We are excited to be back and better than ever for our first in-person Pennsylvania Budget Summit since 2019! Join us for an in-depth look at Governor Shapiro’s 2023-24 budget proposal and an examination of bold policy ideas to address the long-term challenges facing the people and economy of Pennsylvania. The Summit will also feature opportunities to hear from policy experts, elected officials, and leading advocates, as well as advocacy resources and strategies that change the narrative and direction of our state government.

As we get closer to the date, we'll be posting updates here on workshops, featured speakers, special guests, and more!

(In an effort to ensure the event is financially accessible, there is a limited number of low-cost/no-cost tickets - email [email protected] for more info.)

Here’s a preview of our workshop sessions and some of the experts who will be sharing their insights:

MORNING WORKSHOPS

Victory for Children: Pennsylvania’s School Funding System Declared Unconstitutional. What the Commonwealth Court Ruling Means for Students and Our Public Schools
In February, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court declared Pennsylvania’s school funding system unconstitutional. Learn about this decision, what it means for students, and how advocates can join a movement to help ensure that that our governor and lawmakers will support a school funding system that ensures ALL students have the resources in their public schools that they need to succeed.

Panelists:

• Susan Spicka, Executive Director, Education Voters of Pennsylvania [moderator]
• Sandra Miller, Advocacy Coordinator, Education Voters of Pennsylvania
• Claudia De Palma, Staff Attorney, Public Interest Law Center attorney

Imagining a Pennsylvania With Skills Development and Career Supports for All
Many employers struggle to hire qualified workers while many workers cannot find good jobs or pathways to high-paying careers. Traditional education and workforce training (“train and pray”) disconnected from the economy cannot solve these challenges. For two decades, Pennsylvania has invested at a small scale in industry (training) partnerships and group or coordinated apprenticeships that might provide the missing link between education/training and employers. This workshop will provide an overview of the workforce and career and technical education proposals in Governor Shapiro’s first budget and consider how those might be shaped to achieve transformational changes that develop skills for employers, boost careers for workers, and become a long-term source of competitive advantage for our state.

Panelists:

• Stephen Herzenberg, Executive Director, Keystone Research Center [moderator]
• Rob Bair, President, Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council
• Tara Toms, Keystone Development Partnership Claire Kovach, Senior Research Analyst, Keystone Research Center

The Incomes and Outcomes of Low Wage Work: The Minimum Wage and Beyond
The minimum wage in Pennsylvania has stalled at $7.25 per hour since 2009. Join us to learn about Governor Shapiro’s minimum wage proposal and what it would mean for Pennsylvania workers. We’ll explore common minimum wage myths, trends from surrounding states who have already raised their minimums, and we’ll discuss issues that impact low wage workers the most.

Panelists:

• Claire Kovach, Senior Research Analyst, Keystone Research Center
• Vivienne Sinagra, Deputy Director of Campaigns, We The People-PA

Preventing Disaster: An overview of efforts to force federal cuts to vital services, and how to fight back
President Biden’s 2023-24 federal budget calls for making long-overdue investments in critical services and protecting the benefits that Americans have earned and need, but US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and lawmakers in Congress are threatening to ignite a devastating federal default crisis to force massive cuts to essential programs. Learn more about what’s at stake and the status of efforts to prevent disaster and make the investments in health care, jobs, and services that Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly want and need.

Panelists:

• Ali Feldman, Federal Organizing Associate, Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
• Jeff Garis, Federal Campaigns and Program Director, Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center

• Robin Stelly, Organizer, Pennsylvania Health Access Network staff

LUNCHTIME LEGISLATIVE PANEL DISCUSSION

Moderator:

• Corinna Vecsey Wilson, Wilson500 [Moderator]

Panelists:

• Representative Patty Kim, Pennsylvania House District 103
• Representative Chris Rabb, Pennsylvania House District 200
  

AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS

Towards a Higher Education System That Works
In his first budget address, Governor Shapiro noted bluntly that “it’s on us to rethink or system of higher education – because what we’re doing isn’t working.” This workshop will examine the short-term (23-24 budget) and long-term challenges facing higher education in Pennsylvania. What do we need to do in this budget to avoid exacerbating the lack of funding, access, and affordability of higher education? And what’s our long-term strategy for achieving a system that works.

Panelists:

• Diana Polson, Senior Policy Analyst, Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center [moderator]
• Ian Gavigan, Rutgers University, and Higher Education Labor United

• Kate Shaw, Deputy Secretary of Education, Deputy Secretary and Commissioner of Postsecondary and Higher Education at the Pennsylvania Department of Education

ReImagine PA: Leveraging Federal $ to Create Good Union Jobs, Equity, and Advance Climate Action
From 2020 to August 2022, climate action in the United States including the ReImagine Appalachia (RA) campaign, focused on enacting federal climate infrastructure legislation. Once historic legislation passed (in the form of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and CHIPS+), the challenge became “winning the win” – leveraging federal legislation for Pennsylvania and coal country Appalachia to create good union jobs, promote economic justice and racial equity, and make progress towards net zero emissions by 2050. This workshop will provide an update on RA and KRC efforts, with labor, other partners, and now the Shapiro Administration, to advance these goals.

Panelists:

• Stephen Herzenberg, Executive Director, Keystone Research Center [moderator]
• Joanne Manganello, Laborers International Union of North America
• Brian Regli, Executive Director, Critical Investments, Office of the Governor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Tara Toms, Apprenticeship Manager, Keystone Development Partnership

Tax the Ultra-Rich Now: Federal, State, & Local Efforts to Make Billionaires & Corporations Pay Their Fair Share
Elected officials at all levels face the problem of funding crucial public services after decades of failed “trickle down” economics have shifted even more wealth to the ultra-rich and depleted public coffers. Efforts to ensure that billionaires and wealthy corporations are paying their fair share in taxes are gaining momentum at the federal, state, and local levels, and this workshop will provide an overview of the Billionaire’s Minimum Income Tax legislation that’s been introduced in Congress, the Fair Share Tax Plan in the General Assembly of Pennsylvania, and municipal efforts across the Commonwealth.

Panelists:

• Jeff Garis, Federal Campaigns and Program Director, PBPC
• Representative Chris Rabb, Pennsylvania House District 200
• Arielle Klagsbrun, Deputy Campaign Manager, The Action Center on Race & the Economy (ACRE) and the Tax the Rich PHL coalition
• Nthando Thandiwe, Budget and Policy Analyst, Pittsburgh Budget and Policy Center