PA Senate Republicans are playing dirty politics with autism funding

[PA Democrat]

Some info below in the email I received from the Autism Society. FYI, the Senate vote to cut the funding for autism services was straight along party lines. Every Republican voted FOR the cuts every Democrat voted AGAINST.

Services are already badly underfunded and these cuts would be devastating. My own Republican senator told me that some of the funding will probably be restored. But the scoop is that they are playing games to try to paint PA Democrats as fiscally irresponsible.

I ask you: What kind of human beings uses funding for services critical to a very vulnerable population as a tool in their games of crass political opportunism?

Dear members of the Pennsylvania autism community:

It has come to my attention that Senate Bill 850 passed in the Senate (30 to 20) on May 6, 2009 and, the action alert sent out to the autism community in Pennsylvania was not sent out in time to take action with respect to expressing your concerns to your state Senators. For this error, we apologize. ASA Pittsburgh was on top of the issue the minute it began and tried all avenues to rally the community to action.

However, there is still time to express your concerns to your state Representatives and ask them to defeat this “alternative” budget that would cut tens of millions of dollars from the budget of the Bureau of Autism Services in the Department of Public Welfare.

Senate Bill 850 was been referred to the House Appropriations Committee on May 7, 2009.

Call or write your state Representative immediately and tell that person how devastating Senate Bill 850 would be to critical programs and services for persons with autism. (If you don’t know who your state Representative is or how to contact that person, there is a helpful search function at http://www.legis.state.pa.us/.) Tell your representative that autism programs and services are already underfunded, and that any cuts would devastate programs that are necessary for some of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable people.

Urge your representatives to stand against any cuts in the autism budget.

Jeff Sell, Esq.
Vice President, Advocacy & Public Policy
Autism Society of America

[blue neen]

1. I will contact Rep. Petrarca and let him know how I feel.

There are a number of group homes in his own home town who are caring for adults with autism. He needs to be aware of what is going on.

Thanks for the alert! :toast:

[JPZenger]

2. Senate Repubs Put Together a Pretend Budget

The Senate Republicans passed a budget on a strictly party line vote as a show. The Governor said he has not intention of following the Senate budget, and the Dems control the State House. The question is whether there will be stalemate.

Here's a new email from the Pa. Dem Party:

"Dear Pennsylvania Democrats:

It's not often that you see such bold red lines that differentiate the differences between Democrats and Republicans. And if we hadn't seen it with our own eyes, we would not have believed it.

This past week, Senate Republicans put forth one of the meanest and most hostile budgets in the history of Pennsylvania. Their proposal slashes funding for education and decimates job creation while also eliminating affordable health care for poor kids in Pennsylvania.

Can this really be? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Senate Republicans took the already lean and mean budget offered by Governor Ed Rendell, along with House and Senate Democrats, and made it snarl. On top of the Governor's $1.1 billion cuts, Senate Republicans slashed an additional $1.7 billion that hurts children, teachers, businesses and taxpayers.

Senate Republican cuts to education add up to $1 billion and hurt school districts, children, teachers and the taxpayers who would have to pay more in property taxes should the cuts take effect.

Because of contract obligations and rising costs in health care and overhead, the Repbulicans' denial of crucial funding would force schools to lay off at least 3,725 teachers. To avoid those layoffs, taxpayers would have to shoulder a larger burden - an increase of at least three percent more than is projected.

The Senate Republican budget would also cut the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency by $71 million - meaning $400 less per needy student. The State System of Higher Education and community colleges would also suffer an $18 million cut resulting in higher tuition for students and their parents.

Job creation programs would be cut by $240 million. This would affect more than 100,000 jobs in Pennsylvania. In addition, the elimination of the entire Job Training Activities line item would mean that 25,689 adults seeking to build their skills would have no help getting into the labor force.

While the Governor's budget would provide affordable health care to 24,000 additional needy children, the Senate Republicans slashed $7.9 million from the State Children's Insurance Program (SCHIP). That would immediately remove 9,588 children from the program, thus denying them access to quality health care.

The Republicans will try to use the same, tired, "tax and spend" argument that has been part of their playbook since Bush entered office. But the truth is that Democrats are not against spending cuts. Governor Rendell and the Democratic leadership in the legislature removed $557 million from the budget, including the elimination of 100 line items and reduction of 300 more.

See for yourselves how nasty this budget proposal really is.

Take action today. Let your Republican Senator know that these cuts are absolutely horrific and must be reversed immediately. Urge him or her to vote for Governor Rendell's budget that asks us all to bear a part of the burden, rather than dump it the backs of poor children and working families.

Sincerely,

T.J. Rooney, Chairman"

[Pat Riot]

3. outrageous

Mean people really, really suck. I will email about this.

[demodonkey]

4. My brother (now deceased) was autistic before there was ANY autism funding...

...to get any services at all he had to be diagnosed as mentally retarded, which he was NOT. Then the services he did get (admission to ARC sheltered workshop, etc.) were a horrible fit.

Also the services he got were so paltry toward the end it was pretty much worthless.

Pennsylvania has a habit of underfunding everything, and spreading whatever funding it has so thin that no one really gets the help they need.

This is just more of the same game-playing by both parties -- using autistic people as the football.