Category: Statements

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STATEMENT: In Support of Governor Wolf’s Newest COVID-19 Restrictions

  By PA Budget and Policy Center, Statements

Originally published at KRC-PBPC https://krc-pbpc.org/research_publication/statement-in-support-of-governor-wolfs-newest-covid-19-restrictions/ HARRISBURG — Marc Stier, director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, released the following statement on Governor Wolf’s most recent COVID-19 restrictions. Governor Wolf has called for new action to protect Pennsylvanians from the COVID-19 pandemic. All of us, no matter where we live in our state, what we look like, or whether are rich or poor, are vulnerable to this terrible virus and the damage it does to our health, lives, and economy. And make no mistake, it is the disease itself, far more than regulations to protect our health, that is causing economic distress especially for working people, women, Black and brown people, and immigrants. So we should all welcome the governor’s actions and reject attempts to divide us by approaching necessary measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 as an ideological or partisan issue. But protecting our health is not enough. We also… Continue reading

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Statement on PA CARES 21 Proposal

  By COVID-19, Economic Development, PA Economy, Statements

Originally published by KRC-PBPC at https://krc-pbpc.org/research_publication/statement-on-pa-cares-21-proposal/ Pennsylvania Senate Democrats have today put forward a bold plan to borrow funds at low interest rates to provide relief to many Pennsylvanians who are still struggling with the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For three reasons, it should be enacted quickly. First, it is desperately needed not to just to provide immediate relief to small business, the unemployed, local governments, our schools, health care providers, front-line workers and others but to keep the Pennsylvania economy from falling deeper into recession. The failure of the General Assembly to use the remainder of the CARES funds to provide aid to vulnerable Pennsylvanians, and especially to our small businesses, front-line workers, and health care providers was a dereliction of their responsibility to protect the most vulnerable in this crisis. And, as the IFO pointed out, the fairly quick, albeit partial, rebound from the economic disaster… Continue reading

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Statement on Budget Plan Approved by the House Appropriations Committee

  By Pennsylvania Budget, Statements

Originally published by KRC-PBPC here. The budget approved by the Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee does basically what we expected. Most of the budget is flat-funded with increases to meet Medical Assistance caseloads and a few other mandatory expenditures. While it is an important achievement that there are no deep cuts to education and human services in the budget, the budget does not meet the needs of Pennsylvanians who are suffering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis it created. Front-line workers; small businesses, especially in the hospitality and entertainment industries; those who are threatened with losing their homes; and many other Pennsylvanians are not getting the support they need from the state. The budget is balanced with close to $5 billion in one-time revenues: CARES Act funds; enhanced Medical Assistance funding from the federal government (which may not be forthcoming); transfers from special funds and the… Continue reading

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Statement on the Death of William Wallace, Jr.

  By PA Budget and Policy Center, Statements, White Supremacy and Structural Racism

Originally published by KRC-PBPC here. The murder of Walter Wallace, Jr. is being called tragic. And it is. But when certain tragedies keep happening, they are not just tragic, let alone accidents or mistakes. They are policy. And when public policy leads over and over again to the death of Black people in circumstances where white people are more likely to be spared, the policy is deeply immoral and shameful. And ending it must be our first priority. For the sake of everyone, and especially Black and brown people, we need to rethink and re-imagine how we provide public safety in our Commonwealth. Continue reading

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Select Committee Proposed by PA House Republicans is a Danger to our Democracy

  By 2020, Elections and Voting, Statements

Originally published by KRC-PBPC here. The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center is a nonpartisan organization. We do not favor one party or another in partisan elections. But we do stand for elections in which everyone has an opportunity to vote and their votes are counted fairly. Thus, we can’t turn away from threats to fair elections even if they come from one political party, as they sadly do in Pennsylvania today. Just as President Trump has recently doubled down on his attempt to sow doubt and create chaos surrounding the upcoming election, Republicans in Harrisburg are proposing to create a select committee to “investigate, review, and make recommendations concerning the regulation and conduct of the 2020 general election.” This committee is a solution in search of a genuine problem. The preamble of the House resolution calls into question the good faith efforts of the administration, county officials, and the Pennsylvania… Continue reading

