Key budget negotiations are underway. Pennsylvanians can encourage the General Assembly and Governor Wolf to negotiate and pass a budget. The organizations that do the important work of educating our children and serving Pennsylvanians who are vulnerable and at risk can wait no longer.
Much is at stake. Catholic charities and social services agencies are the “boots on the ground” that provide services for state-funded programs like housing, foster care, or drug and alcohol counseling. Without a budget agreement, people in need will be turned away.
Nonpublic schools do not receive basic education tax dollars, but our students do benefit from line items that pay for textbooks, materials, equipment, and services that support their secular education through the Intermediate Units. Thousands also benefit from scholarships funded by the Educational Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs. Children are missing out on the best education without this support.
Further, the uncertainty of future Medicaid payments and health insurance programs is causing difficulties for Pennsylvania Catholic Health Care Association (PCHA) members as they try to develop financial plans to support their ability to continue meeting the needs of the poor.
The programs affected by the state budget impasse are putting a difficult strain on families and individuals who rely on them.
