Welcome, We The People-PA activists, advocates, and supporters, to another edition of our biweekly eBlast! We bring you legislative news from the federal and state levels and ways to get involved!
Content Index
LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
State update:
- Senator Art Haywood, who has been holding a sit-in at City Hall in Philadelphia, will meet with Mayor Kenney later this week to discuss gun violence solutions.
- Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly for a bill that would reduce the corporate net income rate from 10% to 9%, and if the state’s revenues are sufficient, down to 8% by 2025. If enacted into law, the measure would cost the state about $128 million in 2022-23, as it would not cover the entire 12-month period. But in the following years it would reduce state revenues by $400 million to $450 million annually, House Republicans projected.
Federal update:
- The Supreme Court is tackling an established ban on public schools that actively coercing students into religious exercise (Kennedy v. Bremerton School District), with the Court’s conservative majority seemingly sympathetic to a relaxation of that rule.
- There is a narrow window for Senate Democrats and the president to reach an agreement on an economic reconciliation package by Memorial Day, with the goal of the legislation moving through the Senate and House by the July 4 recess. While there’s no guarantee that such an agreement will come together, there are high-level efforts underway. Read more here to get CBPP’s take on the latest developments, what you can do, and the resources available for your advocacy efforts.
UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED
Capitol Insiders Call
This coming Thursday, May 5th at 4:30 PM: Join us as we discuss HB-1960, a budget bill passed by the PA House. If enacted into law, this bill would cut corporate tax rates at a time when many families and public schools continue to struggle and their needs still being unmet. Cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthy (who already do not pay their fair share) is the GOP-led legislature’s decades-long strategy to defund crucial programs and safety nets because they care more about their corporate and wealthy donors than they do about their constituents. Stay tuned for a forthcoming call to action!
Sign Up for Capitol Insiders Here: https://bit.ly/capinsider.
IN THE NEWS
- A report prepared by the Pittsburgh Budget and Policy Center has proposed new ways for the city to bring in added revenue without raising property or earned income taxes. In a presentation unveiling the findings of the report, Stephen Herzenberg, executive director of the Keystone Research Center, said that the solutions he presented “make clear that Pittsburgh can take action now” to create a “fair tax system.”
- Pennsylvania needs rental assistance and eviction diversion programs, activists and lawmakers say. “The two main takeaways are that eviction mitigation is working to keep people in their homes and it should be expanded,” said Kehinde Akande, policy fellow at the PA Budget and Policy Center and an author of the report. “And a permanent rental assistance fund is needed in the state for the large numbers of cost-burdened families in Pennsylvania.”
CALL TO ACTION
There’s a human services workforce crisis. Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents are at risk. COVID-19 has worsened a workforce crisis that’s affecting nearly every human services field, including intellectual disabilities and autism, mental health, substance use disorder, children’s services, brain injury, physical disabilities, rehabilitation services, and more. Our state government is sitting on billions of federal dollars and “rainy day” funds that could increase wages to help retain workers and attract and train a new workforce. Yet, even amid this worsening crisis, the money remains unspent as the needs of our most vulnerable residents go unmet. Send an email to your legislative officials with one click!
https://www.directcareworks.com/take-action
SIGN OFF
We hope you found this week’s eBlast valuable and appreciate your support and the hard work you all do in your own areas every single day. We hope to see you at one of our Community Conversations!
In solidarity,
Marc, Nick, Jay, Vivienne, and the whole team at WTP-PA
We The People – PA is a campaign working to ensure that all Pennsylvanians can thrive. We advocate for bold action from state lawmakers to keep our families safe during today’s emergency—and to build a stronger, healthier, and more just future.