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On The PA Budget Spending Plan Passed by the House Appropriations Committee

  By Pennsylvania Budget, Statements

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center director Marc Stier made the following statement after the PA House Appropriations Committee passed a budget spending plan: “The House Republicans’ budget proposal released today is sadly, but not surprisingly, a disappointment for working-class and middle-class families. “It includes no increase in the minimum wage even though every state around Pennsylvania has raised its minimum wage and found that the result has been not only higher wages but higher employment in low-wage occupations. “It provides less funding for Basic Education than Governor Wolf proposed and diverts some of that request from public schools to the EITC program that supports unaccountable private schools that often cater to the richest Pennsylvanians. “It does not fund the General Assistance program, which provides a minimal level of support to some of the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, many of whom are waiting to receive Social Security disability payments. “In… Continue reading

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  By John Neurohr, PA Budget and Policy Center, Pennsylvania Budget, Statements

With John Neurohr Originally published by KRC-PBPC. HARRISBURG—PA Budget and Policy Center director Marc Stier made the following statement in response to a press release sent out today by the Pennsylvania Republican Party criticizing a Budget Day of Action and rally/press conference in Harrisburg today in support of raising the state minimum wage: “The PA Republican Party is criticizing the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center and the We The People campaign for offering citizens a bus trip or a gift card to pay for their gas to make the trip to Harrisburg to advocate for a raise in the minimum wage. “Somehow in their effort to criticize us for helping Pennsylvanians who are taking a day off—in many cases from minimum wage jobs—to exercise their rights as citizens, they have forgotten that the business community that opposes raising the minimum wage has paid lobbyists who no doubt get their mileage… Continue reading

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On the IFO Five-Year Economic and Budget Outlook

  By Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Budget, Statements

This press release from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center includes a statement from director Marc Stier regarding the November 2018 Press Release of the Independent Fiscal Office’s (IFO) Five-Year Economic and Budget Outlook for Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center released the following statement from director Marc Stier regarding today’s press release of the Independent Fiscal Office’s (IFO) Five-Year Economic and Budget Outlook for Pennsylvania: “The Independent Fiscal Office’s (IFO) Five-Year Economic and Budget Outlook, which was released today, confirms warnings we have been giving since July. While the state’s General Fund budget for the current year was balanced, it relied heavily on one-shot revenues and borrowing on the Tobacco Settlement. The previous two state budgets did the same thing. And the bills for paying for necessary state expenditures with one-shot revenues and borrowing are coming due. “The IFO predicts that the budget deficit for fiscal… Continue reading

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STATEMENT: On the Tax Study Released by the PA Chamber of Business and Industry Type

  By Statements, Taxation

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center released the following statement from director Marc Stier on the study, “Pennsylvania: A 21st Century Tax Code for the Commonwealth,” released today by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry: “The Chamber of Commerce announced today a tax proposal for our state that is the Pennsylvania equivalent of Trump’s federal tax plan. It would put more of the tax burden on working- and middle-class Pennsylvanians while reducing taxes for the rich and corporations. And it will make it harder to balance our budget in the future. “While there are a few elements of the plan we think make sense, the entire plan rests on a fundamental confusion between a tax system that is “business-friendly” and a tax system that is “friendly to rich people including the owners of large corporations and those who have inherited wealth.” A business-friendly tax policy would be… Continue reading

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On the Supreme Court Janus v. AFSCME Decision

  By John Neurohr, Labor, PA Budget and Policy Center, Statements, Stephen Herzenberg

HARRISBURG — Keystone Research Center executive director Stephen Herzenberg and Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center director Marc Stier made the following statement regarding today’s Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court decision: “In a 5-4 decision that resulted directly from the [evasion of constitutional responsibility and] abuse of power that led to the appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch, the United States Supreme Court today took another step to rig our economy and our politics against working families and to further diminish the collective rights of working people. By reversing the longstanding precedent set in the 1977 Abood case, the Janus decision makes the entire United States public sector a ‘right to work for less’ country with the stroke of a pen. The decision deprives unions of any financial support from non-members who nonetheless benefit from union representation and collective bargaining to improve wages, benefits, and working conditions. The decision violates a fundamental… Continue reading