Earlier this fall, the Wolf Administration established the Ready Start Task Force to develop a four-year framework of strategies to address health, human services, and education policy for infants and toddlers in Pennsylvania. The task force announced their initial findings early this week. The Governor's budget secretary also listed the recommendations of this task force among Wolf's priorities for the next state budget. 

These themes and findings were developed from feedback the Task Force received from six regional listening sessions with stakeholders representing health care, human services, education, research, businesses and employers, foundations, and research organizations.  Approximately 150 stakeholders participated in these sessions that took place from October through mid-December. The stakeholders were asked to provide feedback based on three guiding questions, which include:

The initial findings include a need to:

* Ensure access to high-quality care for all children and families, especially those with the greatest needs; 
* Improve system quality and capacity; 
* Improve coordination and alignment of services and supports; 
* Prioritize outreach, education, and awareness, including building meaningful partnerships with parents, families, and communities; 
* Address the needs of the whole child and whole family through comprehensive supports, including those for mental and behavioral health; 
* Help infants and toddlers get a strong start for school through early literacy and other evidence-based programs.

You can read more about the initial findings here. A final report will be completed in early 2019, which will lay out a four-year framework for advancing the well-being of Pennsylvania's infants and toddlers, as well as their families. 

The Administration has also invited the public to share their ideas through an online feedback form. If you would like to weigh-in, this form is still available.

Congress agreed to and passed a final bipartisan Farm Bill! UWP and many of our members advocated on behalf of SNAP, which is an element in the larger Farm Bill. We are happy to announce the final bill resembles the bipartisan SNAP provisions in the original Senate bill that we were advocating for. The bill preserves access to nutritious food by keeping the current SNAP eligibility requirements and work provisions, and maintains state flexibility. The bill also makes incremental changes that support work by strengthening the SNAP education & training program and its connection to employers and existing workforce infrastructure. The new Farm Bill improves program integrity by modernizing verification systems and instituting checks to prevent duplicate receipt of benefits across states. The House voted in support of bill 369-47 and the Senate approved the bill with a vote of 87-13.

This week President Trump signed the Farm Bill, but was vocal about his displeasure with the lack of stricter work requirements imposed on SNAP beneficiaries.  Thus, the Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed a rule that would restrict state's ability to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain stable employment to receive SNAP benefits.  Currently, states are able to waive the work-requirements imposed on 18-49 year-olds who do not have any dependents.  States are also allowed to grant benefit extensions for 15-percent of their work-eligible adult population without a waiver.  The new proposed rule would take away the state's ability to issue waivers unless a city or county has an unemployment rate of 7-percent or higher.  The rule would also forbid states from granting waivers for geographic areas larger than a specified jurisdiction and would take away the ability to "stockpile" the unused percent of their 15% exemptions.  

While the passage of the bipartisan Farm Bill is a big win for the network and the hard work we have put into advocating to protect SNAP, we may need to activate again based on this new rule.  We are awaiting more clarification on the impact of this rule and an advocacy strategy moving forward.  As we receive more information we will pass it along to our members.  

In the meantime, we cannot diminish the  victory for the children, seniors, people with disabilities, veterans and working Americans who are using SNAP to keep healthy food on the table.I t is also important to thank our House and Senate members who voted in support of SNAP. UWW put together a toolkit that includes social media posts and template thank you emails that you can adapt to thank your local congressional members. If you click on the links above, in the vote count, you will be able to see which of your legislators voted in support of the bipartisan bill.

We would like to thank all of our members who helped us advocate for SNAP is past year! You were an integral part of the success and we appreciate all your hard work!

 

UWP is pleased to welcome the following new members to the board:

• Julie DeSeyn, Vice President, Community Impact, United Way of Southwestern PA
• Dan LaVallee, Director of Government and Business Relations, Government Programs, UPMC Health Plan, & Volunteer, United Way of Southwestern PA
• Leslie Osche, Butler County Commissioner
• Will Price, Executive Director, United Way of Venango County
• Jennifer Reis, Manager, Government Affairs, PA Chamber of Business and Industry
• Sue Suter, President and CEO, United Way of Lancaster

The Board also elected the following officers to serve a one year term:

Chair of the Board: Tammy Gentzel, Executive Director, Centre County United Way (second year as chair)

Vice Chair of the Board: Anthony (TJ) Andrisano, Shareholder, Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney (second year as Vice Chair)

Treasurer: Michael Albert, President & CEO, United Way of Monroe County (second year as Treasurer)

Assistant Treasurer: Lucy Zander, Executive Director, United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County (first year as assistant treasurer)