, 7 de febrero de 2011 - La senadora estatal Christine M. Tartaglione ha hecho pública hoy la siguiente declaración en relación con el discurso del gobernador sobre el presupuesto:
"El presupuesto esbozado hoy por el gobernador es el resultado de su prolongada e insostenible desconfianza hacia las familias en apuros y de una confianza igualmente inexplicable e insostenible hacia las grandes corporaciones.
Este plan miope, y muchas otras medidas adoptadas durante el primer año de este Gobierno, culpan del estancamiento económico a los trabajadores de rentas bajas y medias y les asignan una parte desproporcionada de la carga de solucionarlo.
Mientras se examina a las familias de Pensilvania por sus compras en línea, sus ahorros y su deseo de encontrar trabajo, se confía ciegamente en las empresas por sus impuestos sobre la renta, su compromiso con la creación de empleo y su preocupación por el medio ambiente.
Es poco probable que el presupuesto propuesto sea el presupuesto aprobado. Pero empezar la conversación con recortes drásticos a la educación, mientras los distritos escolares de Pensilvania se enfrentan a la insolvencia y el coste de la universidad se eleva por encima del alcance de las familias de ingresos medios, significa que la administración ha perdido la fe en la próxima generación.
A medida que avanzamos, insto al gobernador a que comprenda que representa a todos los habitantes de Pensilvania, desde los barrios del norte de Filadelfia hasta las cumbres rurales salpicadas de pozos de gas. La gente de mi distrito tendrá mucho que decir sobre este presupuesto. Insto a la administración a que escuche.
En los próximos meses, las familias que están criando a esa generación tendrán que demostrar que merecen nuestra confianza y nuestra inversión en sus hijos y en sus comunidades. Esta administración no confía en ellos.
Los estudiantes de secundaria de hoy tendrán que demostrar que merecen el mismo apoyo a la educación superior que recibieron sus hermanos mayores y sus padres. Esta administración no confía en ellos.
Los distritos escolares tendrán que demostrar que la educación infantil es mejor inversión que las prisiones.
Si el gobernador se sale con la suya, las pequeñas empresas de Pensilvania seguirán soportando la carga de los elevados impuestos de sociedades y continuarán en su lucha por competir con los grandes minoristas que disfrutan de los beneficios de una de las lagunas fiscales más notorias del mundo.
Es esta mezcla fundamental de confianza y desconfianza, expresada por primera vez por el candidato Corbett hace 18 meses cuando dijo que los desempleados "preferirían quedarse ahí sentados" que trabajar, lo que marca la visión que esta administración tiene de Pensilvania.
Los que tenemos una visión diferente tendremos que demostrar nuestra valía. Demostraremos al gobernador que no nos quedaremos ahí sentados. Estamos dispuestos a trabajar".
###
by Christin Brown | Febrero 1, 2012 | News Releases
HARRISBURG, Febrero 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 Agosto. In Junio 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.
###
by Christin Brown | Diciembre 14, 2011 | News Releases
La senadora Christine M. Tartaglione emitió esta noche la siguiente declaración sobre la decisión del presidente de cerrar repentinamente la votación sobre una enmienda favorable a los contribuyentes al proyecto de ley Marcellus Shale a pesar de las peticiones de reconsideración:
"Las acciones cínicas y arbitrarias de la mayoría en el pleno del Senado esta noche sólo servirán para alimentar la creciente indignación pública sobre la influencia de las empresas en aquellos que son elegidos para servir a las personas.
El peso de las ricas empresas energéticas en la regulación de las perforaciones de Marcellus Shale -desde la formación de la comisión del gobernador hasta la decisión sin precedentes de la presidencia de esta noche- llevó al colapso del protocolo del Senado al negar a los miembros el derecho a emitir sus votos como pretendían.
Al final, la democracia se rompió.
Las implicaciones serán duraderas para nuestro medio ambiente, nuestras comunidades, nuestros contribuyentes y nuestra fe en un proceso de gobierno exhaustivo y justo."
by Christin Brown | Diciembre 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 Diciembre 16.
For more information, go to www.toysfortots.org.
