Harrisburg, PA. July 12, 2024 – State Senator Art Haywood (D-Montgomery/Philadelphia) released the following statement on the passage of the 2024-25 PA Budget:
Our state budget passed with $47B for historic changes to public education, higher education, housing affordability and more. At the same time, we maintained the shameful indignity of a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Whether black, brown, or white, rich or poor, no matter how you identify, each of us has intrinsic, God-given dignity. The minimum wage of $7.25 violates our dignity.
The good news is that record spending of over $1B for public education to address the unconstitutional funding determined by the Commonwealth Court is in this budget. An additional $115M for higher education grants to students including a state grant of $5,750 is in this budget. Housing affordability programs will now reach $100M. More pharmacies will stay in business as a result of reform to how they get paid. I advocated for these changes.
At the same time, funding for SEPTA falls far short of what is needed to protect riders. New tax breaks for businesses still leave 1.3M Pennsylvanians under $15 per hour. Our fight for dignity continues.
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