Sep. 24, 2015
HARRISBURG -- Rep. Tom Murt (Montgomery/Philadelphia) joined a majority of his House colleagues in passing a package of bills to help struggling social service agencies and school districts desperate for their state subsidies.
Senate Bills 1000 and
1001 would provide emergency state funding to provide $11 billion in state funds and allow $24.3 billion in federal dollars to reach their intended recipients.
“We are facing a crisis,” Murt said. “There are many deserving parties I know personally who are not being paid, like the Commonwealth’s rape crisis centers, the human service providers who care for our most vulnerable citizens, agencies who compassionately care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In Philadelphia, those who provide services for the blind and visually impaired are also not being paid.”
The lack of a state budget has forced many human services agencies to reduce services or to go into debt to continue operating.
“Paying for these loans means carrying interest, which will unexpectedly increase their costs,” Murt said. “This is not a sustainable way to fund services for our citizens that require the most intensive and compassionate care. If this emergency funding is not enacted, what happens next? How long can our rape crisis centers, our human services agencies, and our school districts go without any state or federal funding?
“The funding plan before us is not a gimmick, a ploy or a stunt. It is the responsible thing to do at a time when real people are suffering,” noted Murt.
Representative Thomas P. Murt
152nd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: David Foster
267.207.0207
dfoster@pahousegop.com
RepMurt.com /
Facebook.com/RepMurt