30 Ways in 30 Days Service Cuts Will Hurt Pennsylvanians
July 2, 2009
In May, the state Senate passed Senate Bill 850, which sets forth a state budget plan for the 2009-10 Fiscal Year. It would spend $1.5 billion less than Governor Ed Rendell's proposed budget.
The House Appropriations Committee reported SB 850 out of committee on July 13. The proposed cuts in that bill would impact millions of Pennsylvania children, senior citizens and working families.
Over the course of 30 days, the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center looked at 30 ways that proposed service cuts being considered for the 2009-10 Fiscal Year would hurt Pennsylvanians.
30 Days in Short: Read short summaries of the proposed cuts profiled below.
Or click on the items below to learn more:
Day 30: Hospital Jobs
The Hospital and HealthSystem Association of Pennsylvania recently estimated that a proposed Medicaid cut in a Senate-passed budget bill would cost 13,000 hospital jobs across the state.
Day 29: Workforce Development
Millions would be trimmed for industry partnerships and worker training activities in the Governor's budget, while a Senate-passed budget would cut all funding. Businesses and advocates for workers say employers will have a harder time recruiting skilled workers.
Day 28: Health Care Reform
A Senate-passed budget would eliminate funding for the Governor's Office of Health Care Reform. The Philadelphia Daily News has voiced concern that such a move will hurt a chronic care initiative and efforts to establish electronic medical record systems.
Day 27: County Services
A Mifflin County Commissioner told The Lewistown Sentinel that the county could see cuts in state funding for human services, the courts, public safety, community and economic development, the environment, tourism and agriculture.
Day 26: Museums
Both the Governor's budget proposal and a Senate-passed version would eliminate museum assistance grants, historical education grants and funding for several museums.
Day 25: Children's Health Insurance
A Senate-passed budget includes a nearly $8 million reduction to the Governor's funding request for the Children's Health Insurance Program. With the loss of federal matching dollars, the cut would deny CHIP coverage to almost 12,000 children.
Day 24: Child Care
Funding levels for state child care programs proposed in a Senate-passed budget bill would prevent the state from enrolling 3,400 children whose parents have left welfare for work, as well as an additional 2,000 low-income children.
Day 23: Pennsylvanians with Disabilities
Proposed funding cuts in Senate-passed bill brought advocates out earlier this month to argue that such cuts would amount to 'a prison sentence for people with disabilities,' one advocate told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Day 22: Pre-K Counts
Thousands of children statewide would be denied entrance into school district pre-kindergarten programs if a 50% reduction in prekindergarten funds is enacted.
Day 21: Hospital Funding
Governor's budget would cut nearly $78 million in Medicaid funding to hospitals, while a Senate-passed plan would slash nearly $280 million.
Day 20: Public Broadcasting
Statewide, $8 million for public broadcasting would be cut. That could mean job cuts for some public TV and radio stations.
Day 19: Community Revitalization
Vacant store fronts and economic decline would dog small towns and boroughs across the state with the shutdown of the Department of Community and Economic Development's Elm and Main Street assistance programs.
Day 18: Veterans Homes
A Senate-passed budget plan would cut funding by 18%, impacting the ability of the state's six veterans home from serving our veterans.
Day 17: Head Start
State funding for Head Start would be cut in half at a time when demand is expected to increase by 30% over the next two years.
Day 16: County Courts
County court fees and costs would likely have to be increased to compensate for a $1.3 million reduction in state support for county courts proposed in Senate Bill 850. This would come on top of a $2 million reduction put forward in Governor Rendell's proposed budget.
Day 15: College Aid
With jobs in short supply in today's economy, more and more young Pennsylvanians are pursuing post-secondary and graduate education to increase their marketable skills. In this climate, even small cuts in state support for higher education have a huge impact, especially a 14% reduction in PHEAA funding approved by the state Senate.
Day 14: Revenue Collections
A $36 million cut from what the governor proposed for 2009-10 could lead to staff layoffs, costing the state millions in uncollected tax revenue.
Day 13: State Police
Individuals and families protected by the Pennsylvania State Police, especially those living in rural areas and small towns, would see fewer patrols due to a funding cut proposed in SB 850.
Day 12: Job Creation
Hundreds, if not thousands, of new jobs would be lost across Pennsylvania due to a proposed reduction of more than $200 million in business and community grants administered through the Department of Community and Economic Development under a Senate-approved budget plan.
Day 11: Legal Aid
Plan would completely eliminate state funding for legal aid, which is utilized by many low-income working families.
Day 10: Obstetric and Neonatal Care
Hundreds of low birth-weight babies and other infants requiring critical care would be placed at a potentially higher risk by the elimination of $5 million in state funding to hospitals for obstetric and neonatal care.
Day 9: Flood Control
Thousands of Pennsylvania families living near flood-prone rivers and streams would be placed at increased risk due to a 24% reduction in the appropriation to the Department of Environmental Protection that includes funding for flood control projects, storm water management and sewage facility grants.
Day 8: Basic Education Funding
Senate Bill 850 proposes the first ever cut in state support for basic education, slashing state aid by more than $700 million from what Governor Rendell proposed in February, raising the specter of property tax increases.
Day 7: Emergency Mortgage Assistance
Emergency mortgage assistance to help cash-strapped families avert mortgage foreclosures and save their homes could be curtailed at a time when demand is highest for the pioneering Pennsylvania program.
Day 6: Health Care for Older Pennsylvanians
The Departments of Aging and Pubic Welfare would receive $362 million less in state and federal funding under SB 850, meaning less money available to pay for nursing home care and other long-term care costs. Most affected would be thousands of senior citizens who already have exhausted their life savings on long-term care.
Day 5: Agricultural Funding
Economic development programs for farm communities, agricultural programs, animal health and safety efforts would be hamstrung by Department of Agriculture cuts under SB 850.
Day 4: State Parks
Thousands of Pennsylvania families would face reduced access to state parks, campgrounds and environmental education centers operated by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, if a budget cutback proposed in SB 850 is enacted.
Day 3: Libraries
Access to local libraries and the availability of new books and reference tools would be reduced substantially because of a 50% cut in library funding in SB 850 from $75 million to $37 million.
Day 2: Vocational Training
Hundreds of severely disabled Pennsylvanians would be affected by a 50% cut in supported employment and worksite job training programs if SB 850 were to become law.
Day 1: Newborn Screening
As many as 5,000 newborn children will be denied state-funded health screenings to test for congenital illnesses and treatable birth defects because of a $450,000 cut, if SB 850 were to become law.
