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 Tell Our Senators and Representatives: Pennsylvania's 4 legislative caucuses have a slush fund of over $200 million, a new audit revealed this week. This fund is often used by legislative leaders to reward their friends and to punish enemies. The revelation of this slush fund comes as Pennsylvania Government is facing a deficit of up to $2 billion for this fiscal year. Discussions of how to solve the shortfall have included cutting funding for healthcare for the poor and elderly, including nursing home residents, cutting aid to local school districts and cutting funding for local infrastructure needs. Before making these drastic cuts that will hurt working families, we believe that the Legislature should turn over its slush fund to the general fund to help balance the state budget. Some legislators agree, including Rep. Josh Shapiro (D, Montgomery) who said, "Now, more than ever, we need to invest this money into the needs of Pennsylvanians." Keystone Progress is calling on the leaders of the 4 caucuses to turn over the surplus immediately. If you agree that this money belongs to the people, sign our petition. (Text is below)
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