PBPC Podcast

The PA General Assembly just passed what is called the general appropriations bill and sent it to Governor Wolf. Jeff Garis, Outreach and Engagement Director for the PA Budget and Policy Center, joins us to talk about the state of the 2018-19 Pennsylvania budget. Read PBPC's statement on the GA bill here: http://bit.ly/2tjYGgU

PBPC Director Marc Stier joins us for part II of a conversation about a series of redistricting reform bills being considered in the General Assembly, including SB22, a bill to create an independent redistricting commission that was, in essence, hijacked in the state Senate this week. An amendment brought forward by Senator Aument (R-Lancaster) would add judicial districts for state appellate courts to the constitutional amendment, opening up the opportunity for the General Assembly to gerrymander these new judicial district maps. Listen to part I of the podcast here: http://bit.ly/2JHPcW7 Take action on SB 22, as mentioned in the podcast, here: http://bit.ly/2HUka8B

PBPC Director Marc Stier joins the podcast to talk about a series of redistricting bills going through the state legislature right now, one of which (SB22) is moving quickly through the state Senate. Take action on SB22 and tell your state senator to vote "no" on it in its current form here: http://bit.ly/2LU0nJI

PBPC Director Marc Stier joins the podcast to talk about the upcoming launch of the We the People - Pennsylvania campaign and the pro-active policy agenda attached to that campaign that PBPC and other partners are taking around the state in 2018 and beyond. The campaign launches on May 17.

Kadida Kenner, Campaign Director for the Why Courts Matter - PA coalition — a project of the PBPC — joins the podcast to talk about federal court nominees — specifically the recently-announced nomination of Pittsburgh attorney David Porter to the 3rd circuit court of appeals. Follow WCM-PA on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/WhyCourtsMatterPA/ See the Porter petition page here: http://bit.ly/2JeXL79

PBPC Director Marc Stier joins the podcast to talk about a two bills moving through the Pennsylvania state legislature that would add pretty onerous work requirements for Pennsylvanians receiving health insurance through Medicaid and those who receive food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. View the action page on this issue here: http://bit.ly/2h2NCkD

Education Voters of Pennsylvania Executive Director Susan Spicka explains education savings accounts (ESAs) and PA SB2, a bill that would drain millions of dollars from public schools and funnel that money to private and religious schools across the state. You can learn more about these ESA vouchers here: http://www.paopposedtovouchers.org/

PBPC Director Marc Stier walks through the Pennsylvania budget, explaining the process by which it is passed, what each section of the budget is for, and the current state of revenue versus what the state is required to spend on different programs and departments. You can follow along with the visuals Marc references here: http://bit.ly/2uyIdbH

PBPC Policy Analyst Diana Polson and PBPC Director Marc Stier detail their comprehensive analysis of Governor Tom Wolf's 2018-19 budget proposal. Audio is taken from a recent webinar about their report. Follow along with the presentation with the PowerPoint slides here: http://bit.ly/PBPCBudgetPPT Read the full report here: http://bit.ly/2pjhfPA

PBPC Director Marc Stier joins us to talk about the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), why Congress hasn't been able to find a fix, and how the data shows that undocumented immigrants are the opposite of a drag on the economy. Marc references a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine about the impact of immigrants on economic growth -- see more here: http://bit.ly/2F8yNW0

PBPC Director Marc Stier joins us to share his reactions to Governor Tom Wolf's budget address and the proposed budget for 2018-19. For more info, follow PBPC on Twitter (@PBPC) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/PennBPC/) or visit our budget analysis page on our website here: http://bit.ly/2FU62vt

PBPC Director Marc Stier joins us to preview Governor Wolf's 2018-19 budget address. Follow PBPC on Twitter (@PBPC) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/PennBPC/) for budget address analysis.

Claudia Lukert, Chief of Staff and Counsel for SEIU Local 668, and Steve Catanese, President of SEIU Local 668, join us to talk about the Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court case and what the decision will mean for public-sector unions. Maria Delgado, Chair of the SEIU Local 668 Statewide County Assistance Office (CAO) Rank and File Committee talks to us about what the union means to members and why the decision will be so important to their ability to serve members of the public.

Kadida Kenner, Campaign Manager for PBPC focused on the Why Courts Matter - PA project, joins us to talk about the federal courts, vacancies in Pennsylvania, troubling Trump nominations to the federal bench, important Supreme Court cases coming up, and more.

Mark Price, Labor Economist for the Keystone Research Center, joins us to talk about his new report on the minimum wage in Pennsylvania and how workers in the Keystone State are falling behind counterparts in surrounding states because the state has not increased the minimum wage in almost a decade. His report can be found here: http://bit.ly/2EDXLw1