|
Friday May 6, 2011
Tell State Legislators to Use All Available Revenue to Meet Pressing Needs!
Dear Friend of Children,
There’s good news to report on state revenue. After a long slump, April collections place revenue at $500 million more than expected. This means some additional funds will be available to meet pressing budget needs this year and next, though it’s still unclear how much.
Early next week House Majority leaders will propose a budget that restores some – but not all -- of the funds the Governor wants to eliminate from K-12 and higher education. Your calls, emails and letters have made a difference! That’s the good news.
The bad news is that House Majority leaders still want to pass a budget that’s 3.1 percent lower than last year’s budget -- regardless of the facts. They plan to increase education funding by making deep cuts -- to the tune of at least $500 million – to health and human service programs that ensure children from low-income families receive child care, health care, behavioral health services, after school programs and child welfare services, among other supports.
Click here to urge your state Representative and House Majority leaders to use additional revenue to meet the needs of Pennsylvania’s children. Ask them to:
- Restore cuts to pre-k, full day kindergarten and K-12 education;
- Prevent cuts to the rest of Pennsylvania’s early childhood education programs and other services that are critical for kids;
- Increase the ‘spend number’ in the budget by using new revenue – generated both from Pennsylvania’s economic recovery and by eliminating corporate tax loopholes such as those enjoyed by big energy companies drilling beneath the Marcellus Shale.
If you prefer to phone House leaders, call:
House Speaker Sam Smith – 717-787-3845
House Floor Leader Mike Turzai – 717-772-9943
House Appropriations Chair Bill Adolph – 717-787-1248
Click here for contact information about your own Representative.
Your immediate action will help ensure additional state revenue is used to support the state’s children and youth – without taking funds from one set of critical services to pay for another. Thank you for responding to this request, and for all you do on behalf of the region’s kids.
Sincerely,
Shelly Yanoff
Executive Director
About this E-Alert
In an effort to keep our friends and colleagues up-to-date on what’s going on with children and families in our region, PCCY will, from time to time, issue an E-Alert on an issue that we need YOU to take action on! We will provide you with the information on the issues and we need YOU to take the action step(s) that are listed.
We hope that you will join us in helping to protect the lives and life chances of children and families in our region by doing something TODAY to help protect their tomorrows. However, if you would like to be removed from the e-mail list and receive no further updates, please send an e-mail to info@pccy.org.
President: Carolyn Adams
Executive Director: Shelly D. Yanoff
Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY)
1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Sixth Floor
Philadelphia, Pa 19103
Phone: 215-563-5848
Fax: 215-563-9442
Website: www.pccy.org
E-mail: info@pccy.org
Webmaster: Steven Fynes
|
