Past Events

Hundreds to Rally in Capitol Rotunda to Save Critical Safety Net Programs

May 7, 2012 - 11:00am

PA Cares for All, a statewide coalition with more than 100 member organizations, will urge Governor Corbett and the General Assembly to restore funding for General Assistance and Human Services Development funds.

WHAT: Members of the statewide coalition PA Cares for All will rally in the Capitol Rotunda to call attention to the suffering of the Commonwealth’s poorest, more disadvantaged citizens, who have been hard hit by the recession and untouched by any economic recovery.  

The elimination of General Assistance and cuts to Human Services Development funding will leave more than 68,000 of these citizens without the most basic subsistence and will increase demand for homeless shelters, emergency room services, fire and police – all at significantly greater cost than GA itself.

WHO: Scheduled speakers include:

  • State Representative Gene DiGirolamo (R-Bucks County)
  • Liz Hersh, executive director, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania
  • Delaware County senior Julie Schemp, Philadelphia consumer affairs director Lance Haver, and parent advocate Elaine Harris Fulton – three individuals whose lives were changed by GA and HSD funding
  • Tony Ross, United Way of PA
  • Michael Froehlich, Community Legal Services and PA Cares for All
  • Lyn Cooper, Human Services from Kittatinny, PA
  • Alan Jennings, Lehigh Valley Budget Coalition
  • SPECIAL GUEST: The Tin Man (from Wizard of Oz) who will bring a heart to Harrisburg. 

WHEN: Monday, May 7th at 11am

WHERE: Capitol Rotunda, Harrisburg 

CONTACT: John McDonald, 215.735.6760

BACKGROUND: General Assistance is a safety net program of last resort that offers people with disabilities a tiny subsistence grant that enables them to participate in treatment, rent a room in a boarding house or find a shelter bed.  Women fleeing abuse use it as a lifeline when they escape their abusers.  Roughly 68,000 people in every county use the program together with Medical Assistance (MA) to avoid homelessness and build a better life for themselves. Governor Corbett has proposed eliminating both GA and most MA benefits.

The Human Services Development Fund (HSDF) is a proposed block grant that takes proven programs that work and lumps them into a block grant with no goals or plan and then cuts services by 20 percent.

Sharon Ward and Mark Price to Speak: PA Budget Challenges and Opportunities for Women and Girls

March 30, 2012 - 8:00am

Sharon Ward, director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, will provide an analysis of what's at stake for women and girls in Governor Tom Corbett's second budget proposal, give a sense of key issues that will be in play this budget season and discuss opportunities to advocate for concrete policy options that will improve the lives and life chances of women and girls.

Mark Price, labor economist with the Keystone Research Center, will discuss the direction of the state's economy, with a particular focus on how working and low-income women are faring. He will make the case that state budget decisions really matter for Pennsylvania's prospects for robust job creation and economic recovery.

WHAT: A Conversation With Our Legislators: PA Budget Challenges and Opportunities for Women and Girls

WHEN: March 30, 2012, 8-10 am

WHERE: BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2040 Street Road (Routes 611 and 132), Warrington, PA

HOSTED BY: Bucks County Women's Advocacy Coalition

Learn more at http://www.bcwac.org/events-and-workshops.htm.

Better Choices for PA Budget Campaign Kick Off

March 26, 2012 - 12:00pm

The state budget proposed by Governor Tom Corbett in February takes aim at the values most cherished by Pennsylvania families: good schools, affordable tuition and help to ensure strong families and communities. It breaks Pennsylvania’s compact with our most vulnerable citizens through proposed cuts to behavioral health, housing and the elimination of the General Assistance program. If enacted, the budget will move people from prevention and treatment to more costly services – in institutions, foster care, and in jails. There is a better way.

Join PBPC and the Better Choices for Pennsylvania Coalition for a Campaign Kick Off and Pie Delivery.

WHAT: Budget Campaign Kick Off and Pie Delivery

WHEN: Monday, March 26, 2012

  • 11 am: We will deliver pies to lawmakers to urge them to grow the pie rather than make deep cuts to services.
  • 1 pm: We will have a kick off event in the Rotunda.

WHERE: Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harrisburg PA

Please RSVP if you can attend the March 26 Kick Off Event to: info@pennbpc.org.

Get a PA Budget Update with PBPC and Better Choices for Pennsylvania

March 22, 2012 - 3:30pm

The state budget proposed by Governor Tom Corbett in February takes aim at the values most cherished by Pennsylvania families: good schools, affordable tuition and help to ensure strong families and communities. It breaks Pennsylvania’s compact with our most vulnerable citizens through proposed cuts to behavioral health, housing and the elimination of the General Assistance program. If enacted, the budget will move people from prevention and treatment to more costly services – in institutions, foster care, and in jails. There is a better way.

Join the Better Choices for Pennsylvania for a conference call update on the latest state budget developments in Harrisburg.

WHAT: Better Choices for Pennsylvania Coalition Call

WHEN: Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 3:30 pm

CALL-IN: Conference Call Number: (760) 569-7676 | Participant Code: 453547

House Party for Health Care in Glenside

March 21, 2012 - 7:00pm

Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center Director Sharon Ward will join a local house party for health care in Glenside to discuss the benefits of the Affordable Care Act. Friday will mark the second-year anniversary of the passage of the landmark health law. RSVP, get directions and learn more here: http://ow.ly/9LIYd.

