State Funding At Risk

Tell your state legislators today to vote NO on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).

This week, fast moving legislation will go forward without public hearings or debate in the Pennsylvania General Assembly that could severely reduce state support for arts, culture, education, public broadcasting, history, arts education, heritage, preservation, support for lower and middle income families, and agriculture .

Your support is needed now to ensure the future of Pennsylvania’s cultural funding.

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED

Call or fax your State Representative, your State Senator, and Governor Rendell today.

Your Message:

Urge your State Representative to vote NO on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
Urge your State Senator to vote NO on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
Urge Governor Rendell to VETO all bills associated with the Taxpayer Bill of Rights in Pennsylvania. Phone: (717) 787-2500; Fax: (717) 772-8284

To find your State Representative and State Senator, check your member listing in the 2005 Cultural Resource Directory, and click here (http://www.legis.state.pa.us/index.cfm) to locate phone and fax numbers for your legislators using the corresponding district number.

If you are not a member of the Cultural Alliance, click here (http://www.legis.state.pa.us/index.cfm) to use your nine-digit zip code to find your legislators (the search tool is located in the upper right corner of the page).

What is the Taxpayer Bill of Rights?

TABOR is a collection of four tax bills (House Bills 2082 and 2067, Senate Bills 884 and 4) that would create new legislation and amend the Pennsylvania Constitution. The legislation sets severe limits on the growth of state and local spending, and ties state spending to a formula that includes the annual change in population plus the current rate of inflation. The bills are based upon a Colorado law enacted in 1992 that implemented strict expenditure limits in that state.

For further background information on this legislation, please visit the Cultural Alliance website at Budget Watch

Why is this Critical?

1. If enacted in this fiscal year, the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO estimates that these bills would require over $2 billion in cuts to Pennsylvania’s current $24 billion budget. Given federal mandates for spending, options for cutting this much out of the rest of the budget could include:

Elimination of state funding for higher education .
Elimination of state funding for health care to low income citizens.
Elimination of state funding to arts organizations, museums, public libraries, museums, historical societies, public television stations, and other arts and cultural agencies.
Reduction of the basic state subsidy for public schools .
Elimination of all state funding for the Department of Agriculture .

Once eliminated from the state budget, it would be extremely difficult for programs to have funding restored under TABOR.

2. Pennsylvania already has a constitutional requirement for a balanced budget. The budget process provides the General Assembly and the Governor with tools to control the growth of state government.

3. States with laws similar to this have faced the possible elimination of their state arts councils in recent years, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, and New Jersey. California and Massachusetts received substantial cuts to their state arts agencies.

4. These bills make it extremely difficult for Pennsylvania to enact future federal mandates for security, education, or other programs. They also prevent the Commonwealth from diverting funds quickly for emergency response.

Other Groups in Opposition

TABOR is also being opposed by the following organizations:

AARP Pennsylvania
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF)
Citizens for Consumer Justice
Keystone Research Center
Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania
Maternity Care Coalition
Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania
National Council of Jewish Women-PA
Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
Pathways PA
Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators
Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations
Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group (PennPIRG)
Pennsylvania School Boards Association
Pennsylvania Social Services Union (PSSU)
Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA)
Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY)
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776

If you have questions or need assistance contacting your state legislators, please contact April Williamson at 215-557-7811 ext. 11 or aprilw@philaculture.org.

Thank you.