###
by Christin Brown | Noviembre 30, 2011 | News Releases
School is a Successful Model of Education Reform
PHILADELPHIA, Noviembre 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.
# # #
by Christin Brown | Octubre 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.”
###
by Christin Brown | Octubre 21, 2011 | News Releases
En respuesta a las cifras de desempleo publicadas por el Departamento de Trabajo e Industria del estado, la senadora Christine M. Tartaglione hizo pública la siguiente declaración. Tartaglione, D-Filadelfia, es el presidente demócrata de la Comisión de Trabajo e Industria del Senado.
"Casi cuatro meses después de que los republicanos impulsaran un presupuesto estatal miope que recortó drásticamente fondos clave para la creación de empleo y el desarrollo económico, la noticia de hoy de un aumento de la tasa de desempleo es una clara señal de que Pensilvania necesita un liderazgo audaz en una nueva dirección".
"El número de desempleados de Pensilvania ha aumentado en más de 50.000 desde el día en que el gobernador Corbett firmó el presupuesto y el enfoque de la mayoría legislativa en cuestiones marginales y la ideología de derechas ofrece pocas esperanzas para los próximos meses".
"El presupuesto de Corbett recortó más de 1.000 millones de dólares de los programas educativos, reduciendo el empleo en los distritos escolares locales en más de 14.000 puestos de trabajo, con más de 2.000 empleos perdidos sólo en el Distrito Escolar de Filadelfia. Estos profundos recortes se hicieron sin tener en cuenta un superávit de ingresos del Estado que creció a casi $ 800 millones al cierre de nuestro último año fiscal.
"El resultado es una caída impresionante tras años de capear la recesión mejor que la mayoría de los estados. Cuando ese presupuesto se abría paso en la Asamblea General, la tasa de desempleo de Pensilvania estaba 1,7 puntos porcentuales por debajo de la media nacional, la mejor comparación con la media nacional en más de diez años. Hoy, esa diferencia se ha reducido a la mitad, y se está estrechando.
"Pensilvania ocupó el puesto12 en creación de nuevos puestos de trabajo en 2010. El anuncio de hoy significa que estamos retrocediendo.
"La recesión de la economía de nuestro estado no debería sorprendernos. El pasado mes de febrero, me uní a mis colegas demócratas del Senado para presentar un plan sensato de creación de empleo llamado PA Works, la mayor parte del cual sigue en comisión.
"La semana pasada, expresé mi apoyo a PA Works Now, nuestro plan para que más ciudadanos de Pensilvania vuelvan a trabajar. Hemos repetido nuestros llamamientos anteriores para nuevas inversiones en infraestructura, capacitación laboral, y las inversiones empresariales que tienen registros claros de éxito. El plan esboza un nuevo conjunto de créditos fiscales para alentar a los propietarios de pequeñas empresas para hacer cuidado de niños y ancianos a disposición de sus empleados y para proporcionar nuevas oportunidades de formación y prácticas para los jóvenes.
"Mi legislación en el paquete pide que los perforadores de Marcellus Shale inviertan directamente en formación para contratar a más trabajadores de Pensilvania y creen un centro de llamadas para servicios de emergencia que podría proporcionar empleo al casi 15 por ciento de trabajadores con discapacidades que no pueden encontrar trabajo.
"Los legisladores que se distraen con prioridades personales y políticas motivadas políticamente que forman parte de la agenda política republicana nacional deberían dejar a un lado estos pasatiempos y centrarse en los puestos de trabajo. Los legisladores que pretenden eliminar miles de puestos de trabajo en nuestro sistema estatal de bebidas alcohólicas deberían ser sobrios ante el anuncio de hoy y entender que cada puesto de trabajo que sostiene a una familia debería contar con nuestro apoyo y protección".
Ya es hora de aplicar un impuesto responsable a la perforación de Marcellus Shale. Asimismo, debe adoptarse sin demora un plan de financiación razonable para las inversiones en transporte. Por último, nuestras prioridades deben reorientarse desde los arriesgados regalos fiscales que recompensan a los amigos de campaña y volver a apoyar a nuestros hijos, nuestro medio ambiente, nuestras escuelas y nuestros vecinos. "
# # #