Join Us for Philadelphia Budget Summit on March 16

March 16, 2012 - 9:00am

Get Directions to the Philadelphia Budget Summit


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The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center will host the Southeastern Pennsylvania Budget Summit on Friday, March 16, 2012. View the agenda.

The Summit will present a look at the state budget and how it affects the region and its residents.

WHAT: Southeastern PA Budget Summit

WHEN: Friday, March 16, 2012, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

WHERE: United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia (directions to right)

THEME: The Pennsylvania State Budget and Its Implications for Southeastern Pennsylvania

AGENDA:

9:00 a.m.



 Welcome
    Julie Zaebst, Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger
    Southeastern Pennsylvania Budget Coalition
9:05 a.m.


 The Road to Prosperity? The Proposed 2012-13 State Budget
    Sharon Ward, Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
9:30 a.m.



 The State Budget and County Human Services: A View from the Region
    Diane Marseglia, Bucks County Commissioner
    Josh Shapiro,  Montgomery County Commissioner
    Representative, City of Philadelphia
10:15 a.m.




 The Human Impact
    Michael Froehlich: Community Legal Services
    Liz Hersh, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania
    Christie Balka: Public Citizens for Children and Youth
11:00 a.m.


 The View from Harrisburg: Impacting the Process
    State Senator Daylin Leach
11:30 a.m.


 Next Steps
    Jennine Miller, Project H.O.M.E.
    Southeastern Pennsylvania Budget Coalition

View the Philadelphia Budget Summit flyer below or download a PDF version.

Sharon Ward Will Speak at 4th Annual Delco Conference on Hunger

March 9, 2012 - 10:15am

Sharon Ward, director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, will present on the 2012-13 state budget and its impact on struggling families in Delaware County at the 4th Annual Delaware County Conference on Hunger.

WHAT: 4th Annual Delaware County Conference on Hunger

WHERE: University Center, Webb Room, Widener University, One University Place, Chester PA

WHEN: Friday, March 9, 2012, Conference: 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Sharon's budget presentation: 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

Registration is required for the conference. Learn more.

QUESTIONS: Call 717-255-7156

Sharon Ward to Testify at Policy Committee Hearing on adultBasic

March 8, 2012 - 1:00pm

Sharon Ward, Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, will testify on the impact of the Corbett administration's decision to end adultBasic at a Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing on Thursday, March 8 in Philadelphia.

WHAT: Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing on the impact of the demise of adultBasic.

WHEN: Thursday, March 8 from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

WHERE:  Nazareth Hospital, Marian Hall Conference Center, 2601 Holme Ave., Philadelphia

QUESTIONS: Call 717-255-7156

PBPC to Join Lawmakers to Discuss Closing Corporate Tax Loopholes

March 7, 2012 - 10:00am

PBPC Director Sharon Ward will join Rep. Phyllis Mundy and other state lawmakers to discuss  legislation that would close the Delaware Loophole and prevent companies from using accounting gimmicks to avoid paying state taxes.

WHEN: Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 10 a.m.

WHERE: Capitol Media Center, Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harrisburg

WHO: Sharon Ward, Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy; Rep. Phyllis Mundy, minority chair of the House Finance Committee; other state lawmakers

QUESTIONS: Call 717-255-7156

Sharon Ward to Discuss Budget at Children's Coalition of Lehigh Valley Family Policy Summit

March 1, 2012 - 6:30pm

The Family Policy Summit will provide a presentation on key policy developments in the 2012-13 Pennsylvania state budget regarding the needs of children, with a particular concern for those in low-income families. The presentation will focus on what the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania plans to do in regard to issues of public education and school finance, early childhood education and family and child well-being including issues of health care, nutrition, housing and abuse. This event is sponsored by the Department of Political Science and is open to the public.

WHEN: Thursday, March 1, 2012, 6:30 to 8:00 pm

WHERE: Moravian College, Prosser Auditorium, Haupert Union Building, 1200 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA

SPEAKERS: Sharon Ward, Director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, and Ron Cowell, President of the Education Policy and Leadership Center

QUESTIONS: 717-255-7156

Sharon Ward to Discuss Budget at Lehigh Rotary Club

February 29, 2012 - 11:30am

Sharon Ward will present an overview of the 2012-13 state budget at the Bethlehem Rotary Club.

WHEN: Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 11:30 a.m.

WHERE: Moravian Village, Main Dining Room, 526 Wood Street, Bethlehem

QUESTIONS: 717-255-7156

PBPC Will Host 2012 Budget Summit

February 23, 2012 - 9:00am

Alert: We're sorry, but we are no longer taking registrations for the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center's 2012 Budget Summit on Thursday, February 23, 2012 at the Hilton Harrisburg, 1 North Second Street.

Governor Tom Corbett unveiled a state budget plan that makes deep cuts to education and colleges and turns its back on the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians.

The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center will host its 2012 Budget Summit on Thursday, February 23, 2012. The Summit will provide an in-depth look at the state and federal budget plans and what they mean for communities and families across Pennsylvania. The Summit will also feature workshops on how to talk about budgets, government and state services and lessons from successful budget campaigns in other states. View the agenda.