Jul. 12, 2017
HARRISBURG – The state House on Tuesday passed
House Bill 59, a key piece of the state budget package, on a predominately party-line vote. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Dan Moul (R-Gettysburg), amends the Human Services Code to mandate work requirements for individuals on public assistance who are able to work and choose not to. It also reforms Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance program to ensure the administration operates these critical programs within the appropriated budget to reduce executive overspending, while ensuring care for the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens.
The delegation, consisting of Moul and state Reps. Keith Gillespie (R-Hellam), Seth Grove (R-Dover), Dawn Keefer (R-Dillsburg), Kate Klunk (R-Hanover), Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York Township), House Appropriations Committee Majority Chairman Stan Saylor (R-Red Lion), and Will Tallman (R-Abbottstown), issued the following statement in reaction to passage of the bill:
“Washington, D.C., is asking states to bear more and more of our country’s financial burden.
House Bill 59 is an attempt to ensure taxpayer dollars are put to work in the most efficient manner while reaching only those individuals who need them the most.
“The work requirements this legislation would institute do not affect elderly or disabled individuals on Pennsylvania’s public assistance rolls.
House Bill 59 gives Gov. Tom Wolf the ability to apply for meaningful and common sense work requirements for individuals on Medical Assistance, modeled after numerous current programs which already have similar requirements. It is also a reflection of the letter the governor and his colleagues in other states received last March from the federal government, indicating it will begin to approve provisions related to training, employment and independence restrictions for Medicaid.
“House Bill 59 also brings Pennsylvania in line with the other 49 states that base eligibility for Medical Assistance on a family’s income, not a child’s income. Following models originally pursued during the Rendell administration of 200 percent of the federal poverty level, the legislation would require households at more than 1,000 percent of the federal poverty level to pay a monthly premium modeled after CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program).
“Human services, formerly known as welfare, remain a major expenditure in state government. With revenues declining and costs accelerating, Pennsylvania must take a hard look at every dollar spent and ensure that dollar is spent wisely and on those who need it most. To avoid doing so is to invite fiscal disaster and a severe reduction in services for our most vulnerable.”
Adams-York County House Republican Delegation
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Scott Little
717.260.6137
slittle@pahousegop.com