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April showers bring rosy revenue returns
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As word arrived in the Capitol that April revenue collections were roughly $828 million above revenue estimates, everyone came forward to claim victory for budget policies which led to this favorable financial position. But differences of opinion are emerging on what impact this news should have on spending for the FY 2019-2020 state budget. It is also worth noting that there are some shortfalls in the current state budget which this funding will help to fix, totaling about $700 to $800 million.
While personal income tax collections were weak for the whole first nine months of the fiscal year, April saw them topping out $330 million, or 15% higher, than expected. Add to this continuing strong performance for corporate taxes in April, at $90 million, or 30% more than expected, plus strength in sales and use tax collections.
House and Senate Republicans stated their preference to hold spending in the 2019-2020 budget below the amount proposed by the Governor in his February budget. All four caucuses and the Governor are talking about the need to rebuild the state's Rainy Day Fund. All will continue to monitor revenue collections in May, into the latter part of June. While there had been some optimism for an early budget within the building, it now appears it will be advantageous to wait it out until the end of June for a more accurate revenue picture.
State legislators have one more week of session in Harrisburg, then they will be in-district until the beginning of June. UWP is asking members to use this opportunity to engage their legislators on the need for additional state funding for PA 2-1-1. Please watch your email for materials to support your local outreach to legislators.
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Child care fact sheets show need in every PA county and legislative district
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The Start Strong PA coalition has released new fact sheets to assist our advocacy efforts around accessible and affordable child care. These fact sheets provide information on child care data by legislative and county geographies, as well as the coalition's budget recommendations.
According to the research, only 37% of Child Care Works children under five years old are in high-quality programs. Further, only 21% of child care capacity in the state currently meets high-quality standards. UWP, along with the Start Strong PA coalition, is asking for an additional $50 million in state funds to ensure the healthy development of 10,000 infants and toddlers through consistent routines and relationships by paying STAR 3 and 4 providers closer to the full cost of high-quality care.
We encourage you to use these fact sheets in your communities and when interacting with legislators. It is valuable information that is important to the policies we support. If you have any questions, please contact Maggie.
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House Votes to Expand the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC)
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This week, the PA House voted on
House Bill 800, introduced by Speaker Mike Turzai, which makes significant funding changes to the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC). As many of you are aware, the EITC provides businesses throughout the Commonwealth a tax credit for donations to nonprofit scholarships or educational improvement organization.
The changes proposed in the legislation would increase the funding for tax credits from the current threshold of $110 million to $210 million and implement an automatic escalator for program funding. The escalator would raise the EITC funding cap by 10 percent, whenever 90 percent of the tax credits were claimed in the prior year. Additionally, the bill would increase the maximum annual household income eligibility threshold to $95,000, an increase of $10,000. Further, it would also require the scholarship organization to spend at least 90 percent of its donations on scholarships and education programs. This is an increase of 10 percent from the current 80 percent threshold.
The House vote was met with some opposition, as many Democrats took issue with the annual escalator, noting in 10 years the state could be budgeting upwards of $500 million for the tax credit program. Further, there were some issues with how this money is distributed, with many suggesting the legislation is now supporting many wealthy families that would like private education instead of public schools, when the original intent was to better assist low- and middle-class families.
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his bill will now move to the Senate for their approval. UWP will continue to monitor this legislation and keep members updated as necessary. Please note, UWP has not taken a position on this legislation. If you have any questions please contact Maggie.
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Upcoming ALICE Webinars
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ALICE® Advocacy Webinar
May 20th 2:00PM
Join United Way of Pennsylvania to discuss how the ALICE Project will have an impact on our network's work with policy and advocacy. Learn how to talk about ALICE with your legislators and local leaders to advocate for ALICE.
This webinar will be hosted by United Way of Pennsylvania through Zoom. It is available for staff and volunteers of PA United Ways who have committed to support the ALICE Project.
Non-ALICE Participating United Way Information Session
June 12th 2:00PM
Click Here to Register
A brief overview of the ALICE Report for our non-committed United Ways prior to launching the report on June 18th.
This webinar will be hosted by United Way of Pennsylvania through Zoom. It is available for staff and volunteers of PA United Ways who have NOT committed to the United Way of Pennsylvania ALICE Project. All United Ways attending the webinar information session agree to hold all information confidential until after 10:00AM on June 18th. The webinar will be recorded and distributed on June 18th after launch.
Exclusive ALICE Project Preview Webinar
June 14th 1:00PM
Fee: $25
Click Here to Register
This event is a webinar targeted to community partners and community members who are interested in the ALICE Project. Our ALICE project United Ways are welcome to invite partners and community leaders to this webinar. There will be a $25 fee to register for the webinar and it is open only to the first 100 attendees. Attendees will receive a preview of the ALICE Report and highlights of the main data. The full ALICE Report will launch June 18th at the PA Capitol building in Harrisburg.
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Farewell to UWP's Intern, Lauren Weickert
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This past semester, Lauren Weickert, a senior at Dickinson College, worked as UWP's Public Policy intern. She was a great asset to our team and played a key role in organizing our recent Hill Day and helping us to prepare for our ALICE Report launch. Lauren finished her internship with us this week and will be graduating in the next couple days before embarking on her career.
In her next phase, Lauren will be serving as a Paralegal for a law firm specializing in assisting our Nation's veterans and will continue to be a great advocate for many issues near-and-dear to the United Way network.
Please help us wish Lauren luck in all her future endeavors and thank her for the contributions she has made to UWP!
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Two Pennsylvania Execs recognized for 30 years of service with United Way
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Please join United Way of PA staff and board members in congratulating two members of our network who have been recognized for 30 years of service with United Way!
David Lewis, President and CEO of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, and Nancy Pinto, Chief Professional Officer of Clearfield County United Way, have been honored by United Way Worldwide for 30 years of service.
As Brian Gallagher wrote in his congratulatory note: "When it seems like the world is moving faster than ever, and the only constant is change, we should take time to honor and thank those who have achieved this rare and important achievement - one in which they should take a tremendous amount of pride."
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Diversity and inclusion lifted up at CLIC as success factor for modern United Ways
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United Way can effectively deliver on its mission only if it intentionally leverages diversity inside our organization and out in the community, creating an environment where diverse people feel supported, listened to, and able to do their best. Focusing on equity will ensure we can successfully fight for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. In practice this means building relationships with and engaging diverse communities in order to reflect the community in philosophy, policy and participation.
Read more about network strategies for diversity, equity and inclusion on
United Way online.
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Uwp.org Member Account Registration
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If you're a UWP Member, ALICE-committed Member, Board Member, or Committee Member, and you haven't yet registered for a free Member Account on Uwp.org, please don't forget to do so! It only takes a moment, and you will get access to all sorts of useful tools, personalized depending on your status within our Network. Any employee of any Member United Way is welcome to join!
Once you request access, we will approve your account as soon as possible. After that, you will be all set to explore the exclusive features of our website!
You may contact Kate with any questions regarding Member Accounts.
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Early
registration has ended for UWP's 2019 Annual Conference, room block expires today
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Just a reminder for UWP Members who haven't yet registered for our Annual Conference: early registration rates have now ended. The good news is, you can still register under regular rates until Friday, May 17.
If you would like to join our hotel block with a discounted group rate of $85/night, please make a reservation with Days Inn by Wyndham by Friday, May 10. To make a reservation, you can call the hotel at (814) 238-8454 and give them the reference group code: 060419UNI. There are a limited number of rooms available, so please reserve soon!
The agenda for UWP's conference is approved for United Way Flex Credits.
Flex Credits allow local United Ways to be reimbursed for both their registration and travel expenses.
- Wednesday, June 5, 2019 - Friday, June 7, 2019
- ALICE Bootcamp, on June 5, is open to ALICE Project Members
- State College, PA
We look forward to seeing you there! Please contact Amanda with any questions.
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