From POWER (http://www.powerinterfaith.org/):
We are at an impasse on passing a revenue package for the state budget. If we don’t pass a package soon, there is a strong possibility that the services we all rely upon will be frozen or cut. Governor Wolf has indicated he will start spending cuts this Friday (September 15)! Tomorrow the House can approve the revenue plan already passed by the Senate in late July, with one important amendment… Raise the minimum wage in PA! Can you imagine trying to live on $7.25 an hour? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 73,000 PA hourly workers were paid that wage last year while 71,000 earned even less. This is immoral and unconscionable.
Representative Patty Kim has proposed legislation that will initially raise minimum wage to $12.00 on January 1, 2018, and then to $15.00 by 2024. By raising the minimum wage, the Commonwealth would help lift thousands of its residents out of poverty, gain an estimate of more than $40 million of income and sales tax revenue, and we’d reduce state Medicaid spending by tens of millions of dollars. More consumer spending would also create an abundance of jobs according to the Keystone Research Center.
THE ASK:
There is a discharge petition being considered this week regarding Kim’s bill that will have a detrimental affect on all Pennsylvanians. Join Tabitha Ssonko, and others in POWER Philadelphia and Metro by contacting your representatives all this week. Let them know how important an increase to the minimum wage is to the vitality of PA. In addition, let’s be present in the hearing this week at the Capitol. This is a time for PRAYER, but also for ACTION. Let your voice be heard! It’s time to put our Faith into Action!
Governor Wolf supports a raise to $12.00 and so do we! Call today and tell your Representative to include an increase in the state minimum wage to $12.00 an hour! If you don’t know who your Representative is, click here to find out or call the House General Information number: (717) 787-2372.
If you plan on attending any of the hearings this week, know that parking is on your own. Consider carpooling, and showing up to sit in on these budget hearings.
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