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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 5, 2024

Contact: Kirstin Snow, Communications Director, snow@pennpolicy.org

Pennsylvanians Together Campaign, Partners, Legislators Announce 2024–25 Governor’s Budget Priorities, “Survive and Thrive” Agenda

Preview to Governor Shapiro’s Budget Address; New Campaign Director

Harrisburg, PA—Pennsylvanians Together (PT) campaign, Senator Haywood, Representative Fiedler, Representative Rabb, and several statewide partners announce the Survive and Thrive agenda for all Pennsylvanians, ahead of the Governor’s annual budget address.

They shared the PT agenda for working families, focused on raising the minimum wage, and enacting a state working families tax cut (a.k.a. state earned income tax cut), as well as the other items on the agenda for 2024, including expanding the Whole-Home Repairs program, driver’s licenses for all, and protecting our democracy.

Pennsylvanians Together is the new advocacy campaign led by the Pennsylvania Policy Center, Commonwealth Communications, SEIU State Council, and many of the leading grassroots advocacy organizations in the state: Action Together NEPA, All Voting Is Local, Better Pennsylvania, CASA, For Our Future PA, Make The Road PA, One Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania United, and POWER.

PT also announces that Dwayne Heisler has been appointed its new campaign director. In response to his appointment, Heisler said, “There exist numerous avenues through which our state government can enhance its service to the people of Pennsylvania, particularly those facing challenges or being left in the margins. I take great pride in joining forces with Pennsylvanians Together and citizens across the Commonwealth, united in the mission to ensure that political representatives, opinion leaders, grassroots organizations, and the citizens of Pennsylvania are equipped with the necessary tools to foster the growth of our vibrant democracy, safeguard our freedoms, and pursue economic justice,” said Heisler.

Marc Stier, executive director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center and founder of PT said, Pennsylvanians Together will carry on and expand the work of the previous We The People-PA campaign. Our goal is to ensure that all Pennsylvanians, no matter what they look like, where they live, or where they were born, have an opportunity not just to survive but thrive in growing an economy that works for all of us. Fighting for an open and truly representative democracy is critical to that goal. Our initial agenda announced today is focused on lifting wages and cutting taxes for people with low incomes as a start. We will soon be announcing a tax fairness agenda as well.”

Representative Chris Rabb added, “Whether it’s advocating for tax fairness to make the ultra-rich pay their fair share or transitioning the minimum wage into a family-sustaining wage, Pennsylvanians deserve budget priorities that promote shared prosperity and more opportunity to not just get by but thrive.”

“Right now, working people across the Commonwealth are sitting down to file their taxes and facing another reminder of Pennsylvania’s unjust tax system,” said Representative Elizabeth Fiedler. “Our lowest-income taxpayers should not be paying more than double the tax rate of the top 1%. I look forward to working with Pennsylvanians Together to advance my combined reporting bill, which would require corporations pay their fair share to help fund our communities.”

“Action Together NEPA is proud to be a member of the Pennsylvania[ns] Together leadership team. The goals of our coalition are achievable for the people of Pennsylvania when we all work together, and Pennsylvanians Together gives us an opportunity to do just that. Building an equitable, thriving commonwealth starts with ensuring that all Pennsylvanians have the tools and opportunities they need to build a brighter future for themselves, their families, and their communities. This year we look forward to advocating for the policies of the Pennsylvanians Together agenda, including raising the minimum wage, passing tax cuts for working families, and expanding the Whole-Home Repairs program,” said Alisha Hoffman-Mirilovich, Executive Director, Action Together NEPA

Jess Bigirindavyi, Democracy Defense senior manager, All Voting Is Local, said, “If we truly want to ensure that our votes are being cast in a safe, efficient, and legal manner, we must fully fund our elections offices. A fully funded elections system would include clearer directions for voters that results in less confusion, better poll worker training that results in less mistakes at voting sites, and more drop box availability across the Commonwealth. All of this would lead to increased confidence in the Pennsylvania elections.

She added, “We must properly fund county boards of elections across the state to recruit poll worker staff and advertise to recruit them. Poll workers make our elections go. They are vital to our democracy, working in a responsible way to make it possible for voters to cast a ballot that will be fairly counted and help make sure our election system is fair and transparent. “

 “We are thrilled to have Dwayne Heisler join the Pennsylvanians Together campaign as our new campaign director. With his extensive experience and strategic leadership, we know Dwayne will drive our campaign forward so we can help press lawmakers to focus on priorities that help working families thrive. From raising the minimum wage to protecting Pennsylvanians in the workplace to making our tax system more fair for lower and middle-class families, Better PA is excited to continue the important work with Pennsylvanians Together with Dwayne in this critical role,” concluded Angela Valvano, Executive Director, Better PA.

Pennsylvanians Together is a campaign working to ensure that all Pennsylvanians cannot just survive—but thrive. For too long, we’ve let politicians—who serve the interests of corporations—and the rich, divide us based on what we look like, where we come from, where we worship, how much money we have or whether we are native-born or immigrants. By dividing us, they have given us public policies that do too little to help most Pennsylvanians, while making the rich and corporations even wealthier.

 

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Correcting the typo in the name of the coalition: “Pennsylvanians Together:, not “Pennsylvania Together” [GU1]