Family Friendly Pennsylvania Applauds Gov. Shapiro’s Continued Commitment to Working Families in Budget Address

February 7, 2024

Family Friendly Pennsylvania released the following statement today, applauding Gov. Josh Shapiro’s continued commitment to an agenda to uplift working families.

“Yesterday, Governor Josh Shapiro put forward a budget proposal to strengthen Pennsylvania’s economy and build thriving communities by centering working families across our Commonwealth,” said State Director of Family Friendly Pennsylvania Rachele Fortier.

“Governor Shapiro’s proposed investments in the Child Care Works program to further leverage federal dollars recognizes the need for increased access to affordable child care and support for the child care workforce. Additionally, his proposed investments to lower the cost of health care, increase wages for direct care providers, and expand access to home and community-based services will improve the quality of life for so many Pennsylvanians.”

“We call on Pennsylvania’s General Assembly to follow Governor Shapiro’s lead in advocating for working families on issues like paid family and medical leave, affordable child care, and cutting health care costs for Pennsylvanians.”

Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal includes:

  • $96,000 in state funds, which will further leverage $62 million in existing federal resources, to increase reimbursement rates for childcare providers participating in the Child Care Works program to the nationally recommended 75th percentile of the current market cost of childcare services.
  • Another $30 million in Pre-K programs to help recruit and retain the teachers who get our kids off to a great start.
  • $50 million to make sure that Pennsylvanians keep their health insurance, and Pennie can continue to drive down costs for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania families.
  • $4 million for medical debt relief for low-income Pennsylvanians and calls for healthcare providers to implement transparent practices to limit medical debt from being incurred in the first place.
  • $215 million – and draws down another $266 million in federal funds – to provide more resources for home and community-based service providers, so they in turn can pay competitive rates to attract and retain the staff who provide these essential services.
  • $36 million to help get more Pennsylvanians the home and community-based services they need.