Ending Sales Tax Breaks Can Close State Budget Gap and Fund Schools
州立法机关在今年的预算中面临两个重大挑战已不是什么秘密：为学校提供公平，充足的资金以及弥补$20亿的赤字。然而，很少有人意识到，宾夕法尼亚州提供的营业税减免额是其收取的两倍。
如果州仅从免税项目中收取一部分收入，则立法者可以弥补州预算赤字，为学校提供资金并降低财产税。封闭税收漏洞是筹集必要资金以改善我们的学校的最公平的方法，以改善近200万至12年级学生的学前班。
点击这里 to send a letter to your local State Representative and Senator telling them to eliminate sales tax exemptions and use the additional revenue for our schools.
When it Comes to Kids, Pennsylvania’s Legislature Can Learn from Congress
There’s certainly little that Democrat and Republican lawmakers in Washington agree on, but when it comes to providing health care coverage for kids, both sides stepped up to the plate last week. Congress overwhelmingly approved and the President recently signed the “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015.” The law extends the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for two years and ensures millions of children enrolled in CHIP will not lose coverage.
The Pennsylvania State Legislature can show the same level of bipartisanship by working together to pass the state CHIP extension before the end of September. Currently, the state’s “Cover All Kids” law bars 47,000 undocumented children from enrolling in this health insurance program, including 9,200 children in Southeastern Pennsylvania. When children lack insurance they are less healthy, less well-adjusted and their school performance suffers. That’s obviously bad for the child and worse for our schools and our communities. 点击这里 to let your State Representative and Senator know you want “all” to mean ALL and permit children regardless of their citizenship status to be eligible for insurance coverage in the States “Cover All Kids” program.
One Night can Make a Difference in the Life of a Child
By now you’ve heard about what you can expect to see this Wednesday at the 2015 Celebration of the Public Citizen of the Year at Vie in Philadelphia. This includes the incredible performances from student artists, the wide range of items available in our live and silent auctions and the amazing people that we will honor at this year’s celebration.
What you may not realize is the impact your presence at this wonderful event will have on our region’s children. All proceeds from the Public Citizen of the Year helps PCCY improve the lives and life chances of our region’s children. By purchasing a ticket to the celebration you will help fuel PCCY’s research, mobilization and direct services for children in the future. Click here to buy tickets and learn about sponsorship opportunities. You can also get a sneak peek at all the items up for bid in our auctions by clicking here.