PHILADELPHIA, JUNE 22, 2009 – As Pennsylvania’s budget looms, state Sen. Anthony Williams will host a community discussion with the community this week to discuss the impact of possible funding cuts to vital programs and services.
The “STR8 TALK” community meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 24 at 6:15 p.m. at Kingsessing Recreation Center, located at 50th Street and Kingsessing Avenue, Philadelphia. Media coverage is welcomed and encouraged.
“We are facing the possibility of a budget that will impact every single Pennsylvanian, so I want to generate an engaging conversation with my constituency to figure out how potential budget cuts will impact citizens, and what we can do to prepare,” said Williams (D-Philadelphia/Delaware. “Input from community leaders is necessary because they are the ones who will suffer if the state cuts funding or raises taxes.”
The 2009-10 Pennsylvania budget deadline is June 30. However, the state has a current projected $3.2 billion deficit. Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed spending cuts as well as a 16 percent increase to the Personal Income Tax. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are pushing for a budget that would inflict broad and deep funding cuts to vital programs and services in order to avoid a tax increase.
The goal of this meeting is to make sure the community understands exactly what’s happening with the state’s spending plan
“This will be a point blank discussion about what’s really happening in Harrisburg,” Williams said. “I will provide the latest news on budget negotiations and I will encourage engaging conversations among the attendees.”
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