CARIE - Center for advocacy for the rights and interests of the elderly

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Are you an advocate for older adults or interested in becoming an advocate? Please consider bookmarking CARIE’s website and check back on a regular basis for policy updates and advocacy alerts. For immediate notification, please click on Email List Sign-up.

CARIE sponsors monthly meetings of the Dorothy S. Washburn Legislative Committee. Please click here for the most recent agenda.

Pennsylvania Budget Update - Posted June 19, 2006

If you haven't already done so, please read the background information and attachments provided about Pennsylvania's proposed FY 2006-07 budget. Now is the time to call or fax your state senator and representative to ask for their support and leadership to ensure the following budget priorities to help older Pennsylvanians.

Please vote in favor of Senate Bill 1188 and use the savings to:

increase funding for the Department of Aging's OPTIONS program by at least $30 million;
increase funding for senior centers by at least $8 million;
increase funding for shared ride transportation services by at least $5 million; and,
provide $2 million for training direct care workers.

(For the budget requests listed above, you may use a toll free hotline provided by AARP of Pennsylvania to contact your legislators at 1-800-515-8134.)

CARIE is also advocating for dual eligibles who have been negatively impacted with the implementation of Medicare Part D. Please contact your state representative and senator to ask that Senate Bill 1188 be amended or the Department of Public Welfare be mandated to provide dual eligibles with the same benefits and "wrap around" coverage being offered to PACE/PACENET beneficiaries. (The "benefits" include helping dual eligibles select the Medicare Part D plan that best meets their prescription drug needs as well as their preferred pharmacy and filing appeals with the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, PDP. "Wrap around" coverage would cover prescriptions on the PACE formulary that are not covered by the Medicare Part D plan formulary.)

Finally, the Family Caregiver Support Program has not seen an increase since the program's inception in 1990. Request that the provisions in House Bill 566 (this bill unanimously passed the House last June) be supported to increase the maximum amount available to an eligible caregiver from $200 to $600 per month and the maximum amount for home modifications and assistive devices increase from $2,000 to $6,000.

Click here to find the contact information for your state representative.

Click here to find the contact information for your state senator.

Don't know your state senator or representative? Click here and go to the upper right hand corner of the page to search by zip code.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Cubit at CARIE. In addition, if you have time please forward any response you receive from a legislator to Kathy.

Pennsylvania TABOR Proposals - Updated May 2, 2006

Please read below for background information regarding this issue. The Pennsylvania House Appropriation Committee reported Senate Bill 884 out of Committee yesterday and it could possibly be voted upon this week. Senate Bill 884 is the TABOR Constitutional amendment so it can not be vetoed by the Governor if passed. Please contact members of the House as soon as possible and ask that they vote against Senate Bill 884. Click here for contact information. Don't know your representative? Click here and go to the upper right hand corner of the page to search by your zip code.

Pennsylvania TABOR Proposals - Posted November 17, 2005

This is an unusual time of year to be discussing proposed budget bills in Pennsylvania. However, there are bills that are moving on a fast track in both the House and Senate that could force huge budget cuts for Medicaid, human services, education and other programs. (House Bill 2082 was introduced on October 19, passed the House on November 1 and was just re-referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday. Other related bills, Senate Bills 4 and 884.) These bills, referred to as the "Taxpayer Bill of Rights" or "TABOR," have been introduced to respond in part to the backlash created over the recent pay hike bill (now repealed).

TABOR legislation requires Pennsylvania's constitution to be amended to mandate permanent state spending limits based on a formula: "the rate of inflation plus population growth or the growth of personal income, whichever is lower." It also requires any surplus funds in the General Fund at the end of the year that are not required by law to be deposited into the "Budget Stabilization Reserve Fund" be refunded pro rata to taxpayers. The bills' supporters claim that the proposed legislation will help control state spending and reduce taxes. However, an analysis by the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center estimated that if TABOR were in place, state spending this fiscal year would have been $5.5 billion or 23.8% less than what passed. The irony is that the same day the PA House passed its TABOR bill, Colorado's voters passed a measure to stop a similar law out of concern it would create a fiscal crisis.

For more background information on TABOR, please go to:

Advocacy Request

As you know, Pennsylvania is required by law to pass a balanced budget. TABOR presents a dangerous political ploy by mandating spending caps on Medicaid and other programs that help older Pennsylvanians while promoting it as being fiscally responsible. Please contact your state Senator as soon as possible and ask that he or she vote against House Bill 2082, or any TABOR legislation. Click here for contact information.

Members are listed alphabetically. If you are not sure of the name of your state Senator, go to the upper right hand corner of the page to get this information.

The Coalition for Common Sense Priorities is a new coalition organizing to stop TABOR in Pennsylvania. If you are interested in joining the Coalition, please send an email message to Sharon Ward at sharonward@pccy.org and indicate your interest. She can also be reached by calling 215-563-5848, extension 15.

Please contact Kathy Cubit at CARIE for more information.